Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) is a must-eat in Korea.

However, we knew that Tosokchon Samgyetang must be truly to have its own feature on the Korea Tourism Organization webpage.

I initially didn’t know about this samgyetang place until my friend did some online research on places to eat at. We were planning for our weekend trip to Gyeongbokgung and she recommended Tosokchon Samgyetang.

The first time I went to Tosokchon, we were really fortunate not to have to suffer from a long queue. When we were done with our meal, we saw a SUPER long queue that snaked all around. Maybe it was because we went relatively early?

In any case, we managed to get a table when we reached, but the whole restaurant was already very crowded.

On my subsequent trips, it became clear that almost every tourist seemed to know about Tosokchon Samgyetang, so the queues became horribly long. The good news, however, is that they actually clear pretty fast!

What to eat at Tosokchon Samgyetang

Customer service here isn’t the best, which is understandable because there are so many tables to serve. The food, however, is hands down one of the BEST I’ve ever eaten in Seoul, and possibly the whole of Korea.

I initially didn’t believe that there could be a restaurant actually labelled as the best in anything, but I changed my mind after I tried their signature samgyetang.

This is the menu at Tosokchon Samgyetang:

The restaurant is actually famous for its black chicken, but we usually order just the normal samgyetang instead.

The Tosokchon Samgyetang is supposedly made with a special recipe of glutinous rice, pumpkin seeds, black sesame, walnut, pine, native chestnut, medicinal jujube, gingko, garlic, sunflower seeds, and more!

We also typically order a serving of their haemul pajeon (seafood & green onion pancake).

As you can see from the photos, the soup is superbly thick and rich. All the ingredients, including the chicken, come in extremely generous portions. They’re really not joking about all those ingredients they claim to use in their recipe!

The samgyetang also comes with salt and pepper powder for you to dip your chicken in, if you feel that your meat needs a little more kick.

Personally I feel that the chicken alone, paired with the rich soup, is good enough. However, dip it in seasoning and the powerful flavours of all the ingredients really overwhelm – in a good way!

The ginseng chunks in the soup (yes, not even slices) really surprised us as well. I have never seen any other restaurant generously give such a huge chunk of ginseng in their samgyetang.

We joked that we’d probably get a nosebleed from finishing the ginseng because it was that nutritious. I haven’t experienced it so far though!

I’m not that big on eating traditional herbs for health. However, I must say that this ginseng chicken soup really made me feel very energised and healthy.

Can’t get enough of ginseng’s medicinal properties? You’d be happy to know that every pot of samgyetang is served with a shot of ginseng liquor! You can either pour it into your soup or drink it on its own.

The pajeon was also delicious, in fact probably one of the best that I’ve eaten in Korea. It was chock full of ingredients and the batter was chewy and fried to perfection. It didn’t come off as too starchy, which is what may happen if your pajeon is mostly flour, and I suppose corn starch.

4 of us shared one pajeon. The pancake was actually pretty big, about the size of a large pizza! I think our stomachs almost burst by the end of the meal.

Is it worth eating at Tosokchon Samgyetang?

Based on my experience, Tosokchon Samgyetang is almost always filled with more locals than tourists.

I think that says a lot about the quality and popularity of Tosokchon Samgyetang with the locals. Visiting a food place that scores well with residents is one of my top markers of quality & authentic local food!

The fact that Tosokchon Samgyetang has also managed to weather the pandemic when there were barely any tourists is also testament to its solid reputation among the locals.

Price was about 22-25,000 KRW for one bowl of samgyetang. I think the prices are justified for the quality and serving size, especially considering that the dish includes huge chunks of ginseng, ginseng liquor, and unlimited banchan.

P.S. you’ll be given a number card like the one below so that you can go to the cashier and make payment! The staff are usually too overwhelmed to get you your bill or allow you to pay at your table. Just in case you’re not sure how to pay after you’re done eating at Tosokchon Samgyetang!

Any other samgyetang I’ve tried seriously pales in comparison to Tosokchon Samgyetang. This is the only restaurant I’ll ever get my samgyetang fix at, and I highly recommend that you have a taste of this if you’re ever in Seoul.

Yes, even if the queues are long!

---

DIRECTIONS

Address: 5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 종로구 자하문로5길 5 (체부동)

[Subway]
Gyeongbokgung Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2.
Go straight about 170m and turn left onto Jahamun-ro 5-gil Road.
Tosokchon (토속촌) is located 10m ahead on the left.

Related Posts:

• Bukchon Son Mandu (Insadong & Myeongdong): delicious mandu in Seoul
• Andong Jjimdak: Seoul chain restaurant for the hearty dish
• Sol-sot: delicious hot pot rice in Korea
• Myeongdong Kyoja: overrated Michelin Guide restaurant
• Honkaz: famous tonkatsu restaurant in Hongdae
• [REOPENED] Sinseon Seolleongtang: delicious ox bone soup in Myeongdong

---

PIN THIS!