Kid-friendly duck restaurant with outdoor seating in Mapo: Gongjung

A Gyeongui Line Forest Park favorite: outdoor duck grill at Gongjung Dodeok

Finally that cool breeze started blowing, and outdoor dining season is back at the Gyeongui Line Forest Park✨ I'd had my eye on Gongjung Dodeok for a while, and when my husband said he wanted duck, we finally went. You can try both grilled duck styles — salt and seasoned — plus duck stew, all in one visit, which felt like such a good deal. Let me introduce this outdoor spot that's just perfect for the season✨

Location and hours of Gongjung Dodeok, a Gyeongui Line Forest Park favorite

If you head toward Daeheung Station along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, you'll spot a duck sign right in the middle — that's Gongjung Dodeok. It's located at 28 Baekbeom-ro 20-gil, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, open daily from 11:00 to 22:30.

Now that the weather's cooler, the outdoor seating is up and running. The savory smell of duck being grilled — both plain and seasoned — drifts along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park✨ Every time I passed by I thought it looked amazing, so I really wanted to try it!

Outdoor bench seating and indoor seats — is it okay to bring kids?

Here's a look at the indoor and outdoor spaces. Outside there are benches where you can sit and eat, keeping that classic Gyeongui Line Forest Park outdoor dining vibe alive. Inside, the interior is modern and clean, which made it feel great to bring the kids along. We brought ours, and other tables had kids too, so it really seems like a go-to family restaurant in Gongdeok.

The side dishes are set out really neatly. The spicy sauce and mayo sauce there were both so good — I really enjoyed them. Dipping the meat right in made the flavor pop even more.

Just so you know, infant tableware is available, so you're totally fine bringing little ones along. Kid-friendly!

Duck stew and the half-and-half grill set, all together

First came the duck stew. Wow, the spicy, tangy broth was packed with duck meat, topped with perilla powder and sesame leaf, and as the earthenware pot kept simmering, the flavor just got better and better. They start it boiling right at the table.

Then the half-and-half grilled duck arrived. Tasty salt-grilled duck and seasoned duck, plus rice cakes, minari (water dropwort), and potatoes in the center — such a delicious spread. I figured the kids would eat the salt duck and my husband and I would take the seasoned one, but no — the seasoned duck wasn't very spicy at all, so even my elementary schooler ate it happily.

Looking at it all together, it's such a generous spread. Between the stew and the grilled duck, I was seriously stuffed. It was a much better set than I expected, and I was so satisfied.

The seasoned duck grill is on a whole different level from jeyuk

The sizzling seasoned duck looks a bit like jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), but it's on a totally different level! Tender, chewy duck topped with a sweet and slightly spicy sauce — it worked so well together.

The salt-grilled duck was really clean and mild, so it was great to eat with the kids too, especially paired with minari and dipped in sauce. Both were so delicious that the kids ate way more rice than usual that day. I was so proud!

Dipping the seasoned duck in mayo sauce and wrapping it up for a bite gave an insane burst of flavor. Gongjung Dodeok, the duck restaurant near Daeheung Station, was so great to eat with kids. Delicious every which way — it'd even work well for a group dinner out on the outdoor seating.

Side dish: barley shrimp minari pancake

And here's the barley shrimp minari pancake we ordered as a side. Look at how much barley shrimp is piled on top — really a lot. Packed with crispy, tasty barley shrimp, it was even more delicious. The nutty flavor really doubles.

The combination of minari and barley shrimp is amazing. Kids and adults alike loved this barley shrimp minari pancake — I highly recommend it!

Conclusion: get the duck stew as part of the set, no matter what

And you really, really have to try this duck stew. One bite in and I was like, wow, this is so refreshing! I expected it to be greasy, but it wasn't at all. Genuinely clean and spicy, the kind of duck stew that makes a whole bowl of rice disappear! Truly, get it as part of the set. If you're looking for a good restaurant along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, or a duck restaurant near Daeheung Station, I recommend Gongjung Dodeok✨