What is the popular and tasty Korean 치맥 Chimek?

(updated 2021) When the cherry blossom is out and the weather is warming up after the long winter, the Han River park is bustling with young couples and groups of friends. We went out for a stroll hoping to savour the fragrance of the blooms. But all I could smell was chicken. Fried chicken. In restaurants all over Seoul, indoors and outdoors, everyone is enjoying chimek.

The word Chimek is a combo of chi (chicken), and mek (maekju Korean for beer).

Chimek  is so popular these days. A fried chicken franchise is never very far away in Korea and the number of stores is growing all the time! Chicken can be delivered to absolutely anywhere. And it’s a must at sporting events like baseball and football where sellers stand outside selling boxes of ready-to-go fried chicken. The lift in our apartment often smells of chicken too, so I know what our neighbours are eating.

There’s even a chimek festival held in Daegu at the end of July. 

Seoul has become a city of apartments, coffee shops, cosmetic stores, and chicken and beer restaurants! For several years now, opening a chicken and beer franchise has been the career choice for middle aged salarymen forced to leave their desk jobs.

Chimek and drama fans 

pictures: Yonhap News Chinese tourists arrive to enjoy chimek

Dramas such as My Love from The Star (SBS 2014) have helped to make chimek popular abroad too, especially in China. The main characters in this romance eat chimaek together so fried chicken has become a dish that also represents romance. Who knew?

The drama made the headlines again when 6,000 Chinese fans arrived in ONE tour group. The group, all employees of the Aolan International Beauty Group, arrived on 150 planes with the plan to visit filming locations of the drama and eat chimek. To accommodate everyone, organisers had to set up 750 tables and call 50 chimaek shops to provide the chicken! That was a record breaker for the largest tour group to come here!

The Best Chimek in Town

Setting up a chimek franchise has been in vogue for years. And during the 2020 pandemic it became EVEN MORE attractive as while regular restaurants struggled, deliveries of fried chicken were flying out of chimek shops. But this also means that there’s SO much competition and shops are opening and closing all the time.

So where is the best chicken and beer in Seoul? 

There’s a mind-boggling number of restaurants to choose from. The top three franchises are Kyochon Chicken, followed by BHC, and then BBQ. (they also have a nice online menu in English). Jun Ji Hyun the star of the hit drama My Love from The Star (SBS 2014)   appears in the adverts for BHC and she also advertises Kloud beer. Then there’s Two-Two Fried Chicken one of the older franchises. 

As well as the large chains there are lots of small chains and one-off restaurants with their own versions of chimek. It’s fun to try new places and you won’t have to walk far before stumbling over a chicken shop. But I like craft beer so I choose places not only for the chicken but also for the beer. Many chimek restaurants only sell Korean lagers – Cass and Hite, which I’m not fond of – Kloud or Terra beer may be on sale too. 

Craft Beer

If you are into craft beer then  Daily Beer (생활맥주) would be a good choice.  They serve a range of craft beers and several different chicken dishes, but we always have the same thing there – Angry Bird, spicy fried chicken. It’s served with a spicy sauce dip and radish cubes. I’ve also tried the cajun chicken salad which is a tasty, lighter option. And the fried potatoes are great – thin cut french fries or thick potato wedges.

The chain’s moto is ‘save water, drink beer‘ (I want the T-shirt). The cheapest beer is the perfectly decent OB Premium Pilsner  and this is served in a pyrex jug. (Mr. Kim is not happy about that though and would prefer a proper glass)  I usually have a pale ale which is quite bitter and fruity. Enjoying a craft beer and tasty fried chicken outdoors is the best way to spend a warm evening! 

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