Aewol pork noodle shop a Jeju local approves: clean bone broth, Handam

Living on Jeju, I get plenty of chances to eat pork noodles (gogi guksu). Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch had such a clean broth that even a local like me left happy.

Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch hours and parking

• Location: 33 Aewol-ro, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju, South Korea, 1st floor
• Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–20:30 / Mon 10:00–16:20
• Break time: Tue–Sun 15:30–17:30
• Last order: Tue–Sun 19:50 / Mon 15:40
• Parking: Parking in front of the restaurant; 1 hour covered at the designated Handam public parking lot and Handam trail parking lot
• Type: pork noodles, gukbap (rice soup)
• Facilities: high chairs, self-serve bar, table-order tablet

The lean pork gukbap I ordered alongside was full of meat and the broth carried the pork flavor well, so alternating between the two dishes was fun haha.

Inside Handam Guksu near Handam Beach, with a sea view

The sign is visible from the main road, so Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch was easy to find. There's parking in front, and support is offered if you use the designated lots, which is handy to know when eating in Aewol.

The interior felt comfortable with wood-toned tables and chairs. Big windows look out to the sea, and with sunlight coming in, sitting down to eat felt relaxed.

High chairs, self-serve bar and tablet ordering

High chairs are available, and it was convenient that you can grab extra side dishes and tableware at the self-serve bar.

You order through T-order, and you scoop the side dishes yourself at the self-serve corner!

Bone broth pork noodles (₩10,000): too heavy a broth?

The bone broth pork noodles at Handam Guksu are ₩10,000, and what I liked most was that the broth is clean even though it's bone broth. Big pieces of pork were neatly laid over the milky broth, and under the toppings were yellow noodles and bean sprouts, which looked very appetizing.

The broth was my favorite part, of course! Bone broth pork noodles make you think of a heavy flavor first, but here it tasted clean, which I liked.

It was a bowl that tasted good even to a Jeju local who eats pork noodles often haha. I put pork on the noodles and ate them with kimchi too.

Lean pork gukbap (₩10,000): how much meat?

The lean pork gukbap at Handam Guksu is ₩10,000, with shredded pork filling the earthenware pot. Meat was packed in between the chopped green onions on top, so the generous portion was obvious from the start.

When I scooped up rice with my spoon, plenty of meat came along with it. The broth had absorbed the pork flavor well and had a different charm from the pork noodles. On days when you crave rice more than noodles, the lean pork gukbap is a good pick.

Dumplings and Jeju makgeolli to round out the table

I also ordered dumplings (mandu) as a side. They came on a wooden plate, and when I split one in half, it was packed with filling.

Set between the pork noodles and the gukbap, they made the table feel even fuller. It wasn't even a large portion, but there was really a lot.

Adding Jeju makgeolli (rice wine) made it a nice, slow meal while looking at the sea haha. Tables turn over quickly, and customers kept coming in.

A bowl of pork noodles you'll crave again in Aewol

Pork noodles with a memorable clean broth and lean pork gukbap with a generous amount of meat. With the sea view on top, I left Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch fully satisfied.

It's a good stop when you want warm noodles or a hearty bowl of gukbap for lunch near the Handam coastal trail.