Naver-bookable Cheonho chicken galbi with rice balls: Ondogye annex

I'd been craving good charcoal chicken galbi for a while, so I headed to Ondogye, a famous spot in Cheonho-dong. Last time I went there was only the main branch and I had to wait in line, but this time I found out there's now an annex too. Here's my review of Ondogye near Cheonho Station, a Naver-reservable restaurant, with garlic salt and spicy sauce chicken galbi ♥

Where is the Ondogye annex in Cheonho, and what are the hours and parking?

The Ondogye annex is open year-round from 16:00 to 23:00, and Naver reservations are available, but there's no free parking. The annex is about a 1-minute walk from the main branch, right at the entrance of Jjukkumi Alley, so it's not hard to find.

Ondogye is such a famous spot in Cheonho that waiting was pretty much mandatory in the evenings, but now with the annex and Naver reservations, it's much easier. If you're planning a visit, I'd definitely recommend booking ahead!

Inside the Ondogye annex: seating and table setup

I hadn't been in a while and was surprised there were still so many people. I remember the main branch having an old-school vibe, but the annex felt a bit more polished!

They set us up with sauce, pickled radish, and scallion salad. Charcoal chicken galbi is delicious even dipped in just salt, but with all these sides, it's fun to mix and match combos.

Doenjang jjigae and fried chicken gizzard, on the house!

I'd been debating whether to order the fried chicken gizzard, so I was glad it came free >.< The doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) was rich and delicious too.

Ondogye menu and what we ordered

Made with domestic chicken

Ondogye in Cheonho lets you order by single serving. We ordered 2 servings of garlic salt and 1 serving of spicy sauce.

And of course, the essential combo! We added rice balls (₩3,000) and steamed egg (₩5,000).

Garlic salt chicken galbi, 270g for 17,000 won

Garlic salt chicken galbi, 2 servings

One serving is 2 pieces. You absolutely have to order the garlic salt chicken galbi!

The staff at Ondogye grill it for you, which was so convenient. Thanks to that, we could focus on chatting.

How to eat Ondogye chicken galbi: the rice ball and spicy sauce combo

• Dip the first bite in the sesame salt
• Wrap the chicken galbi in pickled radish with wasabi
• Mix the scallion salad well and wrap it in too
• Dip spicy chicken galbi halfway in the white sauce
• Roll the rice balls round and grill them

After reading the tips, I put the rice ball straight on the grill. Such a well-behaved little guy ^^

The garlic salt chicken galbi isn't heavily seasoned, so you can really taste the chicken itself and the charcoal aroma. I dipped a piece in salt and it was still as good as I remembered!

Being able to mix and match with the pickled radish, scallion salad, and more might be the best thing about Ondogye in Cheonho.

My favorite combo is spicy sauce + rice ball! The spicy sauce isn't actually that spicy. Dip lightly and eat it with the rice ball — it's amazing. It's such a good combo, so if you go to Ondogye, you have to try it!

Spicy sauce chicken galbi, 270g for 17,000 won

Spicy sauce chicken galbi, 1 serving

I'm a total wimp with spicy food — tears and snot everywhere — but I bravely ordered the spicy sauce chicken galbi anyway! It wasn't spicy at all, so I really enjoyed it.

Grilled just as nicely as before.

The spicy chicken galbi went really well with the savory white sauce.

A Cheonho favorite praised by chefs Hong Seok-cheon and Lee Won-il — you have to try Ondogye's charcoal chicken galbi ♥ I'm planning to go back again soon!