Hwanghak Market Korean restaurant for group dinners: Gyeryugwan

Today's the day I'm finally meeting up with my friends again since our spring gathering! We all agreed to meet in Sindang-dong right after work.

We headed to Gyeryugwan (계류관), near Hwanghak Market by Sindang Station.

Where is Gyeryugwan near Sindang Station, and why is there no sign?

Gyeryugwan was really close to Sindang Station, so it was easy to find. Sindang-dong is nicknamed "Hipdang-dong" for how many good restaurants and bars it has, and Gyeryugwan, being right by the station, was perfect for meeting up after work.

Gyeryugwan had no signboard, but there was a huge pile of firewood stacked outside, and I thought, ah, this must be the place!

We got there a bit early, so luckily we were seated right away with no wait. But by the time we finished eating and came out, a Catch Table waitlist had already formed.

The fire-roasting station outside Gyeryugwan caught my eye right away — the chicken looked amazing, roasted over oak wood. (The chicken going into the fire looked pretty big, but I guess it shrinks as it cooks, lol.)

The menu was done in cute illustrations, which was fun to look at and pretty too.

What four of us ordered at Gyeryugwan, and what the room feels like

At Gyeryugwan we ordered oak and neungi mushroom fire-roasted chicken, a chicken jeon platter, dakgaejang, makguksu, and makgeolli on top of all that! Coming with a group meant we could order a bunch of different things and try a little of everything.

The interior was bigger than I expected, with tables spaced out generously, so it looked like a good spot for gatherings or work dinners in Sindang-dong.

As soon as we sat down, the side dishes came out, and every single one was so tasty that our chopsticks were busy before the main dishes even arrived. The dipping sauce that comes with the oak-fired whole chicken was also great, pairing nicely with the chicken.

Oak and neungi mushroom fire-roasted chicken — down to the rice stuffed inside

We started with Gyeryugwan's signature dish, the oak and neungi mushroom fire-roasted chicken. The chicken had a subtle fragrance from being roasted over wood, and we also ate the rice stuffed inside, which was chewier than expected and delicious.

Eating the rice along with the chicken made the whole thing way more filling than the chicken alone, and with the neungi mushroom aroma soaked into the rice, I got why it's the signature dish. Every other table had a whole fire-roasted chicken on it too, not just ours, so it does seem like the most popular order.

The dish all four of us called the best: Gyeryugwan's chicken jeon platter

And the dish all four of us that day agreed was delicious was Gyeryugwan's chicken jeon platter. From the outside it looks like your typical pollock jeon or pepper jeon, but think of it as jeon (Korean pan-fried fritters) made with chicken instead of fish or other meat.

It was my first time having jeon made with chicken, and it worked way better than I expected. Every single one of the four of us said it was delicious while eating it, so out of everything we ordered that day, this one stuck in my memory the most.

What does dakgaejang, the soup dish, taste like?

We couldn't skip the soup dish either — Gyeryugwan's dakgaejang. It had a good amount of chicken and bracken fern in it, giving the broth a savory feel.

Gyeryugwan's dakgaejang is spicy but not just harsh — the broth is clean, so you keep going back for more spoonfuls. Taking a spoonful of broth in between the fire-roasted chicken and jeon made for a great combination.

House-made makguksu with makgeolli at Gyeryugwan

Last, we also ordered makguksu, and this was another win. Gyeryugwan's makguksu is house-made — they even have a separate noodle-making room — and the noodles were chewy with really tasty seasoning.

Everything we ordered went especially well with makgeolli — the combination was just perfect. The weather had gotten much milder too, so it was ideal to sit outside in the cool evening air with a drink, and with good chicken dishes plus makgeolli, it really felt like a proper after-work gathering.

Does Gyeryugwan work as a drinking spot near Sindang Station too?

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Sindang Station, or a bar near Sindang Station or in Sindang, Gyeryugwan seems like a solid choice.

It's easy to get to near Hwanghak Market by Sindang Station, and with a menu ranging from oak-fired chicken to jeon, dakgaejang, and makguksu, it was great for ordering a variety of dishes to share when visiting as a group.

Among restaurants in Sindang-dong, this is one worth trying if you want something a bit different from the usual chicken dishes. We had a proper meal that day, friends and makgeolli included, right after work!