Chicken and beer pub near Dongmyo: Obong set for three, Obang Tongdak

Obang Tongdak's Obong set: can three people finish it?

The Obong set at Obang Tongdak (오방통닭) was so big that the three of us ordered just one and still couldn't finish it. I was looking for dinner around Sindang and ended up here, between Dongmyo Market and Sindang Jungang Market.

I figured one set for three people would just about fill us up, but there was way more food than expected, so we left a little behind, haha. I thought this was a place for just chicken, but you get lots of dishes at once, which makes it a nice spot for drinks with friends!

What's the atmosphere at Obang Tongdak like?

The place had that trendy take on an old-school pub vibe you find around Sindang. It's not rough and rustic like a truly old joint, with a bit of tidiness mixed in. Personally, it felt like the "aspirational Hipdang-dong" look, haha.

It's a comfy place to sit with friends over chicken and beer. I also heard they run outdoor street-style seating (yajang) on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On a nice day, that would be a great way to enjoy the atmosphere!

What's in the Obong set, and how much is it?

The signature Obong set costs ₩48,600 and comes with golden chicken, dakjeon (chicken pancake-style fritter), perilla-oil fries, garlic rice, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), cucumber salad and kimchi, all at once. The three of us ordered one set.

The moment it arrived I thought, "oh, that's more than I expected," and once we started eating, it turned out to be even more, haha.

Even with three of us trying a bit of everything, we were quite full and ended up leaving a little. If you like sampling lots of dishes, ordering the set seems like a good idea.

The golden chicken is better with the mushroom sauce

The star of the set is of course the golden chicken. Being electric-roasted, it felt lighter than fried chicken and went well with beer. But I liked it even more with the sauce that came alongside.

It wasn't sticky-rice-like; to me it tasted like a mushroom sauce, and when I put it on top of the chicken I thought, oh... this is my style! Haha. The flavor changed completely compared with plain chicken, and this combination was what I remembered most.

The cucumber salad is exactly my taste, haha

Surprisingly, the dish we reached for most in the set was the cucumber salad. Seriously, why is it so good, haha? Crunchy and tangy, it kept us going back for more with the chicken.

After greasy dishes, a bite of cucumber salad is just perfect. I already love tangy side dishes like this, so it was totally my taste.

The dakjeon was a bit different from the "jeon" I expected

To me, Obang Tongdak's dakjeon felt a bit like chicken kkwabaerou (Chinese-style sweet and sour fried pork, but with chicken). I was curious about it, so I tried it, and it wasn't what I imagined a dakjeon to be.

I love kkwabaerou, so the taste itself was fine, but since it's called jeon (a pan-fried pancake-style dish), I was expecting something more jeon-like, so I was a little disappointed. Still, eaten with the pickled scallion-style topping on top, it was delicious. So I recommend eating it with that topping rather than on its own!

The tteokbokki was a bit so-so

Honestly, the tteokbokki in the Obong set was a bit so-so for me, haha. It's not bad, but it just wasn't the tteokbokki taste I had in mind.

Since it comes with the set, it was fun to take a bite or two, but of the three of us, it was the dish we touched least compared with the others.

My friend called it a kimchi hotspot and ate it all

My friend cleaned out almost all of Obang Tongdak's kimchi. Out of nowhere they said, "This place is a kimchi hotspot!" and ate tons of it, haha.

I was busy with other dishes and didn't focus on the kimchi, but my friend said it was really good and nearly scraped the plate clean, haha. When even the basic side dishes suit your taste, it's a nice bonus at a pub, right?

Draft beer at Obang Tongdak is unlimited

Obang Tongdak offers unlimited draft beer, which is a pretty fun point for people who like to drink. The three of us had about 330 ml each that day, nothing excessive.

Rather than drinking a ton, it was just right to order chicken and several dishes and have a glass of beer with them.

Next time I'm going back for the fire chicken

Overall, I was quite satisfied with the Obong set at Obang Tongdak. One set for three people had more food than expected, and it was great to try everything from the golden chicken to the dakjeon and perilla-oil fries in one go.

• What I liked: golden chicken with the mushroom sauce inside, and the cucumber salad
• What was a bit different: the dakjeon, not the jeon I expected
• What was disappointing: the tteokbokki

The dakjeon wasn't what I expected and the tteokbokki was a little disappointing, but overall we ate well and left happy. I also spotted the bul-tongdak (fire chicken) on the menu and got curious, so if I go back I'll try that, haha.

If you're looking for a relaxed place around Sindang or Dongmyo to have chicken and drinks with friends, Obang Tongdak is worth a visit. If you like outdoor seating, I especially recommend going on a nice weekend.

Obang Tongdak location and hours

• Address: 19 Majang-ro 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (2nd floor)
• About 548 m from Dongmyoap Station, Exit 3
• Hours: 17:00–23:30
• Outdoor seating open Fri, Sat and Sun
• No parking / takeout, delivery and reservations available