Hongdae Korean restaurant: spicy dakjjim with mom at Ttukdak Hongdae

Hello! It's so, so hot this summer~ I went to Hongdae with my mom for some shopping, and since this place specializes in chicken dishes, perfect for a stamina boost, I visited Ttukdak Hongdae (뚝닭홍대) as a Supermembers sponsored reviewer. I'll write an honest review!

Location and the weekday evening wait

Ttukdak Hongdae sits between Exits 8 and 9 of Hongikuniversity Station, practically a stone's throw away, hahahaha 💃 The access is great. I went around 6:30 on a Thursday evening and got really lucky: only two seats were left, so we sat right away! 🍀

I thought there'd be no wait on a weekday, but there were quite a lot of customers. They said it opened not long ago, yet it felt like a place that already has word of mouth in Hongdae.

A wood-toned interior with a cauldron

Inside, the first thing I noticed was a gamasot (cast-iron cauldron). I have no idea what's in it, but great concept! The wood-tone interior has a Korean feel, and the atmosphere was clean, warm and comfortable, so I liked it haha.

The menu and how to order

Scan the QR code and this menu appears. There were quite a few foreign guests, and the menu can be read in foreign languages, so ordering shouldn't be hard! Each table also has a mini smart-order kiosk. So what I ordered was~

• Dakjjim (braised chicken, for 2 / regular spice)
• Cheese potato pancake
• Steamed rice

That's it.

Side dishes and the golden-ratio sauce

After you order, the side dishes come out: cucumber, kimchi and shredded cabbage. I especially loved the kimchi. Kind of a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) restaurant style kimchi??

There's a set of sauce containers on the table, and you make a golden-ratio sauce for the shredded cabbage! 1 part dadaegi (seasoned chili paste) + 1 part mustard + 2 parts vinegar + 3 parts soy sauce. Tangy + savory! It kept whetting my appetite, so I was really looking forward to the food. It's definitely better than eating it plain, and the ratio is shown on the kiosk screen. It seemed like a sauce that would suit dak hanmari (whole chicken hot pot) too haha.

Dakjjim for 2, regular spice, ₩32,000: how is it different from jjimdak?

Dakjjim (2 servings, regular spice / ₩32,000) ✨ Wow wow wow wow ✨ Can you see it?? The moment I saw it I was surprised by how generous it was. The chicken pieces were big, and there was a ton of whole garlic!!

My mom eats little + I'm a medium-to-big eater, so we ordered the 2-person size, and it was still quite a lot. And the most important thing, the taste! I thought it would be jjimdak (soy-braised chicken), but it was totally, completely different. A spicy, savory seasoning with plenty of this shallow broth! I couldn't think of anything similar, so if you try it and know, please tell me in the comments haha.

The spice level was regular, but it still had a nice kick and was delicious. Slightly spicier than Shin Ramyun, I'd say~? There's plenty of this spicy sauce, so dipping the chicken in it is tasty, and adding extra noodles or other add-ins (sari) would probably be good too. (My personal recommendation: potato sari and tteok (rice cake) sari would go well!)

Cheese potato pancake, ₩17,000: a match for the spicy dakjjim

Cheese potato pancake (₩17,000): I couldn't not order it after seeing how it looked ㅠ Best mom ever for picking this! 💕 The shredded potato was crispy like a snack, which was art, and with the nuttiness of the cheese on top, I kept reaching for it. My mouth waters even looking at the photo again ㅜ.ㅜ Alternating it with the spicy dakjjim worked so well together that I couldn't help thinking I was glad I ordered it!!!

Final thoughts, opening hours and parking

My mom kept eating and saying it was delicious too 💕 We got to try dakjjim with a different charm from jjimdak, the generous sauce made it easy to mix and match however we liked, and both portions and flavor satisfied us. If you're looking for a hearty chicken restaurant, Ttukdak Hongdae is worth a visit.

A Hongikuniversity Station dak hanmari spot! I'm curious about the dak hanmari too, so I plan to come back haha. There are also lots of chicken skewers and jeon (savory pancakes), plus Jangsu Makgeolli, so there's no reason not to go, right~!?

• Hours: daily 11:00-24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Paid parking available: Hongdae West roadside public lot and nearby public lots (₩400 for the first 5 minutes, ₩4,800 per additional 60 minutes)
• Groups, reservations, high chairs, takeout