Dakgalbi with sweet potato noodles near Gangnam Station: Dakgalbijeon

My boyfriend and I were trying to figure out a date spot near Gangnam Station for the weekend, and I ended up finally trying Dakgalbijeon (닭갈비전), a restaurant near Sinnonhyeon I'd been curious about for a while. Here's the review!

Where is Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch, and is there parking?

Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch is on the 2nd floor of Gangnam Diobil, 54 Seocho-daero 73-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea, and it's open daily from 11:00 to 22:00. There's parking in the building's basement — 1 hour free, then ₩1,000 per 10 minutes after that.

It's an easy walk from both Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, so it was convenient to set as a meeting point. We drove and parked in the basement lot, though it's a bit narrow, so we had to be a little careful going in and out.

Heads up — the elevator doesn't go up to the 2nd floor. You have to get off on the 1st floor and take the outdoor stairs on the outside of the building, so first-time visitors should keep that in mind.

Weekend lunch atmosphere and seating at Dakgalbijeon

It was pretty crowded since it was a weekend lunch, but luckily we got seated right away with no wait. The place is spacious with generous gaps between tables, so we could chat comfortably without worrying about the next table over, and the floor-to-ceiling windows kept the atmosphere open and pleasant instead of stuffy.

There's a self-serve bar near the entrance where you can help yourself to pickled radish and yellow pickled radish as needed.

Gamssachidak for two with sweet potato noodles added

Since it was both our first time here, we went with the restaurant's signature dish, gamssachidak (감싸치닭), for 2 servings.

They said it's made using only chicken thigh meat, which was perfect for me since I don't like dry chicken breast. The idea of wrapping it in a perilla-leaf potato pancake felt unfamiliar at first, but once we tried it, I got why this place is famous. The potato pancake comes out thin and light, so wrapping the spicy dakgalbi in it kept things from feeling greasy — I couldn't stop reaching for more.

Noodle add-ons can only be ordered with your first order, so we added sweet potato noodles right away. They also had jjolmyeon and udon noodles, but we wanted to try something a bit different, so we picked the sweet potato noodles. The chewy texture soaking up the sauce added a whole different kind of fun alongside the dakgalbi, and it paired surprisingly well with the sweet-spicy seasoning — very satisfying.

Staff cook it at your table: how spicy is the dakgalbi?

At Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch, staff cook everything at the table, so we didn't have to worry about managing the heat and could just sit back and talk while we waited. When the dakgalbi loaded with cheese arrived, it looked delicious just from the visuals alone, and picking up the well-cooked chicken thigh meat with stretchy mozzarella cheese made the flavor really pop — nutty and soft.

My boyfriend isn't great with spicy food either, but the heat level wasn't overwhelming, so he ate comfortably too.

Why the flying fish roe rice balls are worth ordering

Partway through, we also ordered the flying fish roe rice balls, and this was seriously a genius move. They come out bite-sized, with the popping flying fish roe and nutty rice — perfect for cleansing your palate between bites of dakgalbi, and it seemed like it'd pair well with drinks too. The portion was just right for two people to share without feeling like too much.

These round little rice balls are absurdly savory

The dakgalbi speaks for itself

We ate so well

So full

Finishing with flying fish roe cheese fried rice

And of course, dakgalbi has to end with fried rice, right? We finished ours off with the flying fish roe cheese fried rice — they stir-fry rice, flying fish roe, and cheese right in the pan with the leftover sauce, and it felt like the nuttiness doubled. Between the popping texture of the flying fish roe and the nutty cheese, it was hard to put the spoon down even at the very end. We scraped the pan clean between the two of us.

Who is Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch best for?

The portions were generous for the price and the staff were friendly, so it definitely earned its reputation for being good value. If you're planning a date or looking for a group meal spot near Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station and want something a bit more unusual than plain grilled meat, I'd recommend this place. Next time I want to try the cheese fried rice and a different noodle add-on.