Weekend group dakgalbi with free parking in Seocho: Dakgalbijeon

Why Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch works for a weekend group meal near Sinnonhyeon

This time's Sinnonhyeon spot was Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch, a place where I could stop worrying about parking thanks to free parking. Parking is always a bit of a headache whenever I make plans in Gangnam — public transit is fine, but if you bring a car into Gangnam you start scouting parking spots the whole way there. Here I could park easily and enjoy dakgalbi and potato pancake together, which seemed like a good fit for family gatherings or a group of friends too — this dakgalbi place.

Where is Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch? 2nd floor, in front of Summit Prugio

Right in front of Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch is Summit Prugio, which made it easy to find, and once inside the restaurant felt bigger than expected. The spacing between tables was fairly generous too, so it looked good not just for small meals but for company dinners, family gatherings, or bigger groups of friends.

There was a sign posted out front explaining how to queue, which made me think weekday mealtimes must get pretty busy here. Thankfully we visited on a weekend and could eat relatively comfortably. This Gangnam Dakgalbijeon location has parking available, so bringing a car wasn't a burden at all. When you have plans or are hanging out in Gangnam, not having to keep checking the time because of parking made the whole meal that much more relaxed.

Basic dakgalbi without cheese, plus jjolmyeon noodles

What we ordered was the basic dakgalbi without any cheese. For the noodle add-on you could pick from jjolmyeon (chewy wheat noodles), ramen, or udon, and we went with jjolmyeon. As pictured, the dakgalbi and noodles come out together on a large hot plate, and as the sauce soaked in evenly it looked more and more delicious as it cooked.

The sauce leaned more toward a distinct gochujang (red chili paste) flavor rather than something sweet, and the chicken was tender rather than chewy. The jjolmyeon soaked up the sauce well too, so a bite with a piece of dakgalbi and noodles together worked great. Honestly, I liked the combination with the potato pancake we ordered that day even more than the dakgalbi on its own.

Overall the flavor definitely had a strong gochujang presence. Personally, eating the dakgalbi together with the potato pancake left a stronger impression than the dakgalbi alone, and I liked the chewy texture of the potato pancake too. How intense the sauce feels will probably vary depending on personal taste.

The potato pancake with perilla leaves: how big is it?

The potato pancake at Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch is quite generously sized even just from the photo. A large perilla leaf sits on top of the thinly fried pancake, giving it a look a bit different from a typical potato pancake. In the center came a soy sauce dip with sesame seeds floating in it, and what I liked most was how well the pancake carried that distinct potato flavor and texture 〰️🙌🏻

The outside was nicely golden-brown 🥔 while the inside stayed moist with a chewy texture. With the aroma of the perilla leaf added, it was good even eaten plain, and it also worked well with a light dip in the soy sauce. I also tried putting dakgalbi on top of the potato pancake and eating them together, and this combination was pretty gr—

How to wrap dakgalbi in the potato pancake

The spicy gochujang dakgalbi got wrapped by the mild, chewy potato pancake, and the flavor carried through a little more smoothly. Picking a piece with perilla leaf on it to wrap the dakgalbi added extra fragrance too, and I'd also recommend the method in the photo — loading dakgalbi and potato pancake onto a spoon together.

Why the fried rice finish waited for the next visit

The jjolmyeon noodles were also much better eaten with a piece of dakgalbi than on their own, letting the sauce flavor really come through. I'd originally planned to finish with fried rice, but since neither dish came in a small portion, by the time we'd finished the dakgalbi, noodles, and potato pancake, we were already quite full. In the end we saved the fried rice for our next visit and wrapped up the meal.

What made this visit easy was, again, the free parking. Bringing a car into Gangnam usually means parking is the first thing on your mind, but being able to park comfortably and eat at a relaxed pace made the whole meal that much more laid-back. A visit where I parked with ease and enjoyed dakgalbi together with a chewy potato pancake 🙌🏻

Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch hours, parking and location

• ⌚️ Mon-Sun | 11:00 - 22:00
• 🏡 Dakgalbijeon, a Sinnonhyeon restaurant
• 🚈 305m from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 9
• 🔖 2nd Floor, Gangnam Diobil, 54 Seocho-daero 73-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea