Samgyetang: What Is It and Where To Eat It In Seoul

If you’ve ever experienced the hottest of summers when the sweat pours and the lethargy and lack of energy takes over leading to afternoon siestas, you may think you already know how to fight the heat. But do you know how to fight the hottest of summer temperatures Korean style?

In Korea, there is a concept called iyeol chiyeol (이열치열), basically controlling heat with heat, or fighting fire with fire as we say in English. On the hottest days of the summer in Korea, instead of going for cold treats like patbingsu or even cold soups, of which there are many delicious Korean cold soups, Koreans eat the hottest bowls of samgyetang (삼계탕), a nutritious ginseng chicken soup.

Korean food, samgyetang, Korean chicken soup

Get ready to eat in Seoul. If you’re looking for the best samgyetang chicken soup restaurant, or the most unique perhaps, keep reading:

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Samgyetang Chicken Soup: What Is It

‘Sam’ (삼) is for the ginseng, called insam (인삼) in Korean, ‘gye’ (계) means chicken and ‘tang’ (탕) means soup, coming together to make the name, Samgyetang (삼계탕).

Samgyetang (삼계탕), or ginseng chicken stew is probably the most popular dish on the hottest days of the summer in Korea. Served in a hot bowl about to boil over, one small tender chicken, usually about three to six months old, stuffed with rice sits in the broth with ginseng, garlic and jujube dates, though there are some other unique varieties available too.

samgyetang, Korean chicken soup, Korean food

Did you know: In the 1950s, the first samgyetang restaurant was registered in Seoul and called the soup gyesamtang (계삼탕) because the chicken was considered the main ingredient. It wasn’t until the 1960s that they flipped the name to what we now call it today to emphasize the ginseng in the dish and thus the health benefits.

When it’s served, the broth is far too hot to eat right away. The way to eat it is to pluck away the very tender meat which falls off the bone and place it in an empty dish nearby to cool. Eat the chicken when it’s ready and after a few bites this way, the soup has cooled just enough to taste.

Now, you may think that eating something hot on the hottest of days just seems like an oxymoron, but I can tell you, there’s something to it. While there are days I just want something a bit cooler, I can attest to the cooling powers of the hottest of stews during the heat waves.

Why do Koreans eat hot chicken soup on the hottest days of summer?

Not only on hot days, but also post-op, samgyetang is a popular dish for Koreans to consume and is known to have many health benefits.

Samgyetang Health Benefits

Known to be very healthy, the ginseng provides nutrients and speeds up the metabolism while restoring energy. The garlic helps with blood circulation and detoxifies the body. The jujubes neutralize poisons and strengthen the digestive system, helping blood circulation even more.

Finally, the chicken warms the pancreas and stomach and helps to strengthen the heart, kidney, liver, lungs, and spleen.

Best Samgyetang In Seoul

To be honest, there are way more Korean chicken soup restaurants than the list you’re about to see. You can find samgyetang from here to there and all over Seoul and while the spots below are considered the top of the top, the ideal, and the best places to eat samgyetang, there are a lot of other places to sup and enjoy.

samgyetang chicken soup, Korean chicken soup

I personally don’t like waiting in lines especially on the hottest days of the year so would go for some place else at least on those days, but if you’re looking for ONE place to try samgyetang chicken soup in Seoul, then choose one of the top four places to eat samgyetang… and then try it again someplace else to compare.

Goryeo Samgyetang (고려삼계탕)

What to eat: Samgyetang (Ginseng chicken soup)

Opened in 1960, this restaurant is the oldest Korean chicken soup restaurant in Korea today. And, as I’ve said before, the oldest restaurants in Seoul make for some of the best places to get a bite.

They serve up a delicious samgyetang soup and pride themselves on buying chickens that are about 49 days old, add ginseng, jujube, garlic, and sticky rice, along with traditional Korean herbs, for a delicious and healthy stew.

This restaurant serves both the more traditional samgyetang, but they also offer up some unique options with abalone or wild ginseng added to the broth.

Address: 1 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 중구 서소문로11길 1)
Hours: Every day: 10:30am ~ 9:30pm (Closed on Chuseok and Seollal)

Tosokchon Samgyetang Chicken Soup, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea

Tosokchon (토속촌)

Located near Gyeongbokgung Palace, there is often a line seen out this popular samgeytang restaurant. Here the broth is a bit thicker and more savory than other versions of the hearty delicious soup. This restaurant is very popular and one of the most well-known among both Koreans and tourists.

Be prepared for the wait, but also be prepared for a really good meal. In addition to the delicious soup, they also serve a small cup of insamju (인삼주), or ginseng liquor, with the meal.

Address: 5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (서울 종로구 자하문로5길 5)
Hours: Every day: 10:00am ~ 10:00pm

Baekje Samgyetang (백제삼계탕)

Baekje Samgyetang is famous for their mouth-watering and nourishing samgyetang that features a whole young chicken that has been stuffed with ginseng, sticky rice, and herbs. The restaurant slow cooks the dish to perfection. Note the unique topping of finely shredded ginseng which makes this concoction more ginseng-flavored than other varieties.

Located in the popular Myeongdong district, the clientele here is more foreign than Korean, but they serve up a delicious soup perfect for every patron.

Address: 8-10 Myeongdong 8-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울 중구 명동8길 8-10)
Hours: Every day: 9:00am ~ 10:00pm

Gobong Samgyetang Chicken Soup Restaurant, Seoul, Korea

Gobong Samgyetang (고봉삼계탕)

A family recipe that uses sanghwang mushroom and mineral water to create a balance of flavors and textures, this samgyetang features a deep golden broth, definitely something a bit different on the list.

Address: 21 Myeongdong 7-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울시중구 명동7길21)
Hours: Every day: 10:00am ~ 10:00pm

Some Unique Samgyetang Restaurants In Seoul

Gang Wonjeong Samgyetang (강원정삼계탕)

Opened in 1978 by a North Korean woman, this restaurant is known for a samgyetang that is stuffed with sweet rice, dates, chestnuts, ginkgo nuts, ginseng, and whole garlic cloves and finally topped with spring onions, sunflower seeds, and black sesame seeds. You don’t see that every day.

Address: 13-10 Wonhyo-ro 89-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울시용산구 원효로 89길 13-10)
Hours: Every day: 11;30am ~ 8:30pm (Breaktime: 2:30pm ~ 5:30pm)

Yilye Samgyetang (이레산계탕)

In this version of samgyetang, the unique addition is mung beans. Mung beans are in quite a few of my favorite Korean dishes, bindaetteok (빈대떡) at Gwangjang Market is one for example, so adding them to a hearty stew makes perfect sense to me.

Address: 609 Bongcheon-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (서울 관악구 봉천로 609)
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:30am ~ 9:00pm

Samdae Samgye Jangin (3대삼계장인)

Run by the third generation of their family, Samdae Samgye Jangin is famous for a signature pine nut samgyetang, mugwort samgyetang, and mung bean samgyetang. Try all three if you can, but if you have to choose just one, go for the interesting mugwort variety if you ask me.

Address: 56-3 Banpodaero 28-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul (서울 서초구 반포대로28길 56-3)
Hours: Every day: 10:30am ~ 10:00pm

Garang Nurungji Samgyetang (가랑누룽지삼계탕)

The first time I had nurungji samgyetang was on Jeju Island and I was immediately in love. If you like nurungji, or burnt rice which may not make it sound as appetizing as it is, you’ll love this. Check out this spot in Seoul with a very cozy version of samgyetang.

Address: 210 Mokdong-ro, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul (서울 양천구 목동로 210)
Hours: Every day: 10:30am ~ 9:30pm

Samgyetang Cooking Class in Seoul

When my husband was sick the first time, I made him chicken noodle soup and it did not have the reaction I expected. While he ate it, he was confused about why there were extra vegetables and noodles. I realized he was comparing my soup to samgyetang.

Now, when I make chicken soup, I do a more collaborative recipe so it’s to his samgyetang tastes and to my chicken soup tastes. This is a great recipe to know. I highly suggest joining a cooking class to learn how to make samgyetang Korean style.

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Now you’re absolutely ready to eat samgyetang chicken soup in Seoul. Find one of the top restaurants, or just look for a sign that reads samgyetang in any area you’re in and you will definitely feel better.

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