Hongdae herbal chicken hot pot for a Boknal date: Ttukdak Hongdae

My boyfriend and I were out on a Hongdae date and it happened to be Boknal (the hottest day of summer, when Koreans eat nourishing food), so we went to Ttukdak Hongdae for some body-nourishing food ⋆｡˚☁︎˚｡⋆ It's known as a top dak hanmari spot near Hongdae Station, so we went in with high expectations ᓚᘏᗢ

What is Ttukdak Hongdae? A herbal broth chicken specialist

Ttukdak Hongdae uses a self-made broth simmered from herbal medicinal ingredients and seaweed. They have almost every chicken dish you can think of — dak hanmari, dakjjim, herbal dak galbi, regular dak galbi, chicken skewers, even chicken feet — plus a variety of bossam (boiled pork wraps) and jeon (pan-fried fritters) ❤︎ It's really close to Exit 9 of Hongdae Station, so it's super accessible ೃ⁀➷

Interior and seating

The wood-tone interior gave it a warm feeling.

You can see into the kitchen, and there's a separate station for grilling the skewers and jeon! Being a well-known spot near Hongdae Station, there were quite a few foreign customers too.

Ttukdak Hongdae menu and prices

Dak hanmari is ₩15,000 per person, but you need to order for at least 2 people! Dakjjim is ₩16,000, herbal dak galbi is ₩17,000, and there are side jeon dishes too, like cheese potato jeon or minari shrimp jeon.

• Dak hanmari for two ₩30,000
• Extra dak hanmari portion ₩8,000
• 2 chicken skewers ₩17,000
• Minari shrimp jeon ₩3,000
• Zero-sugar cola

Table setting and the golden-ratio dipping sauce

Once we sat down, they brought out the side dishes.

The dipping sauce ingredients were also set up on the table, so we made our own sauce following their golden-ratio recipe.

How did the dak hanmari taste? Herbal broth and chunky rice cakes

The dak hanmari came out first ❤︎ The big pot was loaded with chicken, rice cakes, and potatoes — it looked filling just from the visual alone ⋆◡̎⋆

Maybe because it's herbal broth, the soup wasn't harsh at all — it was deep and clean !! The longer it simmered, the more broth came out of the chicken, so it got richer as we went along,,

Two rice cakes come standard! But they're the chunky, plump kind so they're so good .. ❤︎ Dipped in our homemade sauce, they got this tangy, slightly sharp flavor added on top — totally addictive,,,,,; 𖤐

Between congee and risotto for the finish, we went with congee !

Ah,, it's so good ,,, ⁽̨̡ ¨̮ ⁾̧̢.•♥

Chicken skewers and minari shrimp jeon

The chicken skewers were grilled right in the restaurant, and the sauce had a slight kick to it, so we kept reaching for more.

The minari shrimp jeon was fried up nice and crispy too, with the minari (water dropwort) fragrance spreading through it gently ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎♡̷ ☘︎ Plump shrimp with crunchy minari, no notes ,,, 𖤐 It was exactly the kind of meal you want on Boknal for some body nourishment (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و

Who should visit

If you're looking for a well-known dak hanmari spot near Hongdae Station, or a hearty dinner for a Hongdae date, I'd recommend Ttukdak Hongdae. It's a great Hongdae restaurant to visit on Boknal or any day you want to nourish your body!