Seocho Korean restaurant for chicken galbi noodles: Dakgalbijeon

Why I was curious about chicken galbi wrapped in potato pancakes

I love both chicken galbi and potato pancakes. When I heard there was a place where you could wrap chicken galbi in a potato pancake, I was immediately so curious about the combination. That is how I ended up at Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch (닭갈비전 강남점). The name itself is chicken galbi + jeon! Rather than simply having a pancake as a side dish, this place's distinctive point is wrapping chicken galbi in a perilla potato pancake.

The biggest reason I visited Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch was, of course, the potato pancake. There are plenty of chicken galbi restaurants, but it was my first time hearing of chicken galbi being wrapped in a potato pancake. Usually, you wrap chicken galbi in perilla leaves or pickled radish wraps, or add noodles such as udon or jjolmyeon. But this place is Dakgalbijeon from the name onward. Putting chicken galbi on a perilla potato pancake and wrapping them together made the combination feel fresh.

When I meet friends around Gangnam Station, we always end up choosing similar things—meat, pub food, or pasta—so this seemed worth trying when you want something a little different. It is actually closer to Sinnonhyeon Station!

Self-service refills for pickled radish wraps and yellow radish

The basic side dishes were pickled radish wraps and yellow pickled radish. If you run out while eating, just refill as much as you need yourself. I find myself craving the pickled radish wraps in between bites of chicken galbi, and being able to eat it wrapped in the potato pancake, then with the pickled radish, then with cheese meant one chicken galbi dish could be enjoyed in lots of combinations without getting tiring. It was especially convenient because side dishes disappear quickly when several people visit, and we could bring back exactly what we needed.

Adding jjolmyeon noodles to the cheese chicken galbi

We chose Cheese Wrap Chicken! We ordered it as a set that lets you try cheese chicken galbi and potato pancakes at once. We also added jjolmyeon noodles for ₩3,000. Since noodle add-ons can only be ordered with the initial order, it is best to add them right away rather than trying to order later while you eat. It would be a shame to miss jjolmyeon with chicken galbi, right? Once the chicken galbi seasoning soaks properly into the chewy noodles, it is as delicious as the chicken galbi itself for a noodle lover like me. With cheese too, the nutty cheese alongside the spicy chicken galbi was lovely.

Trying chicken galbi wrapped in a perilla potato pancake

And finally, the perilla potato pancake I had been so curious about! I already love potato pancakes and am the sort of person who thinks they are delicious on their own. Here, though, the point is to put chicken galbi on a potato pancake with perilla leaves and wrap it up. Eating the texture of the potato pancake with seasoned chicken galbi was definitely unusual. It was also more fun to wrap some bites in the pancake instead of eating only chicken galbi the whole time.

Personally, I think the combination would have worked even better if the chicken galbi seasoning had been just a little sweeter. Still, the experience of having chicken galbi and potato pancakes together felt new, and it made Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch's specialty very clear.

A hearty spread with bibim makguksu too

Chicken galbi alone felt a little incomplete, so we also added bibim makguksu (spicy mixed buckwheat noodles) for ₩9,000. A cool bowl of makguksu goes so well alongside chicken galbi, doesn't it? The chicken galbi, jjolmyeon noodles, and potato pancakes were already plentiful, but we made sure to finish the bibim makguksu too. For a group, it was a good setup: order the chicken galbi set as the centerpiece, then add side dishes such as bibim makguksu to share.

When you are looking for a menu for a friends' gathering or a meal with several people around Gangnam Station, it was nice to be able to order a bit of this and that and share it.

Adjust your order if you want fried rice at the end

What is the finishing touch for chicken galbi? Fried rice, of course. When you go out for chicken galbi, stir-frying rice in the remaining sauce at the end is practically the rule. But after cheese chicken galbi, potato pancakes, jjolmyeon noodles, and bibim makguksu, we were honestly far too full. In the end, we could not eat fried rice. That was the biggest shame.

If I visit again, I am going to scale back the side dishes a little and definitely save room for the final fried rice. If you order several dishes, you may get fuller than expected, so I recommend adjusting the amount you order if you want fried rice too.

Why it worked for a Gangnam Station friends' gathering

When several people meet around Gangnam Station, deciding what to eat is more of a dilemma than you might think. At Dakgalbijeon Gangnam Branch, we could share chicken galbi at one table while adding dishes such as potato pancakes and makguksu, so it was a comfortable place to eat with friends. In particular, wrapping chicken galbi in potato pancakes was unusual and gave the familiar dish a slightly different kind of fun. The prices and menu setup also made it fairly easy to decide what to share as a group.

If you are looking for a place for a group meal around Gangnam Station, or wondering what to eat with friends near Sinnonhyeon, it is worth keeping in mind for a different take on chicken galbi.

Final thoughts on cheese chicken galbi and potato pancakes

What stayed with me most was the perilla potato pancake. I already love potato pancakes, but wrapping chicken galbi in one definitely felt different from the chicken galbi I usually eat. I did wish the chicken galbi seasoning had been a little sweeter to suit the potato pancake better, but enjoying chicken galbi this way was fun in itself.

Also, noodle add-ons can only be ordered with the initial order, so jjolmyeon lovers should make sure to add them from the start. We enthusiastically ate all sorts of things, then failed to eat the obligatory chicken galbi fried rice. Next time, I am definitely saving room for it!