Duck BBQ near Seoul Land in Gwacheon, actor's pick: Deo Chadol

Deo Chadol Gwacheon restaurant / Gwacheon Seoul Land restaurant / Gwacheon National Science Museum restaurant

I had something to take care of near Seoul Land in Gwacheon, and on the way I finally made it to Deo Chadol — a place I'd bookmarked ages ago after seeing it recommended by actor Ryu Seung-ryong on KBS's Baedalwatsu-da. I'd been wanting to go for so long, so getting a reason to visit Gwacheon felt totally lucky!

It's already famous as a great restaurant, so I couldn't resist the spicy duck jumulleok (stir-fried duck) — plus I heard the duck loin is sliced and grilled like brisket, which I had to try. Parking is the most important thing for us, and Deo Chadol had plenty of space, so here's my honest review with parking info.

Where is Deo Chadol? 6 minutes by car from Seoul Land

Deo Chadol is located in Gwacheon, about a 6-minute drive from Seoul Land, so it's great to visit after a day at the park.

Deo Chadol parking — is the restaurant's own lot big enough?

Deo Chadol has a spacious lot reserved just for the restaurant, so parking was super easy. We visited during Saturday lunch and still had plenty of spots available.

One of the most important things for our family when visiting a restaurant is "parking." An already famous restaurant with a spacious dedicated lot too? We're going right away, haha!

• Recommended by actor Ryu Seung-ryong
• A genuine Gwacheon favorite with lots of repeat visitors
• About a 6-minute drive from Seoul Land Gwacheon

Deo Chadol opening hours and break time

• Open daily 11:00-21:00
• Break time Mon-Fri 15:00-17:00 / no break time on weekends or holidays
• Last order 20:30
• Group dining and reservations available

Inside Deo Chadol at weekend lunch — every table full

Deo Chadol was already packed. We got lucky and were seated at a table right as we walked in, and people who came in right after us were already waiting. Felt like all of Gwacheon had gathered here for duck, haha.

Wow, this might be the restaurant with the most autographs on the walls I've ever seen. It's recommended by actor Ryu Seung-ryong, but tons of other celebrities have clearly stopped by too. Certified Gwacheon favorite!

What's on the Deo Chadol menu

Deo Chadol's menu features its signature sulfur-fed duck brisket BBQ and sulfur-fed raw duck jumulleok, plus a Cheong Wa Dae-style duck brisket jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup, lunch only) made by a disciple who learned Chinese cooking from former presidential chef Cheon Sang-hyun, a nourishing duck brisket soup (lunch only), a duck jeyuk set (lunch only), perilla oil makguksu (buckwheat noodles), and cold buckwheat makguksu.

It's basically fair to say they serve every possible duck dish there is! And there's also a set menu to enjoy a variety of duck dishes at once (duck brisket BBQ + raw duck jumulleok + doenjang jjigae + self-serve fried rice). Deo Chadol really lets you enjoy duck in every form.

Self-serve bar and the banchan side dishes

The self-serve bar at Deo Chadol is kept impressively clean. If you run low on banchan (side dishes), you just grab more from the bar yourself. We went back a few times, and staff kept wiping down the bar in between — it felt really well-managed hygienically.

The basic banchan paired wonderfully with the duck and tasted great. I love black sesame dressing so much, and it made the salad even better! I'm not usually into green onion kimchi, but Deo Chadol's version was so good I kept going back for more, haha.

Ordering the Deo Chadol couple course

Ordered menu — Deo Chadol couple course

We ordered the Deo Chadol couple course, which comes with duck brisket BBQ, raw duck jumulleok, doenjang jjigae, and fried rice to finish. Along with the duck, there was minari (water celery), mushrooms, and grilled onions — seriously, so generous!

I'd normally only had duck loin sliced thick and grilled, so this was my first time trying duck sliced thin like brisket!

Since it's sliced so thin, it cooks fast on the grill — perfect for us, since we're not great at waiting once food's in front of us. It's definitely light and would be great for kids too. Actually, about 80% of the customers seemed to be families with kids, and it looked like most had come after visiting Seoul Land Gwacheon! Truly a go-to Gwacheon Seoul Land restaurant.

The duck brisket BBQ was so tasty. Deo Chadol's special duck sauce was amazing too, and it went perfectly with minari — I was happy the whole time wrapping and eating it.

The savory doenjang jjigae was loaded with tofu — so filling!! It warmed me right up inside, exactly my taste.

The juicy king oyster mushrooms were delicious too, munch munch.

Raw duck jumulleok, the spicy second round

Now it's raw duck jumulleok time. It's included in the set, so once we were partway through the duck brisket, we just asked for the jumulleok and it came right out!

The friendly staff let us know the sweet potato was ready to eat once it was cooked.

Thick, hearty raw duck jumulleok. Honestly, this was even tastier to me than the brisket! I love spicy and salty flavors, haha. Made sure to eat the rice cakes too, and didn't forget to wrap everything in lettuce.

Finishing with self-serve fried rice

We were seriously stuffed, but you've got to finish with fried rice — the true Korean dessert, haha. We like eating fried rice together with the meat, so at other restaurants we often ask them to stir-fry it a bit early. At Deo Chadol, it's self-serve fried rice, so it was so convenient to cook it whenever we felt like it.

Finished the meal completely full and completely satisfied.

Is Deo Chadol worth the trip? Final thoughts

• First time trying duck brisket BBQ — the light, clean flavor was excellent!
• Raw duck jumulleok with its own special recipe — totally my style
• Already a well-known favorite in Gwacheon, fully booked at weekend lunch!!

Everyone, go try Deo Chadol!!