Hongdae jjimdak restaurant with parking out front: Ongdarae Jjimdak

Today my boyfriend and I were craving jjimdak (braised chicken) after a while, so we went to the famous Ongdarae Jjimdak in Hongdae.

Ongdarae Jjimdak / 122 Yanghwa-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul / 11:00–23:00, open daily / Parking available in front of the building

Parking at Ongdarae Jjimdak: can you drive there?

It was convenient that Ongdarae Jjimdak has parking right in front of the store. You do have to pay the parking fee, but the restaurant covers part of it for you.

There's room for more than 10 cars and it's a decent size. Since it's a shared lot with other stores nearby, there might not be a spot if you come during peak hours.

Inside Ongdarae Jjimdak: seating and private rooms

Inside, Ongdarae Jjimdak didn't feel like the typical jjimdak place — it had a cozy, family-restaurant kind of atmosphere. They also sell wine, which I thought was a fun surprise. Since they're open late, it seems like a good dinner spot. I actually wanted to try jjimdak with wine, but since I drove, I couldn't — a bit of a shame.

There were about 10 tables total, and two large private rooms in the back that would work well for group visits. The moment we walked in, we saw everyone from older folks to young people eating — so I figured this had to be a good spot.

Ongdarae also has house-baked snacks and barley crackers ready haha. I had a barley cracker after the meal too.

How spicy is the cheese jjimdak at Ongdarae Jjimdak?

There were several types of jjimdak — gochujang, soy sauce, seafood, spicy red pepper — but we wanted cheese, so we ordered the cheese jjimdak.

When I asked about the spice level, they said it's about as spicy as Shin Ramyun.

The basic side dishes were salad and pickled radish — I love a salad! Great for lowering blood sugar before you dig into rice haha. And you know pickled radish is the unwritten rule with jjimdak, right? Crunchy and tangy, it goes so well together.

Cheese jjimdak with cheese spilling over the pot

The cheese jjimdak finally arrived. The cheese really was overflowing. There was way more cheese than I expected — honestly a bit stunned.

There was so much cheese you couldn't even see the chicken and other ingredients underneath, and it stretched beautifully.

For our taste, it was actually less spicy than Shin Ramyun, so I'd recommend it even to people who can't handle spicy food.

There were also plenty of other ingredients mixed in, like potato, mushroom, and onion.

At first there was so much cheese I didn't even realize there were glass noodles in there, and only found them a few bites in. The glass noodles in jjimdak are seriously addictive — they soak up all the sauce and get thick and chewy in the best way.

Is the S-size jjimdak enough for two people?

Even though we ordered the S size meant for 1–2 people, there was so much glass noodles, chicken, and cheese that we were completely stuffed. I can't remember the last time I ate this much... The S size is plenty for two people (though it might be a bit tight for two guys).

Ongbap: Ongdarae Jjimdak's pressed scorched-rice finish

We also ordered the classic Korean dessert of fried rice haha. We seriously debated between that and plain rice, but since everyone around us was ordering ongbap, we did too. Ongbap is rice pressed down and pan-toasted — kind of like nurungji (scorched rice) fried rice.

We mixed it ourselves with the leftover sauce. It might look like a small portion, but that's because we were so full we only mixed half the ongbap — it's definitely not a small amount.

Is Ongdarae Jjimdak worth a visit in Hongdae?

We ate every last bit again today... My pick was the combo of glass noodles + chicken + cheese, and my boyfriend's pick was mushroom + chicken + cheese haha.

If you're ever craving a rich, sweet-and-spicy jjimdak, I'd recommend Ongdarae. Neither my boyfriend nor I eat jjimdak often, but after eating at Ongdarae, it kept crossing my mind and I think we'll be back. The spicy-sweet sauce, tender chicken thigh meat, and savory cheese made it just about perfect.