Charcoal duck dinner near Starfield Bucheon, Siheung: Grill Duck

How to get from Starfield Bucheon to Grill Duck on a weekend evening

Grill Duck is a duck restaurant not too far by car from Starfield Bucheon. On weekends you've got to shop and eat well, right? :) After a long shopping session at Starfield Bucheon, we suddenly got hungry and started looking for dinner. Trying to decide what to eat, I was craving duck that day, so I searched for duck restaurants near Starfield Bucheon. That's how I found Grill Duck. Parking space was pretty generous too, so it was fine to visit by car. The location made for an easy route straight from shopping to dinner.

Inside Grill Duck: dining room and seating

Walking into Grill Duck, the interior was bigger and cleaner than I expected. The tables had good spacing between them, so it never felt cramped next to the neighboring table, and I saw quite a few families eating there. It also looked like a good spot for friends or bigger group gatherings. The staff were friendly from the start, so we could settle in and start eating comfortably.

Ordering the half raw duck, half marinated duck plate

That day we ordered the raw duck and marinated duck, half-and-half. Honestly, there's always a dilemma at a duck restaurant: raw duck or marinated duck? You want both, but having to pick just one is often a bummer. At Grill Duck you can get half-and-half, so that's the menu I chose. In the end, it was a great choice.

Grilling raw duck over charcoal on one side while simmering spicy marinated duck on the other made a huge difference in mood even though it's the same duck meat. Especially when eating with a group, everyone has different taste preferences, so being able to have both at once felt quite practical. Once we ordered, the table filled up generously. The raw duck came cut into bite-sized pieces, meant to be grilled on the grill plate. Rice cake and potato sat next to the meat, good for grilling alongside the duck while it cooked. As the meat cooked, the charcoal aroma rose up, and that's when I started feeling even hungrier.

What charcoal-grilled Korean raw duck tastes like

And next to it, the marinated duck simmering away! Duck coated in red seasoning with generous onion, green onion, and chives looked delicious just by appearance. I tried the raw duck first, and because it was domestic raw duck, I barely noticed any of that distinct gamey smell. Grilled over charcoal, the meat carried a subtle smoky aroma, and it had a clean, plain flavor without being too strong. The duck meat itself was chewy without being tough, soft, and had a nutty flavor the more I chewed. At first I dipped it lightly in just salt, which was tasty, and then with garlic and ssamjang (dipping sauce) on a lettuce wrap, it was a whole different flavor. Personally, I think this kind of plainly grilled raw duck tastes even better paired with various side dishes.

How spicy is Grill Duck's marinated duck?

Grill Duck's marinated duck felt completely different from the raw duck. The seasoning was moderately spicy without being overly hot or harsh, and the duck meat had absorbed the marinade well, making me crave rice. Picking up onion, green onion, or chives alongside it, the savory depth of the seasoning paired nicely with the sweetness of the vegetables. As it kept simmering, a thin broth formed, and that turned out to be a treat in itself. Dipping the duck and vegetables lightly into the broth made the seasoning taste even richer than the first bite, and it went really well with rice.

Why the half-and-half order never gets boring

What I liked most that day was being able to switch between the two flavors. Enjoying the plain raw duck, then switching my palate to slightly spicy with the marinated duck, then going back to the charcoal-grilled raw duck — even though it was the same duck meat, it never felt boring. Usually if you keep eating one dish, you start to get a little tired of it halfway through, but with the half-and-half menu, we kept enjoying it all the way to the end.

Banchan and ssam vegetables at Grill Duck

The basic side dishes served alongside the meat were clean overall too. There were side dishes like pickled onion and jangajji that paired well with the meat, plus ssam vegetables to go with everything, making for good variety in combinations. Pairing the plain raw duck with jangajji or pickled onion, and the marinated duck with ssam vegetables, made for fun switching between combos. I also noticed that Grill Duck uses domestic raw duck and Korean pork and states that it doesn't reuse ingredients, which caught my attention while eating. Apparently the place was also featured on an SBS program, and having eaten here myself, I can somewhat see why.

Who should eat at Grill Duck?

Above all, at a meat restaurant, taste matters, but so do the ingredients and hygiene, and it felt reassuring that they pay attention to these things too. After this visit, I think Grill Duck will come to mind whenever I'm looking for a good duck restaurant near Starfield Bucheon. Especially if you're like me and love both raw duck and marinated duck and struggle to pick just one menu, try the half-and-half option. One side grilled plain over charcoal, the other spicy with marinade, so you get to enjoy a variety of flavors without ordering two separate dishes. It was a great spot to visit after a full day of shopping at Starfield when you want a hearty dinner, and it also seemed good for family meals out or meals with friends. Next time I visit, I'd like to try the handon hangari barbecue and the new menu items I didn't get to try this time.

If you're looking for a good duck restaurant near Starfield Bucheon, head to Grill Duck for a hearty meal where you can enjoy raw duck and marinated duck all at once :)