Dish guide · Soups and stews
Dak-bokkeumtang
닭볶음탕
Spicy braised chicken stew
Chunks of bone-in chicken braised with potatoes and carrots in a red chili sauce. It's also widely called dakdoritang.
What it is
- The flavor comes from gochugaru (chili flakes) and gochujang. Some versions use a soy sauce base instead.
How to eat it
- 1Share it from the pot and spoon the sauce over rice.
History
- Koreans argue over the name. The older dakdoritang was criticized as containing a Japanese loanword, so dak-bokkeumtang was promoted, but a 1925 cookbook and food writers question that origin, and both names are used.
Allergies and diet
Usually contains
- Gochujang and soy sauce can contain wheat.
Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.
🗣️ Allergy card for the staff
Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.
📍 Where to try it
- 🐔
Choe Sajang-ne Dak 최사장네닭
Soups & stews · Hongdae, Seoul
A roomy chicken restaurant on a Yeonnam-dong side street, a local favorite for dakdoritang (spicy braised chicken with potatoes) and clear chicken soup. Friends come for a pot and soju in the evening; office workers drop in for a one-person chicken set at lunch.
Try: Dakdoritang (spicy braised chicken)
Locals' pick - 🐟
Chunhyang Sikdang 춘향식당
Market food · Myeongdong, Seoul
A three-story home-cooking restaurant in Namdaemun Market's hairtail alley, open for over 30 years. It serves braised hairtail, and unlike many neighbors, it will make a single portion. Its dak-bokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken) is a regulars' favorite.
Try: Galchi-jorim (braised hairtail)
Locals' pickNo wait - 🐔
Hanbang Jeongtong Samgyetang 한방정통삼계탕
Soups & stews · Gangnam Station & COEX, Seoul
A long-running chicken restaurant between Samseong and Samseong Jungang stations, with green tables and an old-house feel among the office towers. It's named for ginseng chicken soup, but regulars come for the spicy braised chicken (dakdoritang). Busy with office workers at lunch.
Try: Spicy braised chicken with potatoes
Locals' pickShort wait - 🍗
Hosujip 호수집
Soups & stews · Namdaemun & Seoul Station, Seoul
A long-running chicken house in Jungnim-dong, behind Seoul Station. Chicken skewers grilled over yeontan (coal briquettes) and a bubbling pot of dak-bokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken), finished with fried rice, are why people queue.
Try: Dak-kkochi (coal-grilled chicken skewers)
Locals' pick30-60 min wait - 🍲
Sigoljip 시골집
Pubs · Seongsu, Seoul
A no-menu market pub in Ttukdo Market, nicknamed 'imokase' (an auntie's omakase). You simply ask for what you want, from kimchi stew and stir-fried pork to braised chicken or galbi-jjim, and the owners fetch ingredients from the market and cook it on the spot. Best with someone who speaks Korean.
Try: Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew)
Locals' pickShort wait
Sources
We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-31.