Chicken galbi restaurant in Cheonho with Horangi makgeolli: Ondogye

Starting my review of Ondogye, the hot chicken galbi spot people wait for in Cheonho's Jjukkumi (whelk) Alley — known as one of Seoul's top three chicken galbi restaurants 𖤐ˊ˗

Where is Ondogye in Cheonho, and what are its hours and parking?

• Ondogye
• 15 Cheonho-daero 158-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
• Hours: 16:00 - 23:00 (last order 22:00)
• No parking, use nearby public parking lots

There are so many good restaurants on Cheonho Rodeo Street, but today we went to Ondogye, famous as one of Seoul's top three chicken galbi places! It's a Cheonho spot that even Hong Seok-cheon and Lee Won-il have visited, so my expectations were sky-high^^

How long is the wait late on a Thursday evening?

We visited on a Thursday late evening, and luckily there was no wait! It seems popular enough to run a whole annex building for overflow??

Ondogye has plenty of tables with wide spacing between seats, making it perfect for Cheonho work dinners, dates, family meals, or any kind of gathering 👍

Ondogye menu and prices

• ✔️Soy sauce chicken galbi (270g) ₩17,000
• ✔️Spicy chicken galbi (270g) ₩17,000
• ✔️Salt-grilled chicken thigh (230g) ₩17,000
• ✔️Steamed egg ₩5,000
• ✔️Vegetable skewers ₩8,000
• ✔️Horangi raw makgeolli ₩5,000
• ✔️Naju old-style dongdongju ₩5,000

We ordered everything except the garlic salt version — I'll try that next time~~ Cheonho's Ondogye seems to really push the chicken galbi + makgeolli combo ₊˚✩ So of course we had to order it right away!

Side dishes and freebies: fried chicken gizzards and whole-tofu doenjang stew

The basic side dishes are shredded green onion salad, pickled radish, green onion kimchi, and various sauces

And they even give you fried chicken gizzards as a free taster?!

This is the doenjang stew (soybean paste soup) that comes as a default — wait, they put in a whole block of tofu?! It's huge!! The first serving is included, and extra orders are ₩3,000

Soy-marinated chicken galbi and salt-grilled chicken neck, grilled by the staff

Soy sauce chicken galbi and salt-grilled chicken thigh arrive first! Plus mushrooms & rice cake sticks (grilled rice cake dipped in honey is amazing ✪) Staff grill everything for us, so all we have to do is eat happily haha

It comes pre-seared, so it cooked quickly! It's chicken thigh meat, so it was tender and, above all, juicy and moist

The soy sauce flavor wasn't overly sweet or sharp — it had a subtle, well-balanced seasoning that tasted great! Sweet and salty is always the best combo⭐️ Sizzling away as it grills haha

Horangi raw makgeolli vs Naju old-style dongdongju

When we drink makgeolli we always taste the first sip without shaking the bottle first...haha The old-style dongdongju had a more tangy flavor — my preference is Horangi raw makgeolli💙 It had been a while since I had makgeolli, and it paired so well with the chicken galbi, tasted great as always^^

The steamed egg is about to explode ㅋㅋㅋㅋ There's cheese on top too, so of course it's delicious ◌ 𓂂 𓈒♡

The salt-grilled chicken thigh was springy and chewy, and dipping it in salt made it delicious!

How to eat at Ondogye for the best flavor

• Dip the well-cooked 'first piece' straight into sesame salt
• Lay pickled radish on a plate, top with chicken galbi and 505 wasabi, then eat
• Dip the spicy chicken galbi about halfway into the owner's homemade white sauce
• Mix the green onion salad well and wrap it with the chicken galbi
• Roll the rice ball into a ball and grill it on the pan too — it's a hidden gem

Why the vegetable skewers are a must-order

You really must order the vegetable skewers⭐️ Bell pepper, green onion, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, and mushroom grilled on the pan and dipped in salt — absolutely delicious

Spicy chicken galbi and the white sauce

The seasoned chicken galbi has arrived!

The spicy chicken galbi isn't actually that spicy — it has a mild kick with sweetness on top, so good! The charcoal aroma is no joke either...👍 There are bone-in pieces too, so it's fun to gnaw on — great touch

Dip it deep into the owner's homemade white sauce! That was delicious too, but I actually loved the spicy sauce with the seasoned chicken galbi even more!

This is really the highlight...hahaha Wish they had extra rice cake sticks to add??🥹

Strawberry ice cream to finish, and the verdict on Ondogye

They finish you off with strawberry ice cream 🍦 It's refreshing and settles the meal perfectly ㅎ ㅡ ㅎ A flawless ending

My top pick was the soy sauce chicken galbi ⑉♥ My husband's was the salt-grilled chicken thigh!! The spicy chicken galbi with shredded green onion + pickled radish was the best combo. No gamey smell, moist and tender — Ondogye was really delicious:) And best of all, the staff grilled everything for us, so we could eat with ease. The two of us ate three servings and nearly burst ; This is a Cheonho restaurant that anyone, young or old, can enjoy without any complaints — I recommend Ondogye ˖ ࣪ ★