Saturday picnic takeout: Danyang Gugyeong Market chicken shop

It's grass-cutting season! My family went together to tend the family grave, and since we were already close to Danyang, we couldn't resist turning it into a little trip — we checked out Gugyeong Market (구경시장) and even stayed overnight. Haha, such a good time!

Danyang is famous for black garlic, so there are tons of black garlic dishes around. There are also several dakgangjeong (fried chicken) shops inside Gugyeong Market, so I get why people struggle to pick one. I only found this place through a press trip this time, but honestly, I think I'll only buy dakgangjeong here whenever I come back to Danyang. Let me confidently introduce Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong (단양흑마늘누룽지닭강정) 🙌🏻

Where is Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong, and hours and parking

Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong is located at 31-1 Dojeon 4-gil, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, inside Gugyeong Market. It's open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, and closes early once ingredients run out.

Some of you might worry about parking when visiting Gugyeong Market — but there's actually quite a lot of parking space around the market!

There's a public parking lot right across from the market, and there's also parking space if you go further down.

If you go further up, there's the Danyang Gugyeong Market public parking lot, and there's also parking around the deck path.

After parking, let's head into Gugyeong Market!

How long is the 5pm Saturday line at Gugyeong Market in Danyang?

The moment we walked into the market, we headed straight for Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong! Can you see how packed that alley is?? It's already known as a famous dakgangjeong spot, and just seeing the crowd told me it was popular.

It was past 5pm on a Saturday, and the line was pretty long. Yep, famous places really are different, haha. Still, we could look around the market while waiting so the time passed quickly — totally worth the wait!

Black garlic original vs. black garlic double flavor: the difference

Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong sells two flavors: Black Garlic Original and Black Garlic Double Flavor. The difference between the two is pretty clear.

The Original doesn't have a strong garlic flavor in the sauce itself — instead, black garlic is added as a topping on top. The Double Flavor, on the other hand, has black garlic worked deeply into the sauce itself, so you get a clear, strong garlic taste when you eat it!

If strong garlic flavors aren't your thing, or you're eating with kids, I'd recommend the Original. If you love garlic, the Black Garlic Double Flavor is a strong recommend!

And another thing that caught my eye here — black garlic makgeolli (rice wine). It felt like a specialty you can only get in Danyang, so there was no way I could just walk past it 😅

They said it tastes great with the black garlic dakgangjeong, so we ordered it too!

What we ordered and the 40-minute pickup wait

• Black garlic double flavor dakgangjeong 20,000 won
• Black garlic makgeolli set of two bottles 10,000 won

After ordering, we were told pickup would take about 40 minutes. At first I thought that was a long wait, but between buying other food and browsing the market, the time flew by, haha.

When pickup time came, we showed our number ticket and they handed over the dakgangjeong right away.

Eating double black garlic dakgangjeong picnic-style outside Gugyeong Market

Finally, the moment we'd been waiting for!! We took the black garlic dakgangjeong and black garlic makgeolli out of the market and ate it picnic-style haha. Curious how the combo of black garlic makgeolli and black garlic dakgangjeong would work out, we opened everything up one by one.

We opened the chicken first! They gave us three sets of wooden chopsticks. The chicken was evenly coated in a rich sauce, and the color alone looked so appetizing.

Black garlic makgeolli: does it really taste like garlic?

Then, cheers with the black garlic makgeolli 🍻 Usually when I try makgeolli with some unique flavor added, it just tastes faintly of it and I end up thinking, "isn't this just regular makgeolli?" But the black garlic makgeolli was clearly different. The distinct black garlic taste came through more than I expected, blended with a subtle sweetness. It was way better than I thought — I was surprised!

My parents tried it too and said, "this is pretty good!" haha. I thought two bottles might be too many, but nope... it disappeared in no time 🤣

Lotus root and nurungji texture the whole family agreed on

And the dakgangjeong itself was so good! Honestly, I usually don't seek out regular fried chicken because it just tastes like sweet-and-spicy chicken sauce to me. But Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong was clearly different. Since I ordered the double black garlic flavor, the distinct rich black garlic taste really came through, plus a slight spiciness that made me want more with every bite. Even though the sauce was rich, it never got tiring thanks to the garlic flavor and light spice.

And here's another highlight of this place! It comes with crispy fried lotus root and nurungji (crispy rice) mixed in. If you only eat dakgangjeong on its own, the texture can get monotonous, but biting into the crispy lotus root and nurungji here and there made the whole thing so much more enjoyable 😋

Honestly, this was the best dakgangjeong I've ever had. My number one pick out of every dakgangjeong I've tried ✨

And it wasn't just me — my parents also said it was the best dakgangjeong they've ever had. The whole family agreed, so as far as our family goes, this is officially our number one dakgangjeong 👏🏻 If we ever come back to Danyang, I think we'll be buying chicken here again ☺️ Fully recommend it as a food stop on a Danyang trip!

A walk to Gosu Bridge in front of Gugyeong Market

Right in front of Gugyeong Market is Gosu Bridge (고수대교), which is a great spot to explore after browsing the market. At night, the bridge lights up, giving off a completely different vibe from daytime.

These days Danyang has so much to see and eat that it gets packed with tourists on weekends. If you're looking for picnic food while traveling in Danyang like I was, a simple late-night snack for your accommodation, or a special souvenir or local specialty you can only find in Danyang, I recommend Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong 👍🏻