Seoul: Korean Chicken & Beer Pub Crawl

Really awesome experience and ended up being one of our favorite nights in Seoul. You will be thrust around the city - stopping to enjoy multiple rounds of chicken, beer, Soju, and energetic discussions with your guide. We also loved stepping through Mangwon Market and being encouraged to try local dishes we almost certaintly would not have tried on our own accord. Cannot recommend this excursion enough for travelers who want to eat, laugh, and experience Seoul through the local cuisine! Additionally, our guide, Jeff, was exceptional and elevated the night to another level. Jeff lead the tour swiftly and seamlessly but what was remarkable was Jeff's skills as conversationalist. Jeff was eager to share and educate us on Korea culture - dining practices, entertainment, economics, sport, history, really everything - all while fielding all of our curiosity questions. Before we realized the night had grown late and Jeff was more than willing to stay far beyond the scheduled end of the tour to continue entertaining us. Jeff made this such a memorable evening and by the end of the night it felt as is if we were just having drinks and lively conversation with a friend. Gamsa habnida Jeff!

Our guide, David, is an expert in Korean traditional spiritual culture. He’s an American expat who’s lived in Korea for 40 years guiding tours, studying, and writing books on spiritual practices in the country. He’s written numerous books, and told us many interesting facts. The tour consisted of stops at 3 different places serving substantially different types of chicken along with beer and soju. First stop, ddobagi, served us fried chicken (so good), sticky fried chicken, and Cass beer, along with some “salad” that seems to be a staple in Korea. Second stop, the name of which I didn’t catch, served super sticky spicy fried chicken and Soju. Here, Dave explained the Korean cultural norms around age. Everyone waits for the eldest in the group to eat/drink before they begin. A younger person is expected to use 2 hands when pouring for or accepting anything from an elder. I, as the youngest at the table, kept having to be reminded to use two hands ???? Third and final stop was at a US Army themed location called Flying Chicken. Here we had what Dave referred to as the future of chicken. Slightly crispy chicken in a spicy sauce covered in cheese along with beer in a canteen. Everything was delicious and the stories were interesting. I’d highly recommend finding this tour if you’re ever in Seoul.