Cheonan chicken stew takeout at 4pm, glass noodles next day: Sottture

Where is Sottture Dakdoritang in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan?

Sottture Dakdoritang (솥뚜레 닭도리탕) is a spicy chicken stew restaurant near Lotte Mart in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan, so it's really easy to find. I recently took a trip to Cheonan with a friend, ate plenty of good food and had a great time, but right before heading home I suddenly remembered how much I'd enjoyed Sottture last time. I love spicy, rich, brothy dishes anyway, so I just couldn't walk past it, and I ended up getting takeout for dinner. It has a great reputation among Seongjeong-dong locals.

• Address: Seongjeong-dong, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam (near Lotte Mart)
• Hours: daily 11:00–23:00
• Last order: 22:00
• Weekday break time: 15:00–16:00
• Parking: private lot in the building behind the restaurant (very convenient)

What about parking and break time at Sottture Dakdoritang?

Sottture has a private lot in the building behind the restaurant, and the weekday break time is just one hour, 3pm to 4pm. Driving into the busy alleys of Seongjeong-dong usually means parking stress, but Sottture's lot is really spacious, so even new drivers can visit comfortably.

Plus, other restaurants often have two-hour breaks, so if you show up at an awkward time you have to turn around, right? Sottture's is only one hour, which gives customers a lot of leeway, and I love that. I visited at a relaxed pace, just after 4pm, right after the break ended.

The atmosphere at Sottture at 4pm

Around 4pm the hall was quiet, with about 9 neatly arranged tables. When I came with my friend for dinner last time, it was already full and packed with people waiting, and I remember sitting in the waiting chairs in the outside air for a long time. Avoiding peak time was definitely more relaxed. Since I'd been before, seeing the staff again felt warm and familiar, too.

How much is Sottture Dakdoritang, and what is the takeout discount?

The whole-chicken dakdoritang at Sottture is ₩35,000 if you eat in, but lunch and takeout orders always get ₩5,000 off. Looking at the menu, the signature dishes are well covered.

The menu says "Dakdoritang (lunch, takeout ₩5,000 off)"! If you have it for lunch between 11am and 2pm, or take it home or to your accommodation like I did, you get a generous whole chicken for a full ₩5,000 less. In these high-price times, it's a real oasis of a tip.

How long is the takeout wait at Sottture Dakdoritang?

Sottture cooks every order as it comes in, so takeout takes about 10 minutes at minimum, and on this day delivery orders piled up and I got mine in about 30 minutes. They don't reheat food made in bulk beforehand; they start cooking from fresh ingredients, so it takes a while. I showed up on a whim without a reservation and was told it would be about 10 minutes.

There were no customers in the hall, but delivery orders were pouring in nonstop. Riders kept coming through the door, and with so many delivery orders ahead of mine, it took about 30 minutes to get my food. It wasn't even dinnertime, and this much firepower made me think, yep, this really is a proper Cheonan favorite. If you're visiting, I strongly recommend calling ahead to save time!

What's in the Sottture takeout: double wrapping and 4 side dishes

The takeout was double-wrapped with an extra layer of hygienic plastic wrap, and came with a cutlery set and 4 side dishes. I got home safely with a pleasantly heavy bag, but the delicious smell wafting through the car the whole way made it really hard not to drool. When I opened it up, it was packed so carefully that nothing had leaked at all, even after a long trip.

They also included 2 neat sets of spoons and chopsticks,

Even though it was a takeout order, they packed side dishes as if I were eating in, and the owner's generosity really touched me. There were 4 sides: spicy-tangy seasoned pickled radish, crunchy napa cabbage kimchi, refreshing pickles and salty pickled onions. It was a winning lineup for softening the heat of the main dish between bites.

Is there enough broth in the takeout dakdoritang?

Even though I didn't ask, Sottture packed the takeout with plenty of broth. I love Sottture's sauce so much that I planned to finish the meat and then simmer a pile of glass noodles (dangmyeon) in the leftover broth. I'd forgotten to ask the owner for extra broth and was a bit worried, but when I opened it, it was thoughtfully packed with plenty to spare, and I was smiling contentedly before I even started eating.

How spicy is Sottture Dakdoritang?

Sottture's broth starts out sweet and spicy, then the heavy, fiery heat of chili powder comes up late, with a kick. At the restaurant it's fun to simmer it down yourself in the big signature cauldron lid, while at home I moved it to a big pot and boiled it again until bubbling. I took a sip of the broth first, and wow, the kick shot through my whole body and made me exclaim out loud.

At first touch it seems pleasantly spicy and sweet, but as it slides down your throat, that chili-powder heat suddenly pops up late, and that's the charm. It isn't the unpleasant heat of artificial capsaicin but a clean, deep heat from chili powder, so it's incredibly addictive.

Friends who can't handle spice gulp water and make a fuss, but for spice lovers with spice pride, it's praised as the ultimate soju snack and rice thief that makes you order soju endlessly.

Any gamey smell? How's the chicken?

I couldn't detect even one bit of gamey or fishy chicken smell at Sottture, which was almost amazing. The owner said they use only carefully selected 100% fresh domestic chicken, and whether it's the freshness of the raw meat itself or the shop's secret sauce and seasoning technique, the quality of the meat was something special.

A whole chicken was generously in there: sturdy drumsticks, wings, and moist, tender breast meat without any dryness. There were also chewy rice cakes with the seasoning soaked right through, and the cute chicken-shaped egg topping that is Sottture's signature, so it was fun to look at and fun to eat.

Leftover dakdoritang broth: simmered with glass noodles the next day

Sottture's stew gets several times richer in savory depth the more gently you simmer it, so the next day I added glass noodles (dangmyeon) to the leftover broth and simmered it once more. After enjoying the meat on the first day, the thick meaty broth and spicy seasoning soaked into every gap between the noodles, and the flavor was even deeper and richer than on day one.

Which side dishes to order if you eat in at Sottture Dakdoritang?

If you eat in at Sottture, I recommend adding sides like old-school pork cutlet (yetnal donkkaseu), flat dumplings (napjak mandu), rolled omelet (gyeranmari) or potato pancake (gamjajeon) and dipping them deep in the broth. This time was takeout so I only had the main dish, but I can still picture the crunch of the old-school cutlet from last time. Right now the restaurant is also giving crispy gimmari (seaweed noodle roll) fritters and dumplings for joining a review event, so do try their chemistry with the spicy broth.

A drawback: I wish there were a boneless option

If I could wish for one thing at Sottture, it would be a boneless dakdoritang. I'm a total boneless person who hates picking out bones, so if there were a boneless menu I'd fly there every day. Grabbing the pieces and tearing into them by hand is primal fun too, but the older I get, the more I like eating things easily.

Sottture Dakdoritang in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan is a real local favorite for all ages, from people in their 20s and 30s to older folks who love deep heat. If you want that clean, fiery heat that clears you out, definitely visit, or grab the takeout discount and enjoy it easily!