Whole roast chicken with rice inside near Hwaseong Haenggung, Suwon

There are so many great restaurants and stylish cafés in Haenggung-dong that it's hard to decide where to go. Especially after checking out Hwaseong Haenggung or the café street, when you just want simple chimaek (chicken and beer), I went to Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak, a Suwon spot worth knowing about : )

Location and parking — how close is it to Hwaseong Haenggung?

Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak is located at 28 Haenggung-ro, 1st floor, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea.

From Suwon Station it's about a 10-minute taxi ride, or if you take the bus, get off at Paldalmun and walk from there. Best of all, it's close to Hwaseong Haenggung, so it was easy to find while wandering around Haenggung-dong.

The nearest parking is the Hwaseong Haenggung roadside public parking lot, about a 3-minute walk to the restaurant, so it's fairly convenient. Otherwise, there are nearby public or private lots you can use.

Interior and atmosphere — windows open, outdoor-tent vibes

Walking into Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak, I got that nostalgic old-school chicken restaurant feeling. This kind of atmosphere brings back memories somehow, and it's a comfortable spot to sit down for chimaek!

On nice-weather days, they open the windows wide so you can eat with an outdoor-tent-style feel, which makes it even more appealing.

It's a good place to drop by casually with friends for chimaek, and if you're visiting with a bigger group, group reservations are available too, so it's worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a gathering spot.

Menu — types of wood-fired roast chicken

The signature menu at Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak is, of course, the jangjak-gui tongdak (wood-fired roast chicken). Alongside the hanbang jangjak-gui tongdak, there's also the Suwon wang-galbi jangjak-gui tongdak that plays up Suwon's local specialty, and a smoked BBQ sauce jangjak-gui tongdak.

Tasting the hanbang jangjak-gui tongdak

I did consider trying the Suwon wang-galbi style since I was in Suwon, but since it was my first visit, I ordered the hanbang jangjak-gui tongdak, thinking it would be the most basic option and best show off what makes this place special.

A whole chicken came out on a big plate, and it looked delicious just from the presentation.

The charm of jangjak-gui tongdak is definitely that crispy exterior. The skin is amazing haha

Once I tried it, the outside was crispy while the inside stayed moist — really tasty. There was a distinct, clean flavor from the wood-fire cooking, a different kind of appeal from deep-fried chicken.

It had that clean, savory wood-fired flavor that would go great with beer.

Rice inside the chicken — fun to eat like nurungji

What I especially liked was that there's rice tucked inside the chicken!

The rice is tasty eaten right away, but if you press it into a hot bowl for a bit, you can toast it up like nurungji (crispy scorched rice), which was a fun, different way to enjoy it.

Eating the chicken and then finishing off with the rice makes you feel quite full and satisfied.

The whole chicken itself was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, not dry at all, and true to its name, it had that clean, light flavor of hanbang jangjak-gui.

Above all, since it's wood-fire roasted rather than deep-fried like regular chicken, it didn't feel heavy to eat.

It was tasty dipped in the sauce that came with it, or even just dipped in salt.

The chicken was quite big with a lot of meat, and it was soft and delicious haha

I scraped the plate clean and enjoyed every bite! Haenggung-dong in Suwon has so many sights and cafés, including Hwaseong Haenggung, making it a great spot for a day trip. If you're out exploring Haenggung-dong like I was and looking for dinner, Haenggung Jangjak Hanbang Tongdak seems like a solid option.

If you're looking for good restaurants near Hwaseong Haenggung or a chicken restaurant in Haenggung-dong, I think it's worth a visit at least once : )