Dolgoji Market chicken takeout in Seoul: half-and-half bone-in

Where is Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch?

Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch sits right at the entrance of Dolgoji Market. Dolgoji Station and Seokgye Station are both nearby, and there's a bus stop right at the market entrance too, so access is really good. My parents said let's just grab something simple for weekend lunch, so I hopped on a Ttareungyi bike and rushed over to pick up chicken.

• Road address: 561 Hancheon-ro, 1F, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea / Lot address: Seokgwan-dong 71-19, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Tue–Sat 4:00 PM–6:30 AM next day, Sun 12:00 PM–6:30 AM next day, closed Mondays
• Parking: roadside parking available near the market entrance
• Restroom: outside the shop, inside the market (separate men's/women's)

First stop was Dolgoji Market, home to this famous chicken spot from the Dongdaemun chicken scene. I came by Ttareungyi and parked it right at the market entrance — if you're driving, park near the entrance, and if you're on foot, I'd recommend the bus. Hidongi Chicken really is the first thing you see the moment you walk into the market.

Hidongi Chicken prices, takeout discounts and cook time

There were menu boards both outside and inside — one chicken is under ₩20,000, so it's a genuinely budget-friendly spot. For takeout, you get ₩3,000 off one chicken and ₩7,000 off two. Cook time is about 15 minutes for bone-in and 10–15 minutes for boneless. I'd recommend calling ahead and timing your pickup. Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch has no indoor seating space.

What I ordered: half-and-half bone-in chicken

Here's the one I was about to devour: half fried, half seasoned bone-in chicken. Let's dig in.

As mentioned, Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch has no seating, so takeout was the only option. Honestly, even if there had been seating, I was planning on takeout anyway since my parents were waiting at home.

The half-and-half chicken came packed in two separate boxes, one for fried and one for seasoned. The fried chicken came with seasoned salt and mustard dressing to dip. Oh, and pickled radish was included too. Cola was not.

How crispy was the fried half?

Fried first, of course. Whoever's reading this — when you've got both fried and seasoned in front of you, which do you go for first? I've had this habit since childhood — if there's plain pork belly and spicy gochujang pork belly, I go for the plain first (seasoned makes my mouth too sweet~), so I started with the fried chicken.

Hidongi's fried chicken has really meaty, sizeable pieces, so it's very filling. The freshly fried, golden-brown drumstick made an audible crack the second I bit into it — I genuinely thought something snapped. Dipped in the mustard, the juices and the sweet sauce together are just excellent. There's never a moment you get tired of it.

Is the seasoned chicken too sweet?

Huh, where'd my photo of the seasoned chicken box go... Anyway, it's just a different box, same size. Same bird, after all. The seasoned chicken had that spicy-sweet special sauce clinging moist to the crispy coating, the kind that just wraps around your mouth.

Sometimes seasoned chicken is so sweet it makes your teeth ache, but Hidongi's seasoned chicken, even with a generous coating of sauce, wasn't overly sweet at all, and the crunch was still there. Add the cool pickled radish and it's basically game over. So good.

Eating Hidongi Chicken with my parents: the verdict

Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch, the famous chicken spot from Dongdaemun — I can sum it up in one line. My parents said, 'hmm... this is good.' That's really the sign of a true favorite.

Crispy fried chicken with an excellent crunch and spicy-sweet seasoned chicken — a place that satisfied my parents too