Chicken noodles at a Jeonju Korean restaurant: Eonyang Dak Kalguksu

A warming bowl of chicken kalguksu in Jeonju Eco City

In blazing summer heat, on days when sweat is just pouring down, I start craving piping-hot chicken. Boknal, the final traditional hot-day-of-summer observance, has passed, but chicken is still a wonderfully filling meal with plenty of protein and volume. I heard there was a great chicken kalguksu spot around Eco City, so I came with Ms. Octopus.

Where can I park?

These days, with practically one car per person, parking is something we have to check when choosing somewhere to eat, right?

There is space for around 10 cars directly in front of the restaurant. Even if those spaces are full, you can use the Namhae Makhoe parking lot—go into the alley and there is a large lot immediately on the left—so parking: sorted!

A spacious restaurant with seating for groups

We headed inside. Even though it was around 1:30 on a weekend, people were already well into their meals. It seems local residents had all heard the buzz about this place! With its spacious dining room and plentiful tables, it can accommodate a crowd, and there is seating for groups of five or more too, so keep that in mind.

Kalguksu with chicken bone broth and perilla seeds

Eonyang Dak Kalguksu (언양닭칼국수) serves dak kalguksu, or chicken knife-cut noodles, made with deeply simmered chicken bone broth and perilla seeds. It comes already seasoned, so make sure to stir it well once it arrives. If you sip the broth before mixing, it can taste a little salty.

They also say their noodles are made in-house from dough prepared by hand and cold-aged a day in advance, guaranteeing a pleasantly chewy bite. The complimentary kimchi is silbi kimchi, a spicy style of kimchi; it is hot, but deliciously addictive, and it makes a fantastic pairing with the chicken noodle broth!

Ordering chicken kalguksu and chicken soup

The signature dish I would recommend here is chicken kalguksu with four mandu (dumplings)! I ordered the chicken kalguksu, while Ms. Octopus ordered dak gomtang, or chicken soup.

When ordering chicken kalguksu, you can choose an extra-large serving (+₩1,000) or extra chicken (₩4,000). I was hungry, so I went for the extra-large serving. A whole chicken is included as standard, and you can add more if you want. The dak gomtang also normally comes with rice mixed into it, so choose the rice-on-the-side option if you would rather eat it separately!

Extra-large chicken kalguksu, chicken soup, and dumplings

Our order arrived!

Because I ordered the extra-large serving, the portion was enormous. Scallions were sprinkled over the top, and underneath, a whole chicken was lying there with a ta-da presence. The kalguksu noodles were tucked beneath the chicken; they were wonderfully chewy, and the clean-tasting broth was delicious. The ultimate meal for sweating it all out on a hot summer day!

This is the dak gomtang Ms. Octopus ordered. It also came with a sturdy whole chicken, and you can scoop out the rice little by little as you eat.

What is there even to say about mandu? There is no way they could be bad! We wrapped the dumplings together with the chicken kalguksu and enjoyed them even more. Boknal may have passed, but if you want a healthy, protein-packed meal, how about a hearty bowl of chicken kalguksu in Jeonju Eco City??