Garak-dong bossam set with kkakdugi refills: Hanyang Dak Kalguksu

Parking at Hanyang Dak Kalguksu: in front of the restaurant or the Gyeongchal Hospital Station public lot

Hanyang Dak Kalguksu is a chicken kalguksu spot in Garak-dong with no dedicated parking lot. It says right there that there's no separate lot, so I went back and forth on whether to go. Turns out you can park briefly in front of the shop while you eat, at least to some extent. Once I confirmed that, I headed out.

I went just a bit past the weekend lunch rush.

There were still quite a few people. If it's this busy past peak, I imagine it's even more packed normally. No wonder it kept popping up when I searched for Garak-dong restaurants.

A bit more on parking. It seems you can pull in briefly if there's a spot open in front of the shop. But that's not guaranteed, so to be safe, use the Gyeongchal Hospital Station public parking lot.

• Name: Hanyang Dak Kalguksu
• Address: 4 Songi-ro 23-gil, 1st floor, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 / Sat–Sun 11:00–20:00
• Note: check separately for holiday hours
• Parking: no dedicated lot
• Gyeongchal Hospital Station lot: 30 min free, then ₩500 per 10 min (₩1,000 at night), ₩20,000 daily max

One bowl of kalguksu is enough to finish within 30 minutes, so you could actually wrap up within the free parking window.

What's on the menu at Hanyang Dak Kalguksu

You can check the menu at the kiosk.

And there's a poster on the wall for dak maeuntang (spicy chicken stew). The moment I saw it — that looks so good... drooling. I want to try that next time.

We ordered one chicken kalguksu + bossam set (₩21,800) and one chicken kalguksu (₩11,400).

And here's a fun thing — you get to choose the topping for the chicken kalguksu. My boyfriend picked gim, I picked green onion. It was fun choosing based on preference.

The food came out almost right away. I liked that the wait was short.

Green onion topping vs gim topping: what's the difference?

This is my chicken kalguksu with green onion topping.

And this is my boyfriend's chicken kalguksu with gim topping.

Same noodle soup, but just one topping changes the whole feel. The green onion keeps it fragrant and refreshing, while the gim adds a nutty flavor. If you're going with two people, order one of each and share.

And apparently the noodles here are self-made. They say that makes them easier to digest, too.

Look at the noodles. Looks good, right? Chewy and evenly thick. The broth soaks into the noodles so well that with one bite you get the chicken broth flavor rising up with it.

Kalguksu is only as good as the kimchi

Kimchi is self-serve here. There are two kinds of napa kimchi at the self-bar — spicy and mild. Plus kkakdugi and danmuji (pickled radish).

I wanted to try a bit of everything so I scooped a little of each.

Looks delicious, right? Drooling. For kalguksu, the kimchi has to be good. That's just the truth. No matter how good the broth is, if the kimchi's mediocre, it's only half the meal.

Eating the noodles together with the kimchi — yum. Yeah, this is it. Hot broth with a bite of cool, crisp kimchi. That combo is the whole reason to eat kalguksu.

How big are the portions? Extra-large is just 1,000 won more

And the portions are really big. I got tired halfway through and passed the rest to my boyfriend. And I'm normally someone who can finish a whole bowl of kalguksu easily.

But looking at the menu, the large size is only an extra ₩1,000. If this is already the regular size, how much would the large be? I'm curious, but I don't have the confidence to try it haha.

If you don't eat much, going as a pair with one kalguksu and the bossam set should be plenty.

The bossam may be the real star here

And here's the bossam that came out. Honestly, when ordering, I thought including bossam made the set a bit pricey. I also figured, how great could bossam be at a kalguksu place anyway?

But once it arrived, I got it. It was the portion size.

I tried it with the mu-malaengi (dried radish salad) that came with it, and — wow, is this place actually a bossam specialist?

The meat is tender with zero gamy smell. The chewy, sweet-and-tangy mu-malaengi pairs perfectly with the meat. I came for kalguksu and ended up falling for the bossam.

And maybe because the kimchi is so good, wrapping the bossam in it is amazing too. Bossam ultimately comes down to the kimchi, and here the kimchi backs it up perfectly — unbeatable combo.

The Running Man episode filmed at Hanyang Dak Kalguksu

By the way, apparently this place appeared on Running Man. See the proof — that's Yoo Jae-suk's signature!

Being featured on a show always raises expectations a bit. But this place lived up to them. It's nice to have a TV-featured kalguksu spot on the list when you're checking out Garak Market restaurants.

Visiting Hanyang Dak Kalguksu with a child

I was watching a friend's baby yesterday, and we were talking about how nice it'd be if more places had a baby chair. And there it was — a high chair, right in view! I was so glad to see it.

There are also kids' spoons and forks set up near the self-bar. Nice touch. Kalguksu is a dish kids tend to eat well too, so it'd be good for a family outing.

Kkakdugi that tastes like a gukbap restaurant's

Haha, refilling on kimchi. While I was at it I tried the kkakdugi too — wow, this is totally gukbap-restaurant-level kkakdugi!

You know that tangy, cool, crunchy taste? Pairing that with the kalguksu resets your palate completely. Genuinely delicious. I refilled it twice.

Don't miss the review event at Hanyang Dak Kalguksu

Take part in the review event and get a free drink. Don't miss it!

Is Hanyang Dak Kalguksu worth a visit?

I went for kalguksu, got surprised by the bossam, and got surprised again by the kimchi and kkakdugi.

Self-made noodles, generous portions, delicious bossam, and easy to bring a kid to. If you're looking for a Garak-dong restaurant, especially on a day you're craving hot broth, give this place a try. It's also a good lunch stop if you're browsing around Garak Market.

Next time I'm going back for that dak maeuntang on the wall. That photo has stayed on my mind ever since.