Seocho Korean restaurant for salt-grilled gristle: Seocho Jeonggye

I went to Seocho Jeonggye (서초정계), a Korean restaurant near Seocho Station, and I was so happy because my parents liked it even more than I did! Seocho Jeonggye has won over the office workers of Seocho with its dakbokkeumtang (braised chicken stew) and dakhanmari (whole chicken soup), and it's loved for offering everything from solo-meal dishes to drinking-snack menus. This time I stopped by with my parents and we had the chicken stew, fried rice and salt-grilled chicken gristle.

Where is Seocho Jeonggye? Location, parking and hours

Seocho Jeonggye is about a one-minute walk from Seocho Station Exit 8, and it's open daily 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:00, break time 15:00–17:00). There's no parking, so you'll need a nearby paid lot. The closest one is the Nice Park Chambit Foundation lot, open 24 hours. It's ₩4,800 per 30 minutes! Corkage is available for a fee, so keep that in mind.

• Address: 20 Beobwon-ro 1-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mido Building, 1st floor)
• Hours: daily 11:00 - 22:00
• Last order: 21:00
• Break time: 15:00 - 17:00
• Other: corkage available for a fee

Seocho Jeonggye wait times: when to go for a shorter wait

Seocho Jeonggye is right next to Seocho Station, so it's easy to reach. Word has already spread among the office workers nearby, so it's always full of people.

So if you want a tip... use Catch Table well and arrive relatively early. I got there with my parents at 5:45 pm on a weekday and we could enjoy a relaxed dinner.

If you're looking for the waiting area, just go right next to the restaurant.

The waiting seats come with water and a menu, which shows the restaurant's thoughtfulness.

Seocho Jeonggye interior and seating

The inside of Seocho Jeonggye is quite classy.

That's because it also sells alcohol in the evening, so it's decorated a bit like a whiskey bar. Pretty, right? There are tables for 2 up to 4.

And there's a huge cauldron too. It somehow makes you feel the food will taste even better.

For the restroom, use the basement or the 2nd floor.

Seocho Jeonggye menu and prices

The main dishes at Seocho Jeonggye are dakbokkeumtang and dakhanmari, along with chogyeguksu (cold chicken noodles), fried dishes, tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) and more. But they all contain chicken, so check before you order. There are also good solo menus. Our family decided to have dinner at a table for four.

• Dakbokkeumtang (chicken stew) ₩32,000
• Chicken gristle stew ₩8,500
• Salt-grilled chicken gristle ₩17,000
• Sujebi noodles (add-on) ₩3,000

Seocho Jeonggye original-flavor chicken stew: did my parents like it?

The quality at Seocho Jeonggye is so good! The side dishes came out first and they were neat and clean. The kimchi was delicious.

A medium-size pot came out too. We'd ordered the add-on noodles in advance, so they were already in it.

They told us we could eat the stew right away. When I scooped some up, there was a generous amount of chicken.

We each scooped out the parts we wanted. It honestly had one whole young chicken in it.

First, the sujebi (hand-torn dough noodles) I'd been wanting. Yum yum. They were chewy and had soaked up the broth, so delicious. If you can't decide on tteok (rice cake) add-ons, these are a good choice. There's a lot of them too.

The chicken had soaked up the broth too, so it was moist and tender. It was clean, with no gamey smell.

More than anything, the base of the stew at Seocho Jeonggye was delicious. It keeps the richness of the chicken stock yet stays clean, and my parents especially loved it. You can choose mild, original or spicy broth, and we had the original.

What does salt-grilled chicken gristle taste like?

Next was the salt-grilled chicken gristle, which is said to be a popular drinking snack at Seocho Jeonggye. It comes with onion, garlic and green onion.

The salt-grilled gristle is fairly salty, since it's meant as a drinking snack. Still, the chicken is plump, and the crunchy texture has a magical quality that keeps making you want more.

The kick while eating is the whole garlic cloves. They have a buttery texture, so they were nice to eat.

Seocho Jeonggye fried rice: a risotto-like finish

For the finale, we decided to try the fried rice too.

I thought they'd fry it in the leftover stew sauce, but no, they made it fresh. They even put in two fried eggs.

The fried rice may actually be different from what you imagine. It's like risotto. Still, the dense, rich flavor is unusual in a good way.

Especially when you eat it topped with the egg, you get the richness of flavor too. Great for enjoying in different ways!

On your way out, you can finish with the sikhye (sweet rice drink) available inside the restaurant. Full marks for thoughtfulness right to the end.

Seocho Jeonggye: final verdict

Seocho Jeonggye, a Korean restaurant near Seocho Station, stood out for its well-judged seasoning and fitting service. It's also well regarded among Seocho office workers, so give it a visit sometime. :)