Dish guide · Meat
Dakgalbi
닭갈비
Spicy stir-fried chicken
Chicken marinated in a spicy sauce and stir-fried at the table on a big iron pan with cabbage, sweet potato and rice cakes. It's the famous dish of Chuncheon.
What it is
- Staff often cook it for you at the table. The name suggests ribs, but the chicken is usually boneless.
- Most people finish by frying rice in the sauce left in the pan.
How to eat it
- 1Wait until the chicken is cooked through, then wrap it in lettuce or eat it with sides. Order rice to fry before you've finished the last of it.
History
- It dates to 1960s Chuncheon, though stories differ. A common one says a bar owner who ran out of pork tried chicken instead. Early versions were grilled over charcoal, and it was sold as a cheap snack with drinks.
Allergies and diet
Usually contains
- Rice cakes may be made with wheat.
- Fried rice is often finished with seaweed and sesame oil.
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
- 🥩
Daeseong-jip 대성집
Korean BBQ · Seongsu
A retro Seongsu eatery whose star is beoseot jumulleok: spicy marinated chicken stir-fried at the table with a heap of mushrooms and no water, a cousin of dakgalbi. A seafood pancake and cold acorn-jelly soup often come along, and staff finish the pan as fried rice.
Try: Beoseot jumulleok (spicy chicken and mushroom stir-fry)
Short wait - 🍗
Uri Dakgalbi 우리닭갈비
Korean BBQ · Hongdae
A small, old-school dakgalbi shop near Hongik University Station that has served one dish for about 15 years: spicy chicken stir-fried with cabbage and rice cakes on a big iron pan at your table, finished with fried rice. It is good value for Hongdae, and locals and foreign visitors fill it alike.
Try: Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken)
Short wait
Sources
We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-31.