Amsa Market fried chicken takeout in Seoul: Gimssi Chicken

I recently visited Gimssi Chicken, a dakgangjeong (Korean sweet-spicy fried chicken) spot in Amsa Market that opened not long ago but is already so popular the front of the shop is always crowded. Even after the initial opening buzz, customers keep coming. Last time I tried to visit, the wait was too long, so this time I went on a weekday evening instead.

How to find Gimssi Chicken in Amsa Market, and where to park

If you haven't been to Amsa Market before, you might not know it's actually pretty big for a traditional market. To find the shop, head toward Amsa Jeil Pharmacy, turn there, and it's about 50 meters ahead. If you're driving, you'll need to use the public parking lot, but getting a spot is hit or miss.

Menu and prices: medium dakgangjeong for 9,000 won

Here's the menu board at Gimssi Chicken Amsa Market Branch. Dakgangjeong is the main item, but they also sell old-school fried chicken, wings, drumettes, and drumsticks at very reasonable prices. The medium size is ₩9,000, and as you'll see in the photos later, it's just the right amount for two people to enjoy with a beer. They say they've cut out all the price markup.

Gimssi Chicken fries each order fresh, not in advance

There were a lot of staff working, which made sense given how many customers there were — the turnover was fast. Inside, they were frying nonstop. They don't pre-make the chicken; it's fried fresh when each order comes in, which I think makes it crispier.

When someone orders dakgangjeong, you can actually watch it being made haha. As soon as it comes out, they toss it in sauce right away, and just watching it made me hungry instantly.

How the wait works and which size to choose

For the waiting system, you pay upfront and get a number, and orders are made in that order. The old-school fried chicken reminded me of the smell of the bag my dad used to bring home when I was a kid — worth trying along with the wings and drumsticks. I ordered the mild dakgangjeong and wings.

For sizing, you can check the box sizes shown above. If you're eating with 3-4 people, the extra-large size seems about right...? I also remember a lot of solo customers ordering the medium size.

Since cooking takes time, they tell you roughly when your order will be ready when you place it. You wait in the side area like this, then show your order number to pick it up. I waited about 10 minutes, then happily headed home with my takeout haha.

Chicken radish at 500 won brings the bill to about 20,000 won

Chicken radish pickle is an add-on for ₩500, which is really cheap compared to today's delivery prices. The packaging has a retro feel, and the seasoned whole chicken package on the right is a style I've seen often — places that use that kind of packaging tend to be reliably tasty in my experience.

Everything together came to only about ₩20,000, which makes this way better value than ordering delivery chicken. The medium dakgangjeong, with rice cakes included, was a bigger portion than I expected, and they threw in a drumstick with the wings too, so it felt really generous.

Does the mild dakgangjeong stay crispy under the sauce?

Usually when chicken gets tossed in sauce, it can end up looking a bit limp and soggy, but Gimssi Chicken Amsa Market Branch seems to have some kind of trick, because the pieces held onto their crispiness. The sauce was also evenly coated haha. I picked one up and tried it, and as expected, it was super crispy with a sweet sauce — this is clearly the real deal. I've ordered dakgangjeong from several places in my neighborhood via delivery and been let down every time, so I was skeptical, but now I get why people line up here.

The side of drumettes: a salty beer snack

I also ordered wings as a side just because I felt like something extra was missing... and the seasoning on the wings was so salty and good that I didn't need to dip them in anything. There was no unpleasant oily smell at all, and they were perfect with beer.

I paired it with a non-alcoholic Kloud, but next time I'm at Amsa Market, I'll definitely be grabbing a bag of these to bring home haha.

I'm not exaggerating because this was sponsored — it's genuinely delicious.

If you get the chance, definitely give it a visit!