If you’re looking for a place to eat traditional Samgyetang in the heart of Bukchon Hanok Village, look no further then Baengnyeon Samgyetang.
During my trip to Seoul, my mom and I were based in a traditional Korean Hanok named Cheong Yeon Jae in Bukchon Hanok Village. For more on my stay, see the article at the bottom of this page. Our first night in Seoul, we weren’t sure where to eat in the area. There was limited information on Google Maps and on where to eat in Seoul in general on Google. After speaking with the General Managers at Cheong Yeon Jae, they recommended we go to a well-known locale right across the street called Baengnyeon Samgyetang that specializes in samgyetang, or traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup. The locale was hard to miss on Bukchon-ro main street. It had a big garden in the back and a huge statue of a yellow chicken in the front with a sign that read Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup.
As we walked into the Baengnyeon Samgyetang, I noticed there was a Korean Michelin Guide sticker on the door. I was skeptical given the exterior of the locale, but didn’t judge. We stepped in and the place as packed with locals and it was only 5:30PM. The building has a hanok-style architecture and can seat up to 140 people on both floors and 60 people in their outdoor garden. Needless to say, the place can get packed. We sat down and took a look around. The staff didn’t speak any English, so we were going to have to get through this experience by pointing at pictures of soups and watching people next to us eat them. My mom and I both ordered the traditional and most famous item on the menu, samgyetang.
Samgyetang is actually a summer dish. Why?
Samgyetang is usually eaten on hot summer days in Korea. That may seem strange to Westerners who turn to soup in the winter. Koreans eat samgyetang in the summer as a means of fighting fire with fire, or in this case heat with heat. Eating samgyetang is supposed to warm you up inside helping drive away the heat outside by balancing out your body temperature.
My original samgyetang
Being that it was mid-November, a hearty and healthy soup seemed like the way to go. Samgyetang is extremely good for your health. It’s made with over 40 ingredients and spices, including ginseng, gingko, jujube, glutinous rice packed inside a small whole chicken, dates, fruit sauce, and more. The entire meal packs quite a punch with regards to calories, but it’s healthy and fulfilling on a cold winter day. At Baengnyeon Samgyetang, the kimchi is made in house and matured through old traditional methods where teh crocks are buried in the ground. They only serve naturally raised chickens and everything is local and organic.
As we tried to understand how people around us were eating samgyetang our orders came out on a trolley. The soup was served in the same bowl it was cooked in, a stone dol-sot bowl, this means it was still boiling when it came to the table. They bring the soup out still boiling to bring out more of the natural flavors and minimize the fat content. The soup was accompanied by four side dishes, each which had some kimchi in it of course.
The side dishes of garlic and kimchi
As we looked around we understood that the way to eat it was as such…as you open the chicken you will find glutinous rice, dates, and veggies inside it. As you deconstruct the chicken, you take pieces out to the side and dip them in the side dishes of kimchi, garlic, and more to give it flavor. You can eat the chicken and take a spoonful of rice and soup as well to accompany it. It doesn’t sound that complicated, but when you are trying to deconstruct a chicken with chopsticks and a spoon, trust me, it’s hard! For those wondering if the ginger taste was really strong, not at all. I barely tasted it. It was more of an infusion of amazing spices and flavors in a broiled broth.
The entire meal was about $13 each. We saw other families order additional side dishes to accompany their meal, but my mom and I were not exactly sure what we had to order so we stuck with the side dishes they brought out for us. Plus the meal was already hearty in and of itself, so we didn’t need any extra food. Eating samgyetang is a traditional Korean experience everyone should try, whether you are there in the summer or winter. If you’re looking for a good deal, in a stunning location in the heart of Bukchon Hanok Village, then head over to the Michelin Guide Baengnyeon Samgyetang for a taste of traditional Korean cuisine.
Seoul in November: 4 Day Fall Itinerary
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