Danyang chicken restaurant for black garlic nurungji dakgangjeong

Black garlic treats at Danyang Gugang Market

A must-stop on a Danyang trip is Danyang Gugang Market. As you would expect from garlic-obsessed Danyang, the market had all kinds of foods made with black garlic.

There were so many garlic foods—black garlic dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken), garlic tteokgalbi (grilled minced-meat patties), garlic dumplings, garlic sundae (Korean blood sausage), garlic extract, garlic bread... But my favorite of all was the black garlic “nurungji” dakgangjeong. It is not just dakgangjeong—it even comes with nurungji (crispy scorched rice)!

• Location: 31-1 Dojeon 4-gil, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea
• Hours: 10:00–20:00
• Last order: 19:30

Since it is inside the market, it is easy to pick up while looking around, and it is great to take back to your lodging on a Danyang trip. Dakgangjeong is something everyone likes, right? \(@^0^@)/ With Danyang’s specialty black garlic and savory nurungji added in, it feels even more special.

It seemed to be the most popular dakgangjeong shop, so there was a short wait after ordering. They said phone orders are possible when they are not busy. If you are picking up food at Danyang Gugang Market, I recommend heading to the nurungji dakgangjeong first!

Original or Double Rich Flavor—which should you choose?

You can try samples first. They said the pieces were cut small for sampling, but they were actually pretty big for samples.

The Original has handmade garlic-chip topping over the naturally sweet flavor of dakgangjeong, rather than an intensely strong black garlic flavor, so you get a gentle hint of black garlic.

If you want a stronger black garlic flavor, I recommend the Double Rich Flavor black garlic dakgangjeong. Both are ₩20,000, and because black garlic is blended into the sauce, its flavor comes through intensely from the first bite. Since you cannot order half-and-half, definitely sample them before ordering.

What really made me feel that Danyang is serious about garlic was that they even have makgeolli (Korean rice wine) made with black garlic.

And on one side, they were baking the nurungji themselves. I honestly assumed they used a ready-made product, so I was surprised to see them baking every piece themselves.

Maybe because the owner is so efficient, the turnover was great—we did not have to wait long and got our order quickly! We took a quick look around the market and headed back to our lodging :-)

I also picked up the garlic salt bread, which has been trending lately as a Danyang Gugang Market food recommendation. Personally, I liked the salt bread more than garlic bread, so I hope you check out a salt bread shop too ::>_<::

Double Rich Flavor dakgangjeong at our lodging

I picked up the Double Rich Flavor black garlic nurungji dakgangjeong along with local-specialty black garlic makgeolli.

The nurungji on top made it even more special. The Original was tasty too, but since I had come all the way to Danyang and wanted to enjoy it properly, I ordered the Double Rich Flavor. The garlic flavor was so rich and deep, while that signature dakgangjeong sweetness was still there, which I loved.

The chewy texture of the dakgangjeong with the crunchy nurungji was such a good combination. Taking a bite of the crispy rice between bites of fried chicken added a nutty, savory flavor the more I chewed—I just kept reaching for more.

They include pickled radish for chicken too!

I tried the black garlic makgeolli too `(*>﹏<*)′

For us, with our elementary-schooler palates, it was a slightly grown-up flavor? A healthy-tasting makgeolli. Still, having a glass while looking at the lovely scenery felt so nice.

Trying fried chicken wrapped in salt bread

Pure C, the food genius, suggested wrapping fried chicken in the salt bread she had bought, so we tried it—and it was delicious, almost like a chicken burger. Danyang Gugang Market has recommended foods like tteokgalbi, garlic bread, dumplings, and garlic sundae, but please make sure to try the black garlic nurungji dakgangjeong and salt bread at least （*＾-＾*）

There were some fried potato wedges in there too! And here is a little tip: I thought it tasted even better once it had cooled down a bit. By the time you take it back after getting takeout, it has cooled to just the right, delicious point. If you are visiting Danyang and looking for takeout food to eat at your lodging, try Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong.