Danyang market dakgangjeong shop taken home to Seoul: no Monday wait

One thing I really wanted to try on this Danyang trip was black garlic dakgangjeong (Korean fried chicken) 😊 Since Danyang is famous for garlic, Gugyeong Market has all kinds of garlic-based food, and the one I was most curious about was Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong.

Where is Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong, and where do you park?

Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong is inside Danyang Gugyeong Market, at 31-1 Dojeon4-gil, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. It's open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, last order at 19:30, and it may close early if ingredients run out.

You can park at the free public parking lot for Danyang Gugyeong Market. We parked there too and walked into the market. Besides the lot right next to the market, there are other free parking areas nearby like the Byeolgok-ri riverside lot.

Monday morning at Gugyeong Market: no wait, order handed over right away

I'd read reviews mentioning long waits at this place, so I was a bit worried about the line. But since we came on a Monday morning, there was no one waiting. We got our dakgangjeong right after ordering 🙌

Actually, a recent weekend review mentioned waiting about 50 minutes, so the wait really seems to depend on the day and time. If your trip schedule is flexible like mine was, visiting on a weekday morning might be the way to go!

What I ordered: black garlic original nurungji dakgangjeong, 20,000 won

I ordered the black garlic original nurungji dakgangjeong for ₩20,000 and got one box to go.

I was only going to get the dakgangjeong, but then I spotted black garlic makgeolli next to it and bought that too — two bottles for ₩10,000! Since Danyang is famous for garlic, I matched the black garlic dakgangjeong with black garlic makgeolli too haha 😂 It's the kind of regional specialty food you can only find on a trip like this, so it made a nice combo to pack and bring home.

Does Danyang dakgangjeong still taste good after the drive to Seoul?

Instead of eating it right there at the market, we packed it up and took it home to eat.

I'd heard it tastes even better once it cools down, so I was so curious about that on the ride back to Seoul. In the meantime I picked at a piece while it was still hot, and the garlic aroma just hit — so good. Try a piece hot too, honestly.

The nurungji dakgangjeong came with chicken radish too, and three pairs of chopsticks were included.

Opening it up, the portion was quite generous. Personally I felt it was enough for 2–3 people to share. The chicken pieces weren't all the same size either — a mix of small and large pieces, which made it easy to eat.

How strong is the black garlic flavor?

Once we got home and tried it, the black garlic flavor was stronger than I expected, which I really liked. It's not just a regular sweet dakgangjeong with a hint of garlic aroma added — the distinctive garlic flavor comes through pretty clearly when you eat it.

That said, the garlic doesn't overpower everything; it blends well with the sweet dakgangjeong sauce, so I kept reaching for more. The outside was crispy while the chicken inside stayed tender. Toward the end there was even a slight spicy kick, which I liked because it felt less one-note than a purely sweet dakgangjeong 🌶️

The surprise: nurungji and lotus root in the box

There's nurungji mixed in between the pieces of chicken. At first I thought it was just a small decorative touch, but eating it together, it turned out to be a real highlight. It has a nutty, savory flavor, and the texture isn't overly hard, so it was nice to pick at one every now and then between bites of chicken.

The lotus root also had its own crunchy texture, so it was fun to pick out a piece here and there 😊 Coated in that sweet, slightly spicy black garlic sauce, it tasted different from the lotus root I usually eat — better than expected. Crispy chicken + savory nurungji + crunchy lotus root — with so much textural variety, I kept picking at it without getting tired of it.

Would I buy this Danyang dakgangjeong again?

At first I just wanted to try one of Danyang's famous foods since we'd come all this way, but I'd genuinely buy this again! Unlike regular dakgangjeong, the black garlic flavor really comes through, which made it feel special to eat in Danyang specifically, and the combination of crispy outside, tender inside, plus savory nurungji, was one I really liked.

We visited on a Monday morning and got our order without any wait, but keep in mind there could be a line on weekends or during busier hours. If you're heading to Danyang Gugyeong Market, this is one I'd recommend trying at least once! I think I'll pack another box next time I'm in Danyang 😊