Yangjae dakgalbi grill with a how-to-eat wall guide: Yanggyegok

My partner kept saying they wanted dakgalbi, and I only ever replied, "Let's go sometime." Eventually they couldn't wait any longer and found a great dakgalbi place near Yangjae Station on their own, so off we went. It had been a while since I'd had charcoal-grilled dakgalbi, and it was so good. Here's my review.

Yanggyegok location and opening hours near Yangjae Station

• Location: 2615 Nambusunhwan-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1F
• Hours: daily 11:00 - 22:00
• Weekday break time: 14:30 - 16:00
• Weekends: open with no break time
• Last order: 21:00
• Corkage available (fee applies)
• Parking available (free)

Yanggyegok, a dakgalbi specialist and meat restaurant near Yangjae Station, is about a 5-minute walk from Exit 4. It's also close to Gangnam Station, so it's easy to reach and handy for company dinners.

Round tables in the hall, good for dates and groups

Inside, the place was full of round tables. They're big and roomy, so it works for a date or a get-together with friends, and you could push the tables together for a big group too.

What we ordered: mixed platter, soy sauce dakgalbi and deulgyeguksu

Here's the menu. The dakhanmari (whole chicken pot) sells well too, but we were told the grilled dakgalbi is the top seller, so we ordered the mixed platter, soy dakgalbi and deulgye noodles (spicy buckwheat noodles).

The basic sides were pickled radish for wraps, pickled chili peppers, flying fish roe, perilla leaves and four kinds of sauce.

If you run low on sides, there's a self-serve bar where you can grab more yourself.

Mixed platter on the charcoal grill, plus complimentary chicken soup

A seriously powerful charcoal fire arrives,

and then the mixed platter comes out. It's a set of salt dakgalbi, chicken cartilage and grilled deodeok (bellflower root). We put the dakgalbi, cartilage and deodeok on the grill,

and while they cooked, we tried the free chicken soup (dakgomtang) that comes as a basic side...! It's full of chicken, and above all, the broth is insane.. Cool, savory and rich, with a clean, mild finish. I was going to order rice to put in it, but switched to soju instead..!

Clear chicken soup and a quick glass of soju, down the hatch~

How does Yanggyegok's salt dakgalbi taste? Moist, never dry

While we sipped soju with the chicken soup, the grilled chicken, cartilage and deodeok got nicely golden and cooked through.

I ate the dakgalbi plain to enjoy its mild flavor, and also on top of the pickled chili peppers. The salt seasoning was spot on, just the right saltiness, and it was tender and moist without a trace of dryness..

The 'how to eat it' combinations written on the wall

There were tips on how to eat it deliciously written on the wall of Yanggyegok, so I read them and followed along.

Following the wall's instructions gave a combo with zero failures. My partner kept saying it was crazy good and ate it that way to the very end haha

Chicken cartilage and grilled deodeok

The chicken cartilage isn't hard at all: a pleasantly crunchy texture and a mild flavor. As someone who loves odolppyeo (crunchy pork cartilage), I'd give it a perfect score.

And grilled deodeok, which I hadn't had in ages! It reminded me of the time I struggled all day trying to make it at home.. From now on I'll just come to Yanggyegok, a great Yangjae spot for a date, and eat it in comfort.

Side dish: deulgyeguksu (spicy mixed buckwheat noodles)

The deulgye noodles we ordered as a side get mixed up too. I first thought the yellow in the photo was egg strips, but it was chicken! Mild chicken plus chewy, spicy perilla-oil buckwheat noodles was just the best.

Eating it together with the leftover dakgalbi was a fantastic combo too.

Extra soy sauce dakgalbi: a big portion, but we finished it

We wanted a bit more, so we ordered the soy dakgalbi too. When it arrived I gasped, thinking, "That's way too much, what do we do?" but in the end, yes, we ate it all haha We spread it out on the grill and cooked it until golden,

and with the first bite, maybe because the chicken had marinated well in the soy sauce, it was extremely tender, like it had been tenderized. The mildly salty soy seasoning was just right too, and we cleaned the whole plate, even though I'd thought it was too much.

Who should try Yanggyegok near Yangjae Station

Yanggyegok, a dakgalbi specialist and meat restaurant near Yangjae Station, is only a 5-minute walk away, and because the dakgalbi is charcoal-grilled, the juices stay in and it's moist and tender. I heard it's an original dakgalbi spot carried on for three generations, starting with a grandmother who ran a gukbap (soup and rice) shop in Pungyang traditional market in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk, in 1970. If you're looking for good dakgalbi in Gangnam, or a Yangjae date spot, I recommend giving Yanggyegok a visit!