Chicken kalguksu vs gomtang side by side, Songdo: Eonyang Dak

Craving a hot, hearty chicken soup, I dropped by Eonyang Dak Kalguksu without a reservation. That day I ordered both the chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and chicken gomtang (chicken soup with rice) to try side by side. I don't usually love kalguksu, so I wasn't expecting much, but both the noodles and chicken here impressed me more than I thought they would.

• 🎁 Takeout available
• 🛵 Delivery available
• 📶 Free wifi
• 🚻 Men's/women's restrooms
• 🚼 High chair
• ♿️ Wheelchair entrance/restroom/seating/dedicated parking
• 🅿️ Free parking (2-3 min walk, Public Lot 12)

A wide, clean first-floor space, with a phone charging spot too

The moment I walked in, the clean, spacious layout caught my eye. Pictured here is the counter and menu board.

There's also a separate phone charging spot. As a blogger who uses a camera constantly and has heavy screen time, I really appreciated that.

Here's the interior overall. The spacing between tables and the flow of the space felt generous, and the whole restaurant was very clean. Being on a spacious first floor of the building meant it never felt cramped, and I liked the overall comfortable atmosphere while eating. Given the menu, it also looked like a good spot for families or larger groups (4 per table) dining together.

Is it kid-friendly?

There are high chairs, and the self-serve bar has aprons, scissors, and small plates. The flavors lean toward adult palates, but it still seems like a fine place to bring kids along — especially since you can ask for less salt.

Self-serve kimchi comes in spicy and mild

The self-serve bar has two basic side dishes (pickled radish and napa cabbage kimchi) plus perilla powder. Unusually, the kimchi is split into spicy and mild versions. I obviously went with mild.

Well fermented, pleasantly crunchy, and a good match for both the kalguksu and gomtang. Rather than being sour or spicy, it had a subtle, savory — almost nutty? mellow? — flavor that paired well even with the rich chicken broth. Kind of like there was perilla powder in it, adding a hint of umami and gentle nuttiness to the mild broth that kept me reaching for more.

Chicken kalguksu and chicken gomtang, both ₩11,000

I ordered both the chicken kalguksu and chicken gomtang. Unusually, the options include no green onion and less salty. I went with less salty for the gomtang and regular for the kalguksu.

The dishes arrived in under 10 minutes. The sight of a whole half chicken sitting right in the bowl was striking.

On the left is the chicken kalguksu, on the right the chicken gomtang. There's barely any difference between them, and both are priced the same at ₩11,000. The bowl with noodles is slightly bigger.

Aside from the noodles versus rice, the chicken and broth base are basically identical between the two dishes. Both come with a generous whole half chicken, making them feel hearty right from the first look.

Native-chicken-like texture, a lean half chicken

The chicken here is a bit different from the usual soft, tender chicken. It has a texture reminiscent of native chicken (토종닭) — no fat, not overly mushy, with a slight bounce and bite. It's not tough, though, and the more you chew, the more the deep chicken flavor comes through. Best of all, there's almost no greasiness, which made it easy to eat and light on the palate.

What does the milky broth taste like

The broth was quite impressive too. It's a distinctly milky white color, with a savory, deep flavor and a sweet, umami finish. It reminded me a bit of the richness and nuttiness of perilla kalguksu, though the perilla flavor itself wasn't overpowering. The deep chicken essence and nutty aroma came through together, making me keep spooning up the broth on its own.

The kalguksu noodles

In the chicken kalguksu, these noodles sit in that rich broth. I don't usually enjoy kalguksu, so I wasn't expecting much from the noodles, but they were better than I thought, and I slurped the whole bowl down.

The noodles weren't overly soft or mushy, with a pleasant bounce that paired well with the broth. They went down smoothly but still had some chew left when I bit into them — I personally liked that a lot.

Chicken gomtang comes with rice

The chicken gomtang comes with rice instead of kalguksu noodles. Mixing rice into the rich chicken broth along with the chicken gave a completely different feel from the kalguksu. The broth's nutty, deep flavor paired especially well with rice, and I thought the gomtang would be a solid choice when you want a hearty, filling meal.

The broth itself has a subtle nuttiness with a lingering grain-like note, and as I mentioned, it went surprisingly well with the similar perilla-powder-like finish in the kimchi. Rather than a sharply spicy kimchi, this felt more like a mild kimchi meant to be paired gently with this kind of understated broth.

To sum up

Eonyang Dak Kalguksu has a charm a bit different from the soft, mild chicken kalguksu you might expect. Its defining feature is the whole half chicken with a lively texture and deep flavor, native-chicken style. The milky broth also has a savory, deep, perilla-powder-like richness that pairs well with either noodles or rice.

That distinctive bouncy, lean texture and strong chicken aroma might be a matter of taste for some, but personally I found it not at all overwhelming and simply enjoyable to eat. Given that I don't usually like kalguksu, I was surprised by how much I liked the soft yet springy noodles here.

If you want a hearty meal built around a half chicken and rich broth, this is a solid choice. The wide, clean first-floor dining room was also a big plus, and it's a place I'd happily return to whenever I'm craving a warm chicken dish.