Chicken stew date spot in Guwol-dong, Incheon, with glass noodles

Last weekend we went on a date in Guwol-dong and stopped at Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch (통큰솥뚜껑닭볶음탕 구월점), a great spot for a meal or a lunch in the area. Let's take a look together💕

Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch: opening hours and parking

The restaurant is open every day from 11:00 to 23:00 and closed every Tuesday. For parking, regular roadside parallel parking is possible on weekdays from 12:00 to 14:00 (no parking enforcement), and on public holidays it's possible all day (also no enforcement), they say.

Where is Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang in Guwol-dong?

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor of a building near the Guwol-dong Rodeo shopping district. As soon as you step out of the elevator, banners show the four main chicken stew dishes.

Cauldron-lid chicken stew menu and minimum order

You need to order for at least 2 people, and every menu item can be taken out. They also sell jjimdak (braised chicken) and aged kimchi chicken stew, but we went with the most basic cauldron-lid chicken stew and added fish cake skewers and glass noodles.

Interior and photo zone

There's a flashy photo zone right as you walk in. After our meal we snapped a photo there too, haha

We came on a weekend evening and it was busy. The crowd ranged from young people to older folks, some having dinner and others enjoying it with drinks.

The moment we sat down, the big drum can caught our eye. Knowing the chicken stew would sit on top of it made us even more excited for the food.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar

We got 3 basic side dishes. Since chicken stew is Korean home-style food, the sides suited it well, and they tasted just like my mom's cooking at home.

For extra side dishes, you use the self-serve bar. I liked that the self-serve bar was kept clean.

How do you eat cauldron-lid chicken stew? The 8-minute timer

Our 2-serving cauldron-lid chicken stew came in a huge lid-shaped pot. We added glass noodles and fish cake skewers, and it looks delicious just sitting in the pot, right!?

They give you a timer, and you eat after it simmers for 8 minutes. The owner kindly explained everything and kept coming by to check on us while it cooked👍

Why do 8 minutes feel so long? Watching it bubble away made us want to dig in right away.

How spicy is the chicken stew broth?

The broth was about as spicy as Shin Ramyun. You eat after simmering 8 minutes, and since eating straight from the pot can be dangerous, the owner told us to scoop what we'd eat into a bowl. The spicy red broth was so good, and if the broth is this tasty, the chicken and add-ons have to be delicious too, right!?

Best add-ons: glass noodles, rice cakes and fish cake skewers

Personally, the best thing in the stew was the glass noodle add-on, hahaha. I tried the glass noodles first and they were seriously so good. Chewy and well soaked in the sauce, so I'd definitely recommend adding them👍

The rice cakes were also well cooked and chewy, and I liked that they didn't smell of flour.

How much chicken do you get, and is it fresh?

The chicken pieces were big, and ordering 2 servings felt like getting a whole chicken. Then I tried the main event, the chicken. The sauce had soaked into the drumstick really well, and it tasted fresh with no gamey smell❤️

The chicken breast, dunked in the broth, wasn't dry and tasted good too. I personally think broth is the soul of chicken stew, and with broth this good, I think anything you put in would taste great💕

We usually love fish cake, so we added the skewers, and I'd recommend including them too. They were fully cooked, soaked up the sauce, and were nicely spicy.

The potatoes and sweet potatoes in the stew were sweet and well cooked, nice and crumbly. My girlfriend doesn't like starchy root vegetables,, but I love them, and as a self-proclaimed root vegetable master, I found them excellent. The crumbly texture was so good~~~🥹

Verdict: is this chicken stew a good lunch spot in Guwol-dong?

I recommend Tongkeun Sottukkeong Dakbokkeumtang Guwol Branch as a Guwol-dong restaurant and lunch spot. It works as a proper meal and also goes well with drinks. It's tasty thanks to being simmered in the cauldron lid, and the chicken, which they say is prepped fresh every morning, is fresh, so it's a dish anyone can enjoy❗️