Rainy-day solo kalguksu near Garak Market: Hanyang Dak Kalguksu

On a day when it kept drizzling on and off, I found myself craving something hot and soupy, so I went back to Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch, a place I'd visited before haha. Some places I only try once, but this one — every so often I just start craving that thick, rich chicken broth lol.

This time I went with the most basic menu — Hanyang Dak Kalguksu with egg topping — plus meat king dumplings on the side, for a pretty filling meal.

Where is Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch? A Garak-dong alley near Gyeongchal Hospital Station

Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch is located at 1F, 4 Songi-ro 23-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, and it's fairly close to Gyeongchal Hospital Station.

It's a good spot for anyone looking for lunch around Garak-dong or near Gyeongchal Hospital haha. It was raining pretty steadily the day I visited, and honestly, nothing beats kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) on a day like that lol.

A big white sign reading 'Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch' made the place easy to spot even from the alley. There's also a no-parking sign posted out front, so if you're driving, it's worth checking the parking situation ahead of time haha.

Inside Hanyang Dak Kalguksu: tablet ordering and a self-serve kimchi bar

Walking into Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch, the atmosphere felt exactly as familiar as I remembered from my last visit lol. Wood-toned tables mixed with brick and gray walls give it that classic, clean Korean restaurant feel. Each table has an ordering tablet, so I could browse the menu at my own pace and order right away haha.

On one side there's a separate self-serve bar for water and side dishes. Kimchi in particular matters a surprising amount at a kalguksu restaurant, so being able to grab as much as you want yourself was really convenient lol.

Photos of signature dishes — chicken kalguksu, samgye kalguksu, dak gomtang, herbal boiled meat — were posted on the wall, which was handy for deciding before ordering.

Hanyang Dak Kalguksu menu and prices

Looking at the current menu, the basic Hanyang Dak Kalguksu with egg topping is ₩11,900. The spicy version is ₩12,900, and there are also separate kalguksu options with laver flakes or green onion topping haha.

For something more filling, there's samgye kalguksu with whole young chicken for ₩14,900, and a spicy version for ₩15,900. There's also dak gomtang, herbal boiled meat, spicy chicken stew, and meat/kimchi/galbi dumplings — plenty of variety, great if you're coming with a group lol.

In summer they also serve Hanyang chogye mul naengmyeon and spicy chogye bibim naengmyeon. Since this was a repeat visit, I skipped the deliberating and just ordered the combo I already had in mind haha.

• Hanyang Dak Kalguksu (egg) ₩11,900
• Meat king dumplings ₩6,900
• Coca-Cola Zero ₩2,000
• Total ₩20,800

Egg-topped chicken kalguksu, 11,900 won: broth simmered over 12 hours

After a short wait, the kalguksu arrived in a large stainless bowl. From the first look, the broth seemed noticeably milky and thick — clearly different from your typical anchovy-broth kalguksu haha.

The restaurant says it makes kimchi fresh daily and simmers the chicken broth for over 12 hours, and you can really taste that depth. On top there was a generous amount of shredded chicken, laver flakes, and green onion, which made it look hearty from the start lol.

After giving it a good stir and trying the broth first, the savory chicken flavor came through strongly and went down smoothly. Rather than a clear, light broth, it's on the thicker, richer side, so one bowl leaves you pretty full haha.

The noodles were on the thicker side too, so they held onto the broth well. Lifting a bite with chopsticks brought up chicken and laver flakes along with it, and eating it all together was surprisingly well balanced lol. Maybe because it was raining, but the warm, rich broth tasted even better than usual.

House-made kimchi with the chicken kalguksu

The basic Hanyang Dak Kalguksu isn't aggressively spicy, more on the savory side, so adding self-serve kimchi in between bites was just right haha. The kimchi was moderately spicy and crunchy, and having some every so often between spoonfuls of the rich chicken broth really refreshed the palate lol.

There was pickled radish too, so I could alternate between the two. Personally, I think pairing the basic kalguksu with kimchi is just as good an option as going straight for the spicy version haha.

Meat king dumplings, 6,900 won: how they go with the chicken broth

The side order of meat king dumplings costs ₩6,900. True to their name, they're bigger than regular dumplings, so ordering them alongside a kalguksu makes for a very filling meal lol.

The dumpling skin was moist and soft, and the inside was packed tight with meat filling. They're good on their own, but personally I thought dipping them lightly in the kalguksu broth made them even better haha.

A bite of noodles, then a bite of dumpling, then a sip of broth — that rotation really can't go wrong lol.

Is Hanyang Dak Kalguksu worth a second visit?

Even on a repeat visit, the rich, savory chicken kalguksu I remembered was exactly the same. If you're near Gyeongchal Hospital Station or Garak-dong and looking for something a bit different from the usual clam kalguksu, this place is worth a stop haha. It feels especially fitting on chilly or rainy days when you're really craving something hot and soupy lol.

Next time I'll have to try the samgye kalguksu with a whole young chicken instead of the basic one. If you're looking for a filling meal in Garak-dong, give Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch a try — the kalguksu with the king dumplings on the side 😊