Herbal mung bean samgyetang for a cold spell in Bucheon: Oi Samgyetang

Last Friday..!! My husband had an endoscopy in the morning and had zero energy left, and I suddenly started getting chills and that achy, coming-down-with-something feeling...🥲 Guess it's the changing season — my body just wasn't cooperating😂ㅋㅋㅋ

No question what to do in a moment like this — body recovery mode!! Today we went to get properly recharged at Oi Samgyetang Bucheon Main Branch, a well-known Bucheon restaurant for samgyetang. Here's my review after eating a steaming bowl of herbal mung bean samgyetang and getting my energy back🐔

Location and parking at Oi Samgyetang Bucheon Main Branch

• Location: 87 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Parking available (free)
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00, last order 20:20

Oi Samgyetang, a recommended spot in Bucheon for body recovery meals, is fairly close to Sangdong Station and there are plenty of bus routes nearby, so it looked easy to reach by public transit too. We drove, and used the underground parking at Neulpureun Jonghap Sangga behind the building. Plenty of parking space and free to use❣️

We parked and took the elevator up to the second floor... and the smell of samgyetang was already drifting out~~ Achy or not... my stomach was rumbling instantly ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ!!!

Interior and the private room

Walking inside, I got why this place is known as a top samgyetang spot in Bucheon. The restaurant was bigger than I expected‼️ The tables had plenty of space between them and everything felt roomy~~ I thought it'd also be a great place to come with family.

There's a separate private room further inside too — perfect for a cozy family meal, or for days when you're bringing your parents or having a group gathering, it seemed like a comfortable space🫶

We came a bit after the lunch rush, so the restaurant had a relaxed vibe~ We got to eat comfortably in the back.

What's on the recovery-food menu

Scanning through the menu of recommended recovery dishes in Bucheon, there was more than just samgyetang — chicken baeksuk, dak-dori-tang, duck baeksuk, all kinds of body-recovery options. They said they'll pour you a taste of ginseng liquor if you ask, but we decided to focus purely on the samgyetang today🤣!! Ordered two bowls of herbal mung bean samgyetang.

The basic side dishes

The basic side dishes came out simply: kkakdugi, pickled onion, pickled radish, cucumber, chili peppers, and ssamjang. Not flashy, but a good lineup to pair one by one with the samgyetang💕

While waiting for the samgyetang, I munched on cucumber~~ and dipped the chili peppers in ssamjang too ㅋㅋ

I picked up a piece of kkakdugi too. Perfectly ripened with a crisp bite, and the tangy taste was exactly my type.

How was the herbal mung bean samgyetang

Finally, the herbal mung bean samgyetang we'd been waiting for❤️ It arrived still bubbling away, and wow... the look of it alone was impressive👍

From the broth to the whole chicken inside, it was piled generously — clearly going to be a hearty meal. And that chicken leg peeking out over the edge of the pot? Adorable🤣ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

True to its name, the herbal mung bean samgyetang was packed with good-for-you ingredients — ginseng, jujube, chestnut. The chicken itself was pretty large too, so I figured one bowl alone would be filling. Lifting the spoon, it felt properly weighty~

The slow-boiled chicken pulled apart tender along the grain, still moist all the way through.

Even the breast meat, which can easily go dry, was silky and tender~~~💕 The broth had mung bean and herbal ingredients mixed in, so instead of the clear, light taste of standard samgyetang, it leaned savory and rich. There was also a bit of that thick, velvety texture unique to mung bean, which made it really good to eat piping hot🫶 That feeling of warmth seeping into your whole body..?? ❤️🙊❤️

The porridge and the scorched rice at the bottom

And the one thing you can never skip with samgyetang: the porridge!!!!🤤 While you're eating the chicken, the glutinous rice keeps soaking up the broth and getting richer and richer. This is the real deal!!👍

After polishing off the porridge too, I found a bit of scorched rice stuck to the bottom of the pot!!!!!!!!!!! Scraped it up with my spoon and the nutty flavor came through even stronger — genuinely a special treat❤️

The self-serve side dish bar

Whatever side dishes ran low, we could refill as much as we wanted at the self-serve bar. We went back for more kkakdugi and pickled onion! Before we knew it... totally clean plate👊❤️ We emptied the pot down to the bottom ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

On one side of this Sangdong-area restaurant, Oi Samgyetang, there was a display introducing the restaurant's history. You could feel the experience of a place that's stuck to one dish for a long time. After eating it myself, I understood a bit better why it keeps regular customers coming back👏👏

Parking was easy — no separate registration needed, you just drive out. We wrapped up the meal after thoroughly emptying a hot bowl of samgyetang, feeling great~~! Great menu choice today!!👍🫶👏

Body recovery for the changing season — would I come back?

My husband was worn out from the endoscopy, and I was shivering all day from that achy feeling..🥲 Both of us needed something hot that day, and after cleaning out a bowl of samgyetang at this Sangdong restaurant, I genuinely felt recharged❤️

From the tender chicken to the rich, savory broth, down to the porridge and scorched rice at the end~ We had a properly hearty meal. Oi Samgyetang Bucheon Main Branch is the kind of Sangdong restaurant that'll come to mind when you're looking for a recovery meal in Bucheon, or want a filling meal to bring your parents to!

Next time I'm craving hot samgyetang again? I'll be back!!!!ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Samgyetang really is the way to go for body recovery🐔❤️