Gongdeok duck restaurant with crispy kimchi pancake: Gongjung Dodeok

Every time I walked along the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail near my home, the exterior of Gongjung Dodeok caught my eye, and I'd been wanting to try it out.

My husband and I were talking about going for duck, and Gongjung Dodeok came to mind since I'd had my eye on it for a while, so we finally visited together. Once we got there, the menu was pretty varied, and there was outdoor seating too, so it looked like a good spot for eating outside on a nice day.

Where is Gongjung Dodeok, and what are its hours?

• 28 Baekbeom-ro 20-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, Gongjung Dodeok
• Open daily 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Group seating, reservations, separate men's/women's restrooms, waiting area, high chairs

Gongjung Dodeok is close to Daeheung Station, so it's easy to get to.

It's about a 3-minute walk from Daeheung Station, so it was easy to reach by subway. It's also fairly close to Gongdeok, so it's a good spot for anyone hunting for a Gongdeok restaurant serving grilled meat.

Inside Gongjung Dodeok and its outdoor bench seats

The restaurant is decorated with dark wood and soft lighting, giving it a warm yet calm atmosphere.

The space is divided into sections, so it looked good for family meals or larger groups too.

Gongjung Dodeok also has a separate outdoor bench (yajang) area. There are several wooden tables and bench-style seats, with a tent and lighting set up overhead. It seemed like a great place to sit outside and eat on a nice day. Being close to the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail, it also looked like a nice spot to enjoy duck before or after a walk, soaking in the outdoor atmosphere.

Gongjung Dodeok's menu and what the couple ordered

Here's the menu at Gongjung Dodeok, a Gongdeok restaurant serving grilled meat :) You can enjoy a variety of duck dishes here, including bulgalbi and roasted duck. On weekday lunches, they also offer several hot-pot rice (sotbap) dishes, so it seemed like a good spot for lunch too. There were also plenty of side dishes like pancakes and seasoned vegetables that go well with duck.

That day we ordered the Gongjung half-and-half set for two and a kimchi pancake.

First, they set out radish pickles, perilla leaves, green onion kimchi, and sauces to go with the duck.

How did the Gongjung half-and-half set for two taste?

The Gongjung half-and-half set comes with seasoned duck bulgalbi on one side, plain roasted duck on the other, plus minari and gonggamtang, a boneless duck potato stew.

The half-and-half duck and minari were set up together on the grill.

We fired up the grill right away, and it was great being able to enjoy the seasoned bulgalbi and the plain roasted duck on the same grill.

The seasoned bulgalbi had the sauce soaked well into the meat, so it was fairly strong in flavor, while the roasted duck was light and plain — switching between the two gave a nice contrast in taste.

Grilling the minari together with the duck gave it a fragrant taste that paired really well.

Gonggamtang is a warm soup with duck and potatoes, so it was nice to have alongside the grilled meat. Having a soup on the side made the meal feel a bit more substantial than just eating grilled meat alone.

The kimchi pancake ordered as a side

The kimchi pancake we ordered alongside was really delicious too.

It was crispy not just at the edges but all the way to the center, which gave it a great texture. Gongjung Dodeok's kimchi pancake was one of the best pancakes I've had at a restaurant, and it paired really well with the duck — I was glad we ordered it as a side.

Would the writer return to Gongjung Dodeok?

The Gongjung half-and-half set was great because we could enjoy both bulgalbi and roasted duck at once, plus minari and gonggamtang, so we got to try a good variety of dishes.

If you're looking for a Daeheung Station restaurant serving duck, it's easy to get to since it's close to the station, and with both indoor and outdoor bench seating, it seems like a nice spot to eat outside on a nice day.

If you're someone who's always been curious about this place while walking along the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail like we were, it's worth a visit. Next time, I want to come back on a nice day and sit at the outdoor bench seats to enjoy the duck again.