Jeju chicken pub near the airport for wing takeout: Texas Dumari

We went to Jeju for our summer vacation this year. The very first place we headed to right after landing at Jeju Airport was Texas Dumari Chicken Yeondong-jeom (텍사스두마리치킨 연동점), a famous chicken spot in Yeondong.

I wanted to enjoy chicken and beer comfortably at our lodging on the first day of the trip, so I ordered takeout in advance and then stopped by.

A big second-floor chicken pub near Jeju Airport: what's the vibe?

Texas Dumari Chicken Yeondong-jeom is a large chicken pub (hof, a Korean-style beer hall) on the second floor of the building at 62 Noyeon-ro, Jeju City. My husband waited in the car while I went up to pick up the order, and I was surprised by how big the building was, starting with the exterior.

It's on the second floor, so I took the elevator up, and the wide space opened up in front of me. One look and it just screamed big chicken pub.

The first thing I felt when I walked in was the bright, lively atmosphere. Upbeat music filled the place, and two big screens kept playing idol music videos, so it felt like I'd dropped into a pub.

Even in the daytime, thanks to the music and videos the place wasn't quiet at all, and guests were spending their time with chicken and beer. I'd only come for takeout, but the mood was so good that I thought next time I really want to sit down here and relax with chicken and a beer.

Room and partitioned seats, and the big-window view

The space is set up in different ways too. There are room-style seats that are great for chatting comfortably, and partitioned seats that looked good for a more private meal.

With sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of trees, it felt airy and not stuffy at all. It's a big chicken pub that suits not just travelers but also family dinners and company get-togethers.

One side of the shop sells Jeju souvenirs too, so browsing while waiting for my order was fun. Being able to look at souvenirs when you only came for chicken is a pretty nice perk for travelers.

Half-and-half wings and drumsticks ₩27,500, fries ₩4,900

What I ordered this time at Texas Dumari, the Yeondong chicken spot, was a half-and-half of crispy wings and drumsticks and soy sauce wings and drumsticks for ₩27,500, plus an add-on of fries. The fries were ₩4,900, and the portion was more generous than I expected.

It took about an hour by car to get from the shop to our lodging. The chicken smell filling the car was so strong that I couldn't hold out and opened the fries first.

The fresh fries were golden and crispy outside, moist and fluffy inside. They were nicely salty, the addictive kind where you keep reaching for just one more.

Eating warm fries while driving toward the Jeju sea, it really felt like the trip had begun.

Still crunchy after an hour on the road?

As soon as we got to the lodging, I opened the half-and-half chicken first. Even after about an hour of travel, the crunch was amazingly still there.

The crispy wings and drumsticks had a thin, crunchy coating. You could practically hear the crunch when you bit in, and the meat was moist and full of juice, not dry at all.

There was no gamey chicken smell at all, and the more I chewed, the more a nutty flavor filled my mouth. It was clean, not greasy, the kind of taste that makes you want a beer right away.

What do the soy sauce wings and drumsticks taste like?

The soy sauce flavor has a different charm. It starts out sweet, but the deeper savory, salty umami of the soy sauce comes up strongly toward the end, and it was so good.

The sauce isn't just on the surface but soaked in, so every piece tasted consistent, and the glossy sauce meeting the crunchy coating made a lovely sweet-salty harmony.

Even though the seasoning is rich, it didn't go soggy and kept its crunch, which made it even better. Going from crispy to soy sauce and back to crispy, the two kept offering different charms, so there was no time to get tired of it. I was happy I'd ordered half-and-half.

How was it as a first-day takeout stop in Jeju?

Texas Dumari Chicken Yeondong-jeom is close to Jeju Airport, so it's easy to visit on the first or last day of a trip, and it was satisfying to take the food back and eat at leisure at the lodging. If you're craving good chicken during your Jeju trip, give Texas Dumari in Yeondong a try. I was happy with the atmosphere, the taste and the generous portions, and it's a big chicken pub I'd want to visit again on my next Jeju trip.