Opening hours

TLDR; It's a basic meal and I don't really understand the hype, but I liked the atmosphere! LOTS OF PHOTOS ATTACHED! I went here on a cold Saturday morning, and at 11:30am it was already busy outside. It's confusing as a foreigner coming here for the first time, but you need to briefly go in and tell them how many people are in your group. Put up your fingers if your don't know Korean. They then give you a plastic number card, and you wait to be called. They call out all of the numbers in Korean, but there's also a sign board with the numbers. It's a little difficult to see in bright sunlight, but it's possible. The line goes quick, and there were 25 numbers in front of us when we came, and we were inside in 25 minutes. This place is massive. Three big floors with tons of tables. I was really surprised with the size of the place and I liked how busy it was. Lots of chatter and character. It's certainly not changed much in 20 years or so. We were sat on the third floor. It's very humid with all of the boiling water around you. It's clearly VERY popular with Koreans, and a comfort food of sorts. You get sat down and get asked if you want the only item on the menu, the 닭한마리 (Dak han mari, literally translates to one chicken lol). You're also asked if you want extras (사리, or sari) and you can add 떡, tteok, 감자, potatoes, 국수, noodle soup, etc. The menu isn't complicated and they give you a receipt in front of you which they update with whatever you order. Kimchi and water are self serve, with kimchi in a massive pot which you ladle out into a bowl, and water jugs which you fill from the machine. The kimchi is homemade, and it's.... OK. I've had better kimchi many times, and it lacks spice. They also don't cut it up a lot, so ifs in big chunks. They arrive shortly after you order with the chicken. Don't worry about cooking it, they'll do that part for you. They turn on the gas, cut up the whole chicken for you and you essentially just wait 10-15 mins for it to cook. Remember to put in your tteok as soon as they start boiling the chicken so it's ready at the same time! We forgot, lol. A big part of this restaurant is their homemade sauce. It's a red chilli paste which is very spicy and very bitter. You need to put a dollop in the small plate you get, then mix with a good squirt of vinegar (white bottle) and soy sauce (black bottle). Also mix in the onion paste they give you, and the sauce is much better. You'll need this sauce, too! Onto the food itself. It's.... Boiled chicken. No spices added, no special flavour. The British are meant to be known for no spices in the their food, so this is just like home! It's very very basic, and for the price (28,000 for a chicken) it's overpriced to me. It's very average. It's literally exactly what you'd expect from boiling a chicken. You're meant to dip the chicken, potatoes and tteok in the sauce, and you really need to for any flavour. If you want, they also sell drinks like Coke or Fanta, or alcohol like beer, soju or Makgeolli. I love Makgeolli so I'd recommend it. It's a rice wine of sorts, but as someone who doesn't like wine, it's not similar personally. Much milkier and milder. Overall, I feel this place has been hyped (as is usual) by Korean TV and YouTube. It's traditional and it's basic but there's a lot better food for the price you pay here, especially as it's located directly next to GwangJang Market!!

I have seriously no idea why its so so crowded and whats the hype. Was having high expectations cos someone brought us and seeing the huge crowd, they should be doing something good isnt it. On the contrary till now, i was still wondering where they get the blessings from. Food was mediocre, just basically chicken in some sort of soup. I read that its a must to order the magical noodles and i'm still trying to figure this 1 out. The service was indeed magical. Each round we tried to order beef, rice or ask for bowls, it took very long for it to appear. Summary, once is enough. Never again. To me, it was a complete waste of my time.

This is such an authentic dish and I highly recommend trying. The place is very busy especially during dinner and is popular amongst tourists. Recommend getting noodles after you have finished but still have broth left. I recommend visiting this store.

Suggest to go early to enjoy this local dish, nothing too wow but really tender chicken meat with clear broth. Yummy with the rice cake!

First time in Seoul and a friend that lives here said we had to eat here as it is one of his favorite restaurants. We enjoyed every minute of it! Fun experience, delicious food. Also, for foreigners (or at least Americans) it is authentic Korean, but not too odd or different tasting, I’d bet most people would like this. It’s truly just a really tasty chicken soup! Hearty and refreshing.