Tosokchon Samgyetang

Samgyetang restaurant · 효자동 ·

Tosokchon Samgyetang

Samgyetang restaurant · 효자동 ·

Ginseng chicken soup, tender rotisserie chicken, and seafood pancake

Information

5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea Get directions

₩20,000–30,000

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,702 Cities

"A Korean specialty, samgyetang is a ginseng soup served with a whole, stuffed chicken in each bowl. Presented piping hot, it is often eaten in the summer to help balance the body’s temperature with the weather outside. The city’s best version can be found at Tosokchon Samgyetang, which has served the delicacy since 1983 from a large hanok , or traditional house. The restaurant’s nourishing recipe involves a sophisticated stuffing made from ginseng, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, jujube fruit, ginkgo, garlic, and sesame seeds. Also available is a version with rare black poultry, whose tender flesh was once reserved for royalty. Lines run long at Tosokchon but usually move quickly—the best time to go is early- to mid-afternoon when the lunch crowd has passed."

The Best Restaurants in Seoul

Photo courtesy of Korean Tourism Organization NY

Tosokchon Samgyetang

@noreservations

170 Postcards · 69 Cities

World famous for the original samgyetang.

South Korea

Tosokchon Samgyetang

@ellemagazine

98 Postcards · 10 Cities

"Try the: Samgyetang stewed with fresh young chicken and ginseng."

Laura Kim's Guide To Seoul

ELLE

Tosokchon Samgyetang

Louis BP T.

Google

One of the best Samgyetangs I have tried. Both the white and black chicken taste equally yummy and comforting especially when taken on a cold day. It is spacious inside the restaurant with private rooms as well. Service is fast. Decor resembles the traditional Korean house. I don’t find the need to order bowl of steam rice as the inside of the chicken is stuffed with rice, red dates, ginko etc

Pui H.

Google

Read about the "craze" and claims about this place. So I tried it on my first day straight after arriving. I reached at 12 noon and there was no queue. I ordered a black chicken with wild ginseng and chicken with cultivated ginseng and a seafood pancake. "This is purely my own opinion. " The soup came quickly and both soup served together only to see the chicken soup sizzling but the black chicken soup lacks that "Wow" factor. Meat: Both chicken is tender and taste great with the black pepper and salt. The stuffing is on the mushy side more like porridge which I would prefer a more firm texture. Soup: A bit bland from my view with minimum ginseng taste. The only real ginseng I taste is when I had the ginseng stem. Although they gave us a small bottle of chopped ginseng to add to the soup, it doesn't enhance the taste. Kimchi : taste milder as compared to other place. ( i wrote this after 3 days) Seafood pancake: filling and squid were plentiful but the whole dish in on the saltier side. If you eat it with the soup then it tastes better. The ginseng wine tastes good especially on a winter cold day. After we left, there was a long queue.

FF2030

Google

Tosokchon Samgyetang is a well-known spot for traditional Korean cuisine, and it delivers a satisfying dining experience. Their ginseng chicken soup is rich, nourishing, and full of deep herbal flavour, while the rotisserie-style chicken is tender, juicy, and very tasty. The restaurant has a warm and welcoming ambience, making it a comfortable place to enjoy a hearty meal. Overall, it’s a great place to experience authentic Korean comfort food.

Ronnyeats0ut

Google

28/12/25 - 3 stars Came here years ago and remembered it being one of the best meals I had in Seoul. How things have changed. Not entirely sure what the difference is, maybe just personal growth, but this was really underwhelming. Also, the restaurant was distinctly less busy than expected, perhaps another indicator? Service was very quick and I appreciated the complimentary ginseng liquor shot though it tasted foul. Ginseng chicken soup Flavour: A, 7/10. Was quite ordinary. Not very umami or deep. Texture: A, 7/10. Value: B, 6/10. The black chicken variant was absolutely no different. Seafood pancake Flavour: A, 7/10. Texture: B, 6/10. More like an omelette so quite bit more boggy. Value: B, 6/10. 17k won Rotisserie chicken Flavour: A, 7/10 Texture: S, 8/10. Some crispy skin Value: A, 7/10. 19k won

Billy I.

Google

A super popular restaurant that absolutely lives up to the hype. Be prepared for a long queue that often stretches around the corner of the traditional Korean hanok building, but the wait is well worth it. The restaurant is famous for its signature Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup, which is an exceptional dish. They offer different cooking styles, including a standard white chicken soup and a special silkie chicken version. They serve a special ginseng wine in a small cup that you can drink it on its own or pour it into the soup to enhance the flavor, and it's also available for purchase as a souvenir bottle.

Rafael A.

Google

You must try the chicken with ginseng soup here, it's very delicious. The flavour is very rich and you also get a ginseng in the soup. The chicken is very tender, the portion is good. The roas chicken also great, it's juicy and tender, the taste so yummy and it's not too plain, you still could taste the flavour inside the meat...

Ron Y.

Google

Delicious Korean ginseng chicken! This pls e is very touristy, but I did see a few locals. They have a menu that teaches you how to use the condiments and explains the dishes. This is helpful. The place is decorated with traditional furniture and architecture, resembling a museum. The food quality is good, though the service has much to be improved. They are quite rude. Neutral in my recommendation.

Google

Nice place with good, yet simple food. There are instructions on the menu on how to eat the dish which was very convenient. Also comes with a complementary ginseng liquor shot (alongside the usual kimchi) which I thought was cool. I would highly recommend this place on a cold day 👍