Chicken soup near Jeonbuk Univ Hospital, Jeonju: Eonyang Dak Kalguksu

I was passing by Jeonbuk National University Hospital and looked up whether there was anywhere good to eat nearby — turns out there's a place in Songcheon-dong famous for its chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), so I went to check it out.

Eonyang Dak Kalguksu in Songcheon-dong: hours, address and what to know

Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Songcheon-dong Eco City Branch is located at 230 Songcheon-jungang-ro, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk-do, South Korea. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:00 with no break time on weekends. It's closed every other Monday, and on the Mondays it is open, hours run only 11:00–15:00. Parking is available in front of the restaurant or at the Namhae Makhoe parking lot.

Where to park at Eonyang Dak Kalguksu: the Namhae Makhoe lot

Exterior of Eonyang Dak Kalguksu

The spots right in front of the restaurant were all full, so I went down the alley to the left and parked at the Namhae Makhoe parking lot — plenty of open spots there!!

How busy is Eonyang Dak Kalguksu at 1pm on a Saturday?

Interior of Eonyang Dak Kalguksu

I got there a bit past 1pm on Saturday, and since there's no break time on weekends, customers kept streaming in. I snapped photos whenever a table opened up haha.

High chairs and bibs are available too.

The group rooms can hold 6 to 14 people, and it looks like only 2 rooms are currently in use! Seems like a great spot for gatherings or work dinners haha.

Eonyang Dak Kalguksu menu and prices

• Chogye mul-milmyeon (chilled vinegar chicken noodles) ₩11,000
• Chogye bibim-milmyeon (spicy mixed chogye noodles) ₩11,000
• Spicy chogye mul-milmyeon ₩12,000
• Spicy chogye bibim-milmyeon ₩12,000
• Chewy mandu (dumplings) ₩6,000
• Dak kalguksu ₩11,000 / large ₩12,000
• Dak gomtang ₩11,000 / large ₩12,000
• Eonyang-style kalguksu ₩8,500 / large ₩9,500
• Spicy dak kalguksu ₩12,000 / large ₩13,000
• Spicy dak gomtang ₩12,000 / large ₩13,000

We ordered dak kalguksu (₩11,000), dak gomtang with rice on the side (₩11,000), and mandu (₩6,000). Overall the prices felt easy on the wallet, making it a satisfying meal without breaking the bank. There's also an extra half chicken for ₩4,000 and extra rice for ₩1,000, which was great for adjusting the portion, and I liked that large sizes were available too.

Side dishes: silbi kimchi made fresh every day

The basic side dishes are silbi kimchi and danmuji (pickled radish). The danmuji is the thin-cut kind — the owner clearly knows their stuff! The silbi kimchi is made fresh daily, they said. It's seriously spicy.

Every table has small plates plus salt and pepper set out — handy for portioning out the noodles or chicken.

Dak kalguksu vs dak gomtang with rice on the side: half a chicken in each

The dak kalguksu comes with a whole half chicken in it, so it looked filling right off the bat — and the bowl itself is huge, making the portion feel really generous.

The dak gomtang also comes with half a chicken, and I went with the rice-on-the-side option, which let me eat the rice and broth separately and portion them however I liked. Both dishes arrived boiling hot, so I could eat them nice and piping warm.

The chicken must have been slow-simmered, because it was so tender — the bones slid right out with just a light tug from the chopsticks.

The noodles had a great chewy texture, and the broth, thickened with perilla powder, was rich and nutty. For my taste it was a touch on the salty side, so I added a bit of water to balance it out. The menu comes seasoned by default, so if you try it and find it too strong, just ask the staff — they'll bring you unseasoned base broth separately!

Chewy mandu, best dipped in the chicken broth

We also ordered mandu on the side — the chewy dumpling skin was packed with minced meat filling and was delicious. It paired really well with the dak kalguksu too, so before I knew it they were gone. At the end I dipped the leftover mandu into the kalguksu broth, which felt like eating mandu-guk (dumpling soup) — that combo worked really well too haha.

I'm pretty weak with spice, so my face turned red every time I ate the silbi kimchi, but it was addictive enough that I couldn't stop reaching for it. We polished off every side dish that came out!!

Usually with samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) or dak gomtang, the greasy broth can feel a bit heavy, but here the perilla powder cut that almost entirely, leaving me feeling like I'd properly nourished myself. I found this place while looking for somewhere good to eat near Jeonbuk National University Hospital, and it turned out to be a real gem.

The owner and staff were friendly, and with a whole half chicken in every bowl at an easy price, I'd recommend Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Songcheon-dong Eco City Branch for a satisfying, hearty meal.