Chicken and beer is a thing. Koreans even have a nickname for it: chi-mek, from chicken and mekjoo (mekjoo means beer). Why this combination, I’m not sure — do the two particularly complement one another? Or is it another excuse for Koreans to drink with their meals? I don’t know where the idea came from, but this year the trend saw a giant boost in popularity from being the main character’s favorite food in hit drama You Who Came From the Stars.
There are two main types of chicken: sweet & spicy and original fried. Many chicken and beer shops will offer garlic fried or other such options, but they are not the stars of the show. The saucey dish is distinctly Korean, as they love mixing hot red pepper paste with savory and sweet flavors. The original fried is “radically different” due to cooking technique, which results in a paper-thin crunchy crust. American chain Bonchon was named “the best wings in America” a few years back by GQ magazine.
Note: Beer at restaurants in Korea are sold by cc, where 500cc is about a pint.
Where to find Chi-Mek: Everywhere in Seoul. If you’re making a targeting effort to find a restaurant, I recommend looking through any young shopping district such as Hongdae, Myeongdong, and Insadong. Be warned: many chicken & beer places are open for dinner and late night only.
Alternatively, if you head to any Han River Park (I suggest taking the 7 subway to Tteoksem Resort), you will find men handing Chi-Mek flyers out. They’ll take your order right then and there, personally deliver as fast as they can, and they might even throw in a free blanket so you can have a picnic.
Seoulful Food 