Tongdak

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Synthesised from Google · Yelp · TripAdvisor · Reddit · 2 food blogs · Updated August 2026

The story the reviews tell

Tongdak — whole chicken, deep-fried — was Korea's answer when fried chicken arrived in the 1970s. It's the country's proto-fried chicken, a single bird submerged in oil, before boneless cuts and seasoning varieties fractured the category. Now it lives as yennal-tongdak, 'old-time whole chicken,' sold in traditional markets and provincial streets as deliberate nostalgia, with Suwon's legendary alley keeping four-decade-old restaurants still frying the same way.

What makes this version distinct

Tongdak (Korean: 통닭; lit. 'whole chicken') is a chicken in South Korean cuisine, prepared by deep-frying a whole chicken. It was a popular food in the 1970s, being the only kind of fried chicken sold in Korea at that time. It is considered as the proto-Korean fried chicken. As more varieties of "whole chicken" dishes are also enjoyed in Korea nowadays and the generic term tongdak can refer to any "whole chicken" (e.g. rotisserie chicken is called jeongi-gui-tongdak (전기구이 통닭, "electric-grilled whole chicken") in Korea), the 70s-style whole chicken is now called yennal-tongdak (옛날통닭, "old-time whole chicken"). It is now sold as retro food in many traditional markets as well as streets in provincial cities. Suwon in Gyeonggi Province is famous for its tongdak golmok (통닭골목, "tongdak alley") with dozens of tongdak restaurants that are over 40 years old.

Signature elements