Daebang bar Yukhaegong: spicy grilled chicken and cheap draft beer

Why is the midday sun so brutal lately? ㅠㅠ It was so hot I was craving an ice-cold draft beer. I wanted chicken and beer so badly that I headed to a well-known bar in Daebang-dong. This place opens super early, so it's great for daytime drinking too. It's [Yukhaegong Banban Tteokbokki & Chicken Beer Main Branch]. Let's get into the review.

Where is Yukhaegong in Daebang-dong, and what are the hours?

[Yukhaegong Banban Tteokbokki & Chicken Beer Main Branch], a well-known bar in the Sinjil-dong/Daebang-dong area, is about 3 minutes from Daebang Station Exit 6. It's across from the Air Force Hotel, in the basement of the Ladurée bakery building. There's a little side path leading straight down to the basement on the left side of the building — go in there and you'll easily spot it on the right near the entrance.

• 256 Yeouidaebang-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, basement level
• Open daily 11:20 AM – 2:30 AM
• Parking available / group reservations possible

What the bar looks like inside

Apparently this space ran as a Bonggu Beer for 11 years. So it keeps that familiar feel while adding a new brand on top, giving it a mix of nostalgia and a wide variety of menu items. The space was bigger than I expected, with a retro feel. There were all kinds of seating — 4-person tables, bar seats, and more. It's great for solo drinking, and would also work well for group gatherings or company dinners. They said group reservations are possible too.

Menu and prices at Yukhaegong

• Tteokbokki (rice cake soup) ₩8,900
• Beef brisket tteokbokki ₩13,900
• Fried chicken ₩21,900
• Boneless spicy chicken feet ₩12,900
• Seasoned grilled chicken ₩21,900
• Fish cake soup ₩10,900

Draft beer: 1,000 won off before 4pm

This place opens really early, so it's great for stopping in at lunchtime for tteokbokki. If you visit before 4pm, you get a ₩1,000 discount on draft beer. Perfect for solo drinking or a daytime beer!!

How does the red (spicy) grilled chicken taste?

I was more in the mood for grilled chicken than fried. They have salt, soy sauce, seasoned, and red (spicy) options, and the staff said the spicy red grilled chicken was their best, so I went with that. I worried it might be super spicy, but it was about Shin Ramyun level. If you like spicy food, I recommend it!!

They started cooking it as soon as I ordered. It's boneless chicken, using tender chicken thigh meat. There are vegetables like green onion, cheongyang peppers, whole garlic, plus rice cake, and you can add these as options.

I love veggies so I added cheongyang peppers. I highly recommend adding the rice cake too. It's wheat rice cake, so it's soft and chewy — genuinely delicious!!! I was disappointed in myself for not adding it from the start ㅠㅠ

The sauce has that charcoal-barbecue vibe, sweet and savory, with smoky char on top — it was genuinely delicious!!! The cheongyang peppers add a little kick too, so if you can handle spice, the heat really builds up and you'll love it even more. I was very satisfied.

Is Yukhaegong worth a visit?

If you love sweet-and-savory sauce or spicy food, you have to try the red grilled chicken. It was genuinely delicious!!! For lunch, tteokbokki with draft beer, and for dinner, grilled chicken with draft beer — both combos sound great. If you're looking for a well-known bar in the Sinjil-dong/Daebang-dong area, I recommend [Yukhaegong Banban Tteokbokki & Chicken Beer Main Branch]!!