Myeongdong Dakgangjeong for ₩10,000: How to Pick Your Spice Level and Pay at This Street Stall
The Myeongdong street stall 닥치고 꼬끼우 강정 (Dakchigo Kkokkiu Gangjeong) sells exactly one thing — dakgangjeong, Korean fried chicken tossed in sauce — and it costs ₩10,000. When you order, you pick one of three spice options: No spicy, spicy, or Very spicy. The chicken is fried on the spot, tossed in sauce, and handed to you in a cup. You get a wooden skewer instead of chopsticks, so you can eat it without any chopstick skills, and there are no bones in it. You can pay with cash, bank transfer, cards, or Alipay.
How much does dakgangjeong cost at 닥치고 꼬끼우 강정?
A Jung-gu District itemized price board hangs across the front of the stall. Written by hand: "닭강정 / Chicken," and in the price column, ₩10,000. That is the entire menu. With only one item, there is nothing to weigh up in front of the board.
The stall sign carries the shop name 닥치고 꼬끼우 강정, and underneath it, "Deep-fried and Braised Chicken," "果酱炸鸡块," and "タッカンジョン." So even if the word dakgangjeong means nothing to you, the sign alone tells you what you are looking at.
| Menu | Price as posted |
|---|---|
| 닭강정 Dakgangjeong (Chicken) | ₩10,000 |
The price on the board in the photo is the price you pay. That is a different situation from standing in front of a stall with no posted prices, and it means you never have to ask what anything costs here. Which leaves one real decision. The spice level.
Which spice level should you choose?
There is a separate <Taste choice> board mounted at the front of the cooking counter. It lists each option in English, Chinese, and Japanese, so if you and the vendor share no language, pointing at the board is enough to order.
| Wording on the board | How hot it actually is (tasted firsthand) |
|---|---|
| No spicy | Sweet sauce, no heat at all |
| spicy | About the same heat as Shin Ramyun |
| Very spicy | Like a hot chili pepper — your mouth goes numb |
One tip worth knowing: say "No spicy," "spicy," or "Very spicy" out loud instead of using the numbers. The numbers on the board do not run in order of increasing heat, so ordering by number can get you a level you did not want.
I prefer sauce that is moderately hot and sweet rather than punishing, so I ordered spicy. If you can eat Shin Ramyun, that level will sit fine with you. If spicy Korean food is new to you, No spicy still tastes like proper dakgangjeong — the base sauce is on the sweet side anyway.
How do they cook it once you order?
Once your order is in, they coat the chicken in batter in front of you and drop it straight into the oil. Nothing is pre-fried and reheated. What you get is crisp on the outside and chewy inside, not soggy.
The detail I kept looking at was the thermometer fitted to the oil vat. It means the frying is done to a set temperature rather than by feel — a real difference if hygiene or how thoroughly something is cooked is on your mind.
The fried chicken then moves to the wide round griddle beside the fryer, where it gets tossed with the sauce. It cools slightly during that step, so it rarely arrives hot enough to burn the roof of your mouth.
Fried food goes soft as it sits, but this stall fries after the order and hands it over immediately. You start eating while the coating is still crisp. Which raises the next question — what do you actually pick it up with?
Can you eat it without using chopsticks?
You can. This stall hands out wooden skewers instead of chopsticks. You can see them in the photo, a whole cupful of them standing on the counter.
The dakgangjeong comes in a wide round cup, and you spear one piece at a time with the skewer. Each piece is bite-sized, so there is nothing to cut.
There are also no bones. Nothing to pick around, which makes it easier to eat while walking and easier to share with kids or older family members. If you are in Myeongdong as a family, one cup passed around works well.
Can you ask for extra sauce if it turns out too mild?
Yes. Sauce bottles sit on the stall counter, and if the level you ordered comes out milder than you expected, you can have more sauce added at no charge.
The chicken is already tossed in sauce before it reaches you, so most people eat it as it comes. Only ask if you want more. There is no extra charge, so there is no reason to hesitate about asking.
Can you pay by card or Alipay?
Cash, bank transfer, various cards, and Alipay all work here. This is not a cash-only stall.
A separate "명동 거리가게 (MYEONGDONG STREET STALLS)" payment board hangs at the front. It shows the NAMANE and Alipay+ logos, a QR code for payment, and an instruction to scan the QR code to pay, printed in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.
In other words, you can finish the transaction by scanning the QR code on that board, without counting out cash from your wallet.
Where do you throw away the empty cup and skewer?
Hand them back to the stall. Along the bottom of the itemized price board you saw earlier, next to a small drawing of a bin, it reads "쓰레기 버려드립니다 / You can leave your garbage with us," printed in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.
Walking around Myeongdong holding an empty cup while hunting for a bin is quietly stressful, and at a stall with that notice posted, it is not something you have to deal with.
Frequently asked questions
How much is dakgangjeong at 닥치고 꼬끼우 강정?
₩10,000. The Jung-gu District itemized price board at the front of the stall reads "닭강정 / Chicken ₩10,000," and dakgangjeong is the only item sold there.
Which spice level should I order?
On the board, No spicy is sweet with no heat, spicy is roughly Shin Ramyun level, and Very spicy is chili-pepper hot enough to leave your mouth numb. Say the English wording rather than the number when you order.
Can I pay with a card or Alipay?
Yes. Cash, bank transfer, various cards, and Alipay are all accepted, and the "명동 거리가게" board at the stall front shows the NAMANE and Alipay+ logos along with a QR code for payment.
Can I eat it if I can't use chopsticks?
Yes. The stall gives you a wooden skewer instead of chopsticks, and the dakgangjeong comes in a wide cup. Each piece is bite-sized, so you spear it with the skewer, and there are no bones.
Where do I put the empty cup?
Give it back to the stall. The bottom of the price board carries a notice in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese saying they will take your garbage, so you do not have to carry the cup and skewer around looking for a bin.
Where should you head next along the Myeongdong stalls?
One cup of dakgangjeong splits nicely between two people, but there is still a long run of stalls left along the Myeongdong street. Prices and ordering steps for the other stalls are written up the same way here, so take a look before you pick your next cup.
