Byeongyonggol in Yongin: Soupy Dakgalbi Near Seoul

2017-12-24 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

I originally planned to go hiking with my usual crew, but my natural laziness took over and I didn't make it. Instead, we agreed to go for a drive and grab something good to eat, which brought us to Yongin (a city just south of Seoul). As you can tell from my blog, I like to wander around making my own personal food map, leaving behind text and photos like a diary since my brain capacity is small ~~even if it's not very interesting for the reader~~. But no matter how hard I try, I can't keep up with people who have an exceptional radar for good food. The restaurant we visited today, Byeongyonggol, is a place that a friend with one of those elite foodie sensors drove us to himself. Without even looking at the menu, the order was set: "Mul-dakgalbi" (soupy spicy stir-fried chicken). Since the person who drove and picked the venue declared, "We came here to eat mul-dakgalbi!", the rest of us were just grateful he was ordering something delicious for us. But wait, what exactly is mul-dakgalbi?

Walking into Byeongyonggol, you can tell the main clientele skews a bit older. There is some floor seating, but the majority are standard tables with chairs, and the menu mostly consists of health foods that older folks love, featuring free-range native chicken. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between a free-range native chicken and a regular one. For starters, the free-range chicken is part of the most expensive menu item. So, it doesn't seem to have much to do with me right now. Still, what made me secretly look forward to it was that the mul-dakgalbi we ordered had incredibly tender meat, and the basic side dishes were so tasty that we asked for refills multiple times. ~~The cucumber peppers, in particular, were the best.~~ With cooking skills this good, paying top dollar for the native chicken probably wouldn't feel like a waste of money.

Exterior of a restaurant with a sign reading Byeongyonggol Native Chicken Specialty

Banner hanging inside the restaurant explaining the health benefits of mushrooms and listing menu items like Neungi Baeksuk (chicken soup with mushrooms) — The expensive items require a reservation. I wonder how delicious they make them, considering the mul-dakgalbi is already this good.

Menu on the wall showing prices for dishes like Neungi Baeksuk (chicken soup with mushrooms) and Mul Dakgalbi (spicy chicken hot pot) — It was strange because the dakgalbi was surprisingly cheap.

Mixing red broth, vegetables, and mushrooms in a pot with a ladle — I put a filter on my camera, so it looks incredibly spicy. But it's not spicy at all.

Dakgalbi (spicy chicken) in a red broth boiling in a pot on a gas burner, surrounded by side dishes

Cutting chicken and vegetables inside the pot using tongs and scissors

Lifting and cutting kimchi inside the pot using tongs and scissors — They cook everything for you, which is the most convenient thing in the world.

Making fried rice by adding rice, seaweed flakes, and vegetables to a wide pot — I was going to order a bowl of rice, but they recommended frying rice in the pan after we finished eating, so we followed their advice.

Steaming fried rice mixed with seaweed flakes and vegetables spread out on a black iron griddle — It doesn't look much different from the fried rice at dakgalbi places in Seoul, but strangely, it feels a bit better.

This mul-dakgalbi is quite fascinating; it definitely has a different visual and taste compared to the regular dakgalbi I used to eat in Seoul. The standard iron pan dakgalbi you usually get in Seoul is really about the fun of eating chicken with soju, while the charcoal-grilled dakgalbi I had in Chuncheon felt almost like eating marinated ribs. But this is a completely different flavor from those previous ones. Eating the chicken with potatoes, green onions, and spoonfuls of broth makes me confused about whether I'm eating a stew or a meat dish. If you're looking for dakgalbi to pair with soju, I highly recommend mul-dakgalbi.

Front view of a traditional Hanok-style entrance featuring a tiled roof and red wooden doors painted with the Taegeuk symbol

Traditional Hanok building with a tiled roof above stone steps, with modern high-rise apartments standing behind it

After finishing our meal and stepping outside, we saw Yongin Hyanggyo (a traditional Confucian school) right in front of the Byeongyonggol restaurant. Reading the sign, it was basically a new building since most of it had burned down, but there was one unique thing that caught my eye. It's a nice place to take a post-meal stroll when you're full. Even though the walk will literally end in just a few steps.

#Foodie #Dakgalbi #YonginRestaurants #MulDakgalbi