24-hour Korean restaurant in Gangdong, Seoul: pork gopchang hot pot

A 24-hour soup restaurant in Gildong for late at night

Late one night, my husband and I were looking for something to settle our hungry stomachs, so we headed to Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch (신주옥미 길동직영점), a place I had been keeping an eye on🤗 Even at such a late hour, its brightly lit storefront made for a very welcome entrance! Known in Gildong as a 24-hour haejangguk (hangover soup) specialist, it was packed with customers who had come to enjoy a good meal despite the late hour🤩

There is parking behind the restaurant, so we arrived comfortably by car too!

First, a quick scan of the menu outside before heading in, haha.

A spacious, spotless dining room with well-spaced tables

Once inside, I noticed the open, spacious room and neatly arranged interior, haha. When you think of a 24-hour restaurant serving late-night food, it is easy to picture dim lighting or a somewhat chaotic atmosphere. But this place was nothing like that. It felt fresh and impeccably clean, without even a hint of stale smell, as though hygiene was carefully managed, so I felt comfortable throughout the meal~ The tables were generously spaced too, making it an ideal setting for a late-night gathering or drinks with food!👍🏻

Ordering pork gopchang hot pot and checking the lunch discounts

After sitting down and looking over the tablet, I found all kinds of haejangguk ready to choose from! There were so many varieties that I briefly had a serious dilemma over what to order, but I was craving a spicy, reduced-broth dish that day. After much thought, I ordered the dwaeji gopchang jeongol (pork intestine hot pot).

There are weekday-specific lunch menus with discounts too, which is such a great perk! I should come back for lunch next time, haha.

Kkakdugi and unlimited rice at the self-service bar

Soon after ordering, the basic side dishes arrived! Every dish, including kimchi and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), was served so neatly that it felt like being properly treated. The kkakdugi in particular was truly excellent👍🏻👍🏻 It was crisp and beautifully fermented all the way through with a refreshing flavor—an absolutely perfect match with either gukbap (rice soup) or hot pot!

If we needed more side dishes while eating, we could freely help ourselves at the self-service bar set up on one side of the restaurant~ The area around it was also kept so clean that not even a speck of seasoning had been spilled, so I could use it with confidence!

And the most surprising part was that there is no need to order extra bowls of rice separately: you can enjoy as much rice as you want from the self-service bar! I cannot imagine a more welcome perk for big eaters or a big-eating couple, haha😎

Spicy pork gopchang hot pot loaded with intestines

A little later, our pork gopchang hot pot arrived on the burner. The generous-looking spread instantly made me feel we had made such a good choice for a late-night meal, haha. True to its name, it was absolutely loaded with pork intestines! The savory, chewy gopchang just kept coming with every bite, and both my husband and I ate in amazement, haha.

There was no holding back on the vegetables either, including large pieces of gosari (bracken fern) and fragrant minari (water celery). Their natural sweetness and refreshing flavor added depth to the broth~ The moment I took a spoonful, its warming, spicy kick seemed to chase away the chill from inside—ahhh, so good~~~ It was not merely aggressively hot; it had the spicy depth of a rich, deeply flavored stock, so I simply could not stop eating, haha.

It had been a while since I had wanted a truly proper spicy hot pot, and this was such a satisfying dish that fully met my expectations! My husband kept saying the broth was refreshing and spicy, perfect both as a late-night meal and a drinking snack~ After eating a good amount of the hot pot ingredients, I mixed the warm rice from the self-service bar into the broth, and it felt as though the day's fatigue just melted away, haha.

For late-night cravings and spicy broth

Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch is a leading 24-hour haejangguk restaurant in Gildong where you can enjoy a fresh, substantial meal whenever you visit!! From the spacious, comfortable dining room and hygienic self-service bar with unlimited rice to the generous, delicious pork gopchang hot pot, it was a thoroughly satisfying meal without a single flaw.

It is an easy place to drop by whenever you crave a late-night meal or a bowl of spicy broth that clears you right out! The pork gopchang hot pot I had this time was so excellent that I plan to return next time for this restaurant's signature Gildong-style haejangguk and gukbap~ If you are looking for a delicious soup dish late at night near Gildong, I recommend visiting without hesitation👍🏻👍🏻