Half-chicken samgyetang kalguksu in Garak-dong: Hanyang Dak Kalguksu

A Garak-dong favorite using chicken broth simmered for 12 hours and house-made kalguksu (knife-cut noodles): 'Hanyang Dak Kalguksu'

⏰Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 / Sat, Sun 11:00–20:00 📍Location: 1F, 4 Songi-ro 23an-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 🚘Parking: Available in front of the restaurant

Why stop at Hanyang Dak Kalguksu after shopping at Garak Market?

After shopping at Garak Market, the chilly weather had me craving something hot and I was shivering all over. There was a kalguksu place near the market, so I gave it a try — and it turned out to be a real Police Hospital-area gem, 'Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch' 👍🏻

There's plenty of parking space in front of the restaurant, so if you're driving, you can visit without any parking stress. It's also only about a 3-minute walk from Police Hospital Station, so it was super easy to find.

Being right near the Police Hospital, I noticed a lot of police officers eating there too. You know a place local workers and residents keep coming back to is a truly authentic spot!

Inside Hanyang Dak Kalguksu: seating and how long the wait was

Stepping inside, the place was really clean and pleasant, which made a great first impression. Plenty of tables, and since it's a fast-turnover menu, the wait was minimal.

Hanyang Dak Kalguksu menu and the 12-hour chicken broth

True to its name, chicken is the main event here! From chojji-guksu to chicken kalguksu, chicken gomtang, and suyuk, there was a wide range of dishes on offer.

They simmer the broth for over 12 hours and make the noodles in-house, so I couldn't help but have high expectations.

Daily house-made kimchi at the self-serve bar

The kimchi is also made fresh every day — there was regular kimchi, spicy kimchi, and kkakdugi (radish kimchi), all available freely at the self-bar.

The kimchi was seriously... so good I wanted to ask the owner to sell it separately. Before the main dish even arrived, I'd already eaten a whole plate of it plain 😸 Kimchi is essential at a kalguksu place, and this one is genuinely delicious 👍🏻

Galbi mandu: smoky short rib dumplings to start

Galbi mandu (short rib dumplings)

The galbi mandu came out first after ordering, and it was sweet and moist — just the thing to whet the appetite.

Inside the thin, chewy dumpling skin was a filling packed with sweet-and-savory galbi-seasoned meat, with a faint charcoal-like aroma and rich juices spreading through. A perfect palate cleanser before the main dish!

Samgyetang kalguksu with half a chicken, noodles and rice in one bowl

Samgyetang kalguksu (half chicken)

My main order was the samgyetang kalguksu, which came with half a whole chicken.

Topped with young ginseng sprouts giving off a subtle aroma, I fished out the half chicken first — the meat was so tender and soft it just melted in my mouth...

The samgyetang kalguksu doesn't just have noodles — there's rice in there too, so after finishing the whole bowl I was completely full 👏🏻 I ended up sweating like an old man while eating it — there's really no better health tonic 👍🏻

Topping it off with the freshly made spicy kimchi and eating it together with the kalguksu noodles, it really felt like eating a proper restorative meal 👍🏻

Spicy chicken kalguksu with dadaegi served on the side

Spicy chicken kalguksu

My companion ordered the spicy chicken kalguksu, and the broth was clean yet rich — great for anyone who doesn't want the hassle of deboning chicken.

A big advantage was that you can request the dadaegi (chili paste) separately, so you can first enjoy the rich white broth, then stir in the dadaegi partway through to transform it into spicy chicken kalguksu.

The spicy, deep broth flavor was so addictive I kept spooning it up — even without drinking, it felt like a proper hangover cure 😹

Would I go back to Hanyang Dak Kalguksu?

Warming up on a chilly day and getting a proper health boost too! This is definitely a place I'd revisit next time I'm near Garak Market or Police Hospital 👍🏻