Pyounghwa Market Dakttongjip Street

Within walking distance of Dongdaegu Station, a row of restaurants specialises in one thing: chicken gizzards, which people in Daegu call dakttongjip. It began half a century ago as a cheap snack with rice wine for day labourers and has grown into one of Daegu's signature food streets. A plate of crisp fried gizzards with a beer is the most down-to-earth taste of Daegu, a city famous for its love of fried chicken and beer.

From a drinking snack to a street name

The story starts in 1972 at Samaa Tongdak, a fried-chicken shop in Pyounghwa Market. The labourers who gathered at the early-morning job market in front of it had little money, so the owner fried the leftover gizzards and served them with makgeolli (rice wine). They proved so popular that they became a regular dish, neighbouring shops copied it, and the whole street turned into a gizzard alley. Samaa Tongdak, regarded as the original, has since changed owners four times, but the street carried on.

The gizzard is the muscular part of a chicken's stomach that grinds up its food. It is chewy and lean, so even battered and fried it doesn't feel greasy. On menus you may also see it written as geunwi, the more formal word.

In the 1990s university students became regulars, drawn by cheap prices and big portions, and in the 2000s new soy-sauce and garlic versions brought in younger customers. Around that time young people from Dongseong-ro, Daegu's main shopping and nightlife district, began to make the trip too. It is often described as the only street in Korea built entirely around chicken gizzards.

What to try

• Fried gizzards: the original dish, chewy gizzards fried until crisp.
• Soy-sauce and garlic gizzards: tossed in a soy-and-garlic glaze. The amount of syrup, sugar and garlic, the strength of the soy sauce and the onions, carrots, green chillies and mushrooms stir-fried with them all differ from shop to shop, which is how locals choose their favourite.
• "Nude" gizzards and fusion dishes: gizzards fried without batter, or combined with squid or shrimp.

In summer the street hosts a festival around chicken and beer. In 2026 it ran from 1 to 5 July, with busking and a chimaek singing contest. The festival also includes performances by local artists and events to support the street's businesses.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: 1–1.5 hours for gizzards and beer at one shop.
• Hours: opening hours and closing days vary by shop, so check ahead if you have one in mind.
• Getting there: about 1 km north-west of Dongdaegu Station, roughly a 15-minute walk, around Ayang-ro 9-gil in Dong-gu. There is parking and there are public toilets.
• Ordering tip: portions are generous, so if there are two or three of you, order one plate of fried and one of seasoned gizzards and share them. That way you can compare the original fried version with the shop's own sauce.
• Nearby: Dongchon Resort on the Geumhogang River and Sinam Park are close.
• Information: Daegu tourist information centre, +82 53-627-8906