Cauldron chicken hot pot with kalguksu in Seocho: Seocho Jeonggye

I've had dak han mari (whole chicken hot pot) plenty of times in Jongno, and now I've finally had the proper version in Seocho too.

When you think of chicken dishes, samgyetang, fried chicken, or dakbokkeumtang usually come to mind first, right? But when I'm feeling a bit under the weather or craving a hot, hearty broth, dak han mari is what I think of! I used to eat it often in Jongno, but it turns out there's a place serving it in Seocho too. This time I visited Seocho Jeonggye, a Korean restaurant near Seocho Station.

Inside Seocho Jeonggye: hanok-style room and traditional liquor menu

The menu at Seocho Jeonggye wasn't just regular soju and beer. There was a lineup of traditional liquors and distinctive drinks like Hwayo, bamboo liquor, Jirisan Gangsoju, and Uri Cheongju. I also spotted names like Seoului Bam, Tokki Soju, and Mungyeong Baram, so it looked like fun to pick a drink that pairs well with chicken dishes. I focused on the food this time, but next time I'd love to try the traditional liquors too!

The restaurant overall has a nice atmosphere thanks to its hanok-style interior. I also liked that they served chilled tea instead of plain water, and there was sikhye (sweet rice punch) to drink for dessert!

How dak han mari differs from samgyetang and dak kalguksu

Dak han mari is a dish where chicken and broth are simmered together in a large pot along with ingredients like rice cakes and potatoes. Unlike samgyetang, which comes out finished in individual bowls, this one bubbles away right at your table—you fish out the chicken and other ingredients, then finish with kalguksu noodles in the leftover broth! I was surprised that Seocho Jeonggye serves a whole cauldron like this when you order.

While dak kalguksu is a dish where you enjoy the noodles and chicken together from the start, dak han mari is different in that you eat the chicken first and have porridge or noodles later as a finishing course. We also finished off all the chicken first, then added noodles at the end!

The cauldron of dak han mari at Seocho Jeonggye: chicken, potato, rice cake

Seocho Jeonggye says it uses chicken broth simmered fresh in a cauldron every morning as the base for its various chicken dishes. They'd written in detail that they use domestic chicken supplied from their own chicken factory in Cheonan. Knowing exactly where the chicken comes from made me trust the place even more.

Once I tried it, the chicken was simmered so thoroughly that the meat came apart easily in my mouth—so tender. The longer it simmers, the richer the broth gets, and since I'd been feeling a bit under the weather, the hot broth really lifted my mood. Dak han mari just isn't the same without rice cakes, right? I fished out the chewy rice cakes one by one, and tried the potatoes soaked in broth too. The potatoes seemed to have simmered along with the chicken for a long time, completely fluffy all the way through—their texture was different from the tender chicken, so it was fun picking through everything until the end. This kind of clean, hot pot is exactly what comes to mind when I want a satisfying Korean meal near Seocho Station.

Geotjeori kimchi tossed fresh every morning

I often come to Seocho Jeonggye for lunch too. I usually get dak kalguksu at lunchtime, and the geotjeori (fresh-cut kimchi) is something I look forward to just as much as the noodles! According to the restaurant, they hand-toss geotjeori every morning using domestic red pepper flakes and alba cabbage. It's so good I could eat a whole bowl of rice with just this kimchi—normally I refill it several times. It paired well not only with the noodles but also with the rich broth of dak han mari.

When you order dak han mari, they also give you another side dish: cabbage with a secret sauce! You take as much cabbage as you like, drizzle on the mustard sauce, and mix it with dadaegi (spicy chili paste)—it makes a perfect match for dak han mari!

Chicken muchim with flat dumplings, the dish I kept reaching for

This time, besides the geotjeori I always get, I ordered chicken muchim for the first time. Shredded chicken and various vegetables tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce, served alongside납작만두 (flat dumplings)!

Napjak mandu (flat dumplings), which I used to eat often in Daegu, are a nostalgic food for me. Topping the plain dumplings with chicken muchim turned out to be a combination that worked surprisingly well.

At first I thought of it as just a side dish, but I was surprised by how generous the portion was, and surprised again by how much I kept reaching for it because it was so tasty! I usually refill the geotjeori multiple times when I come here, but this time my chopsticks kept going to the chicken muchim even more than that delicious geotjeori!

Adding kalguksu noodles to the richer broth at the end

After having our fill of chicken, rice cakes and potatoes, we added kalguksu noodles to the leftover broth. It had a different charm from the dak kalguksu I usually eat at lunch—while the chicken and potatoes simmered, the broth had grown even richer, so the noodles soaked it up for a satisfying finish! I hesitated between porridge and noodles for a moment, but I felt noodles would suit that broth much better that day—and in the end, I was glad I chose that!

Who Seocho Jeonggye is worth a visit for

I was so glad to find dak han mari, a dish I used to enjoy only in Jongno, available in Seocho too! Tender, well-cooked chicken, fluffy potatoes, sweet and tangy chicken muchim paired with flat dumplings, and noodles finished in a rich broth—it was such a complete meal. If you want to sit around a hot pot of chicken with friends or family, or enjoy dak han mari right through to the noodles for a hearty finish, give Seocho Jeonggye, a Korean restaurant near Seocho Station, a try.