Myeongdong Boneless Chicken Feet: ₩10,000, 3 Spice Levels, and How to Order
At this Myeongdong street stall, boneless grilled chicken feet cost ₩10,000 and that is the entire menu. There is only one dish, so the only decision you make is the spice level: 조금 맵게 (MILD), 중간 맵게 (SPICY), or 많이 맵게 (HOT). The bones are removed in advance, so there is nothing to pick apart — you spear each piece with the skewer and eat. Cash, card, and mobile pay all work.
How much do boneless chicken feet cost in Myeongdong?
The price is ₩10,000, and that is the only price. No size options, no combo sets. A price board stands in front of the stall, and ₩10,000 is printed right on it.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Dish | 무뼈닭발구이 (Grilled Boneless Chicken Feet) |
| Price | ₩10,000 |
| Menu | Single dish (the only choice is spice level) |
| Payment | Cash · Card · Mobile pay |
| Served in | Square paper tray + skewer |
The stall's banner reads 무뼈 닭발구이 / Deboned Chicken Claws / 无骨凤爪, and the price board carries Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese side by side. You do not need to know the Korean name — pointing at the board gets the order across.
One tip while you are here: in Myeongdong, the first thing to look at is not the food, it's the price board. When the price is posted, there is nothing left to argue about when you pay.
What exactly are boneless chicken feet?
They are chicken feet sold with the bones already removed. With regular chicken feet you strip the meat off in your mouth and spit the bones back out. At this stall that step is gone entirely. That makes it easier for first-timers and for kids.
You don't get only chicken feet, either. They are tossed and stir-fried together with cabbage. The spicy sauce soaks into the cabbage as it wilts, and it comes mixed in among the chicken feet.
So how far apart are those three spice levels, really?
How many spice levels are there, and which one should you pick?
Three. The board marks each one with chili icons plus the English label, so even with no shared language you can point at the line you want.
| Level | English label | What it actually feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 조금 맵게 | MILD | Sweet, with just a touch of heat behind it |
| 중간 맵게 | SPICY | About as hot as Shin Ramyun instant noodles |
| 많이 맵게 | HOT | Mouth tingles and you break a light sweat |
Your reference point is 중간 맵게 (SPICY). That level lands around the heat of Shin Ramyun, Korea's best-known spicy instant noodle, so if you have eaten it you can adjust up or down from there. If Shin Ramyun already pushes your limit, go MILD. If it felt flat to you, go HOT, and the math works out. While I was taking these photos, most of the foreign visitors ordering went with 중간 맵게 (SPICY). There is something about eating spicy food that lets the stress out, right?
The Korean you need to order is these three lines, and nothing more. They are copied straight from the board.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 조금 맵게 | jogeum maepge | Make it a little spicy |
| 중간 맵게 | junggan maepge | Make it medium spicy |
| 많이 맵게 | mani maepge | Make it very spicy |
Once you pick a level the cooking starts, and that part is more of a show than you would expect.
What happens after you order?
The chicken feet are already given a first round of grilling before you arrive. Cooking them from raw takes too long to do per order. One side of the griddle holds the sauced chicken feet, the other side holds prepped cabbage.
When an order comes in, the vendor mixes those pre-grilled chicken feet with the cabbage and cooks them right there on the hot griddle. At the end, they scorch the surface with a handheld torch to push up the smoky char. With chicken feet, that smoky char is the whole point.
Once it's done, it goes into a square paper tray. Nobody counts out the pieces for you, but the portion is generous. You spear them one at a time with the skewer.
Where should you eat it once you have it?
Eating while you walk is not a great idea here, for two reasons.
First, the sauce drips and it will get on your clothes. It's a red sauce, so white shirts are a particular problem. Second, Myeongdong's streets are packed with visitors, and bumping into someone while holding an open tray makes it awkward for both of you.
So eating right in front of the stall, or taking it back to your accommodation, works out better. It comes in a paper tray, so carrying it is easy enough.
Should you pay with cash or card?
Cash, card, and mobile pay all work. That said, most street stalls prefer cash.
The reason is simple. Cash settles fast and the math is obvious at a glance, so when you're thinking about turnover, cash is easiest. That does not mean card is refused. It means when the line is long, cash saves time for both sides.
If you plan to work your way down a row of Myeongdong stalls, having some cash ready makes it smoother.
Where do you throw away the trash when you're done?
If you ate in front of the stall, hand the trash straight back to the vendor.
Myeongdong's street vendors all take part in a campaign to dispose of customers' trash for them. So you can hand it over without hesitating. There is absolutely no need to feel sorry about it.
So how did it taste?
Here's the honest version. I have a bad memory associated with chicken feet, so I did not buy any at this stall. That means I have no taste review to give you for this one.
What I can tell you is that the price, the spice levels, the cooking method, the payment options, and the trash handling in this post were all checked on site. I can't judge the flavor for you, but everything you need to know before you order is here.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Myeongdong boneless chicken feet cost?
₩10,000. It's a single-dish stall, so there are no size or combo options, and the price is printed on the board out front. The only thing you choose is the spice level.
What if I can't handle spicy food?
Order 조금 맵게 (MILD). It's sweet with just a touch of heat. 중간 맵게 (SPICY) sits around the heat of Shin Ramyun, and 많이 맵게 (HOT) leaves your mouth tingling and brings on a light sweat.
Are there bones in the chicken feet?
No. They are sold fully prepped with the bones already removed, so there is nothing to strip off or spit out — you spear each piece with the skewer and eat it as is. Cabbage comes tossed in with it.
Can I pay by card?
Cash, card, and mobile pay all work. That said, most stalls prefer cash, because it settles faster and helps them keep the line moving. Carrying some cash makes things easier when it's busy.
What do I do with the used skewer and tray?
Hand them to the vendor. Myeongdong's street vendors all take part in a campaign to dispose of customers' trash. Pass it over as is — there's no need to feel sorry about it.
Which Myeongdong stall is next?
With boneless chicken feet, once you get past picking a spice level, the rest is simple. Myeongdong's streets are lined with other stalls, each with its own ordering style and pricing setup. So you don't hesitate at the next one either, I've broken down prices and ordering for other Myeongdong street foods the same way. Which one are you trying first tonight?
