Hongdae group dinner chicken restaurant, Gochu Basasak wings: Goobne

When someone asks what my favorite fried chicken is, the answers vary quite a bit. My own pick tends to shift depending on the day, but I suddenly remembered someone naming Goobne's Gochu Basasak as their all-time favorite. Conveniently, there's a Goobne Chicken near my place in Hongdae that also happens to be a great group dinner spot, so I stopped by for takeout.

And today's color is red, red, red. The chicken is red, the sign is red, and my appetite is red too.

Where is Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road, and what are the hours?

Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road is at 17 Jandari-ro 2-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, close to Hapjeong Station Exit 3. Hours are Sun–Thu 11:00–02:00 and Fri–Sat 11:00–03:00, and it offers takeout, delivery, reservations, and group seating.

• Group seating that makes it easy to eat chicken with a crowd in Hongdae
• Outdoor terrace seating for that Hongdae night-market vibe
• A wide range of options from Gochu Basasak to wings and combos
• A clean lineup that packs well for eating at home too
• A casual, low-key pick for a Hongdae group dinner

The red exterior and the outdoor terrace seats in Hongdae

As if anyone could miss that this is the Red Road location! The exterior is decorated in bold red accents. Nice touch matching the interior color to the 'Red' in the name.

Being near Hongdae, there are quite a few foreign visitors, and the English menu board really stands out.

Outside, there's also outdoor terrace seating that's great for enjoying that Hongdae night-market feel. Naturally, it's all in red too. Today's theme is very much on point.

Bar tables downstairs, group seating upstairs: can Goobne Red Road host a team dinner?

The first floor of Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road is mostly bar tables and high stools, while the second floor is split into spacious group seating. The layout works well for anything from a Hongdae student's semester-start party to a nearby office group dinner.

The first floor is mostly bar tables and high stools. A nice spot to catch a breeze while enjoying a piece of chicken with a beer.

There's an indoor restroom too, and the Red Road location was running its own event. Sounds like there was a chimaek (chicken and beer) party going on — why wasn't I invited? I like chicken too. I like people too. I'm not great at drinking, but I can still show up.

Heading up to the second floor reveals even more spacious seating. A layout good for group visits, whether it's Hongdae students' semester-start parties or nearby office workers' dinners.

Sometimes a casual chicken-and-beer dinner beats going to a Korean BBQ place where your clothes end up smelling like grilled pork belly. With plenty of seating and a young, lively atmosphere, this place is worth considering for a group gathering in Hongdae.

Ordering is easy via the QR code on each table, through Toss Order.

What's on the menu at Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road?

The menu features signature chicken options like Original and Gochu Basasak, plus wings, drumsticks, combos, and boneless versions, along with sides like pizza, chibap (chicken fried rice), and pasta. There's a separate English menu too.

I pulled out the English menu to show off my hard-earned Duolingo skills, but suddenly got nervous and quickly went back to the Korean menu. Guess I need to know my limits.

You can order Goobne's signature Original and Gochu Basasak in various forms — wings, drumsticks, combos, boneless, and more. This time I also spotted a new menu item, green onion oil tteokbokki chicken. Chicken with green onion oil tteokbokki — I genuinely can't tell if this steals rice or steals chicken cravings.

There's everything from single-serving thin-crust pizza to Chicago pizza, plus chibap, pasta, fries, and tteokbokki. If you feel like something's missing while eating chicken, you can round it out with carbs on the side.

Gochu Basasak double portion as wings and drumsticks: how did the takeout bake up?

The Gochu Basasak double portion is one and a half chickens' worth, packed separately as one whole chicken and a half. They also included Goblin and Marbling sauce, so I carefully carried the freshly grilled, still-warm chicken home.

The spicy smell hit me the moment I opened the lid. I meant to wash up first, but couldn't hold out, so I ate it just as I was, straight from the outside. Sometimes chicken comes before hygiene.

This time I ordered it made up of only wings and drumsticks. Goobne locations can vary quite a bit, so I always check reviews and ratings carefully before ordering — and Red Road turned out to be quite satisfying.

Overall, the chicken was evenly grilled throughout, and the wings and drumsticks were cooked just right. Picking pieces up one by one, the seasoning was applied evenly too, so there's no fighting over who gets the good piece. Peace begins with chicken.

Goblin sauce vs Marbling sauce: what's the difference?

The one on top is Marbling sauce, the one below is Goblin sauce. Marbling is mayonnaise-based, giving it a mild, creamy flavor. Goblin contains jalapeño, so it's spicier and has a sharper kick.

Gochu Basasak is already spicy on its own, so dipping it in Goblin sauce turns up the heat quite a bit. Fighting spice with more spice sounds backwards, but somehow it makes sense. Dipped in moderation, it added a spicy kick while cutting through the richness of the chicken.

Marbling sauce, on the other hand, was great for cooling things down when the spice level crept up. Alternating between the two, the chicken disappeared before I knew it. And looking at the Marbling and Goblin sauces, a thought suddenly hit me — wouldn't these taste like risotto if I mixed them with rice later? So I deliberately saved a little sauce, haha. Anyone else start thinking about rice in the middle of eating chicken? That's completely normal.

Final verdict: the chicken did nothing wrong

Goobne Chicken tends to vary noticeably between locations in terms of grilling and taste, so I personally always check reviews carefully before ordering — but Red Road was definitely a place that grills its chicken well. If you're a fan of Gochu Basasak in particular, I'd recommend trying it switched to wings and drumsticks.