Suwon chicken restaurant with a fries add-on: Haenggung Jangjak

I went to Haenggung-dong with the kids not long ago. While we were deciding what to eat for dinner, it turned out there was a famous herbal roast chicken place right in front of the place we were staying, so that became our dinner pick. Freshly fried chicken is great, but herbal roast chicken is just as amazing...! It happened to be the day before Malbok (the last of Korea's three hottest days, traditionally marked with chicken dishes), so eating chicken felt perfect. We had such a good meal there — here's my honest review of Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak, a Haenggung-dong restaurant in Suwon.

Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak hours, parking and booking

• Hours: Daily 17:00–24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Reservations available via Catch Table
• Reservations available via Naver Place
• Paid Hwaseong Haenggung public parking lot, 1 minute away

Where is Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak in Haenggung-dong, Suwon?

Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak sits right on Haenggung-dong Street, a well-known food spot in the neighborhood. It's just a minute's walk from Goyojae, the guesthouse where we stayed for the night, so I'd recommend it especially to anyone staying at Goyojae.

The exterior fit the vibe of Haenggung-dong Street so well. Just a heads up — because of how the street is laid out, there's no dedicated parking space in front of the restaurant. Use the Haenggung public parking lot, a one-minute walk away.

Is the Haenggung Jangjak interior okay with kids?

The inside of Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak is on the small side, but I actually liked that it wasn't crowded. It felt like a comfortable place to bring kids to.

Menu prices and the side dishes that come with the chicken

Let's take a look at the menu at Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak. The main menu is clearly the herbal oak-fired whole chicken, with several other chicken varieties and side dishes available too. We ordered the corn cheese gratin seasoned oak-fired chicken, added a side of fries, and got tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) too.

The sauce, radish pickles, and kimchi came out as basic sides. Since it's an herbal chicken place, I was happy to see kimchi included!

Corn cheese gratin seasoned oak-fired chicken plus the fries add-on

If you're after old-school roast chicken in Suwon, come to Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak. I usually only get herbal chicken as takeout and rarely eat it in-house, but the fresh, piping-hot herbal chicken here was seriously delicious!

Adding the fries here was a genius move... Dipping them into the sauce later is truly amazing haha. Just look at that sizzling sauce visual. Doesn't it look incredible!!!!

Adding the fries is a must-must. Take notes, haha. I was going to order the most basic menu item but switched to the corn cheese gratin so it'd be easier for the kids to eat — turned out to be an excellent choice.

The sauce looked red so I expected it to be spicy, but it wasn't spicy at all — it was sweet and delicious, so the kids ate it well too! And the chicken used was large, so the portion was generous.

How tender is the oak-fired chicken?

This isn't fried chicken — it's roasted whole chicken, so the meat is genuinely tender and juicy, so good... Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak says they marinate the chicken in herbal ingredients for 24 hours, let it age, and then grill it over oak firewood. No wonder the chicken turns out this tender... Even the chicken breast wasn't dry at all, it was soft and delicious.

The cheese and corn combo is the best of the best. My daughter had her face buried in it, haha.

Dipping the chicken and fries deep into the sauce like this is just the best... Please remember this combo, haha.

Glutinous rice pressed and crisped on the hot plate

There's glutinous rice tucked inside the herbal chicken too, so you can eat the chicken and rice together. Pressed onto the hot plate, the sticky rice turns almost like nurungji (crispy scorched rice). That makes it even more delicious... Dip it deep into the sauce, everyone. This is seriously good, I'm telling you.

Was the tteokbokki side worth ordering?

The tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) we ordered as a side! It was spicy, which paired really well with the chicken. If one chicken alone feels a bit short, adding tteokbokki is the perfect move.

I've had fried chicken with tteokbokki before, but this was my first time pairing tteokbokki with herbal chicken — turns out this combo is pretty great too, haha.

Who should visit Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak?

• Anyone looking for good food in Haenggung-dong
• Anyone looking for a unique restaurant in Haenggung-dong
• Anyone looking for a good chicken restaurant in Haenggung-dong
• Anyone looking for a good chimaek (chicken and beer) spot in Haenggung-dong
• Recommended as a restaurant that's good to visit with kids in Haenggung-dong
• Recommended: corn cheese gratin herbal chicken, plus fries as a must-add
• On weekends, I'd recommend booking ahead through Catch Table or Naver Place