Nohyeong-dong chicken stew with potato pancake, Jeju: Deureomtong

Since my mom came to visit Jeju after a while, I went looking for good Korean food near Jeju Airport and ended up back at Deureomtong Sotttukkeong Dakdoritang for my second visit — here's the review! It's genuinely so good I want to come back again on my own dime. But I think the more you visit this place, the more you gain, haha.

Where is Deureomtong Sotttukkeong Dakdoritang, and when is it open?

It's located in Nohyeong, Jeju, really close to the airport. Besides Dream Tower, there are lots of hotels nearby, so it's a great spot to visit.

Daily 11:00–03:00 (break time 15:00–16:30 / last order 02:00)

Oh... a delicious Nohyeong-dong dakdoritang place that's open until this late... And they also do lunch, with a special lunch menu too, haha. Even better!

Outside the restaurant in Nohyeong-dong

The sign stands out even from far away! You can't see the word 'drum can' on it, but you can easily find the place just from the words 'pot-lid dakdoritang'...!! Even though I went really early in the evening, the place was already packed with people. Nohyeong-dong's best restaurants really are on another level~

Dakdoritang at 15,000 won a serving: a simple menu

The menu is so simple...! One serving is ₩15,000, which looks pricey at first glance, but once you see the taste and portion, you'll think it's actually good value.

Inside Deureomtong Sotttukkeong Dakdoritang

The ceilings are high and the tables are spaced really far apart... it felt like being in some huge factory, haha. So the place isn't noisy, and it's great for chatting loudly with friends, haha. The best!! And every table has a drum can next to it... haha, that's exactly what makes it 'drum can pot-lid dakdoritang'!

The self-serve corner has delicious side dishes and even ramyeon noodles you can add, haha. The banchan (side dishes) quality is pretty solid too — my favorite macaroni salad and braised potatoes are both there...!

What banchan comes with the meal?

As I mentioned, the basic banchan lineup is full of my favorites. The first round wasn't self-serve though — the staff kindly brought it all out for us...

Pot-lid dakdoritang simmered 18 minutes, plus potato pancake

Finally, the pot lid arrives... Huh, I thought the dakdoritang had way too much broth, but apparently it needs about 18 minutes of simmering to become the dakdoritang we know...! Watching it cook was actually really fun, haha.

And the side dish I ordered, potato pancake... I actually wanted this on my last visit but got outvoted. The potato shreds fried up so crispy — you have to order this here, haha.

The visuals are seriously overwhelming... doesn't it look ridiculously good... haha. It'd be strange to look at this and hold back, haha.

Look at how crispy the potato pancake cooked up~~ It's genuinely crispy with such great texture. Crunchy and full of that nutty potato flavor...

Finally the finishing time approaches...! I was waiting for it to cook fast, but the time really felt long...

How big is two servings? Potatoes and chicken to spare

Looking at it all together... is this really just two servings? There's so much potato in there, and so much meat too... did the owner miscount the portions? T_T

The meat is cut into perfect bite sizes, and there's plenty of potato too. Honestly, I'm a total potato fiend, so this situation is basically made for me...!!

It's a lot of fun comparing the flavors of the different parts as you eat... And the seasoning has soaked all the way through the chicken, so it's easy to eat~~ Even people who don't like chicken can eat this without any hesitation, haha.

My own trick for eating dakdoritang at its best

And here's my personal trick for eating this well!! First, you absolutely must mix rice into the broth. And my other secret method: dip everything generously into the potato pancake sauce...!! Those two things and you're set.

Cheese rice cake!! This is another hidden gem... and eating up every last bit of the remaining broth is a must-do final step...

There was genuinely so much food we couldn't finish it, which was a bit disappointing... I wanted to pack up even the broth to take home... deep flavor... the best...!!

And on the way out I spotted these chocolates shaped like hairtail fish, haha, they were so cute and unusual I ended up buying two.

Visiting again was just as great — this Nohyeong-dong dakdoritang spot is seriously delicious...!! They also have aged kimchi, beef tripe dakdoritang, and kkotdoritang (crab and chicken stew), so I'd recommend trying them one by one. And there are so many side dish options that I'd strongly recommend visiting multiple times to try them all!