Korean restaurant near Gwangmyeong Cave with big parking lot: Maehwa

A clean, proper Korean set meal — just what I needed!

Today I'm writing about my visit to a Hain-dong, Gwangmyeong restaurant, Maehwa Gondeurebap. There's Gwangmyeong Cave nearby too, so it seems perfect to swing by after a weekend outing! And honestly, the parking lot was so spacious I had zero stress about it.

The address is 437-4 Hanan-dong, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, and it's open daily 10:50–20:30 (last order 20:00). They have a waiting area, high chairs, group seating, reservations, and parking, all available.

How's the parking?

Around Bamil Village, parking lots are usually shared and can get pretty chaotic, but Maehwa Gondeurebap has its own private lot, so it felt roomy and great. It's a large lot that can fit 50+ cars, so it's perfect for group gatherings too! Worth recommending as a Gwangmyeong Cave restaurant, right? It's about 15 minutes by car from Gwangmyeong Cave!

Maehwa Gondeurebap uses gondeure (mountain thistle greens) grown in the high-altitude fields of Jeongseon, Gangwon-do. Gondeure is said to be good for blood circulation and helps with high blood pressure and diuretic function, so it's great for preventing lifestyle diseases. I love greens so much that I like seeking out places like this, and this time I found good prices and good food, which made me happy.

The restaurant atmosphere

The interior was spacious and kept clean throughout. The tables were spaced out generously, so it was nice for chatting while eating too. With plenty of seating, it's also perfect for dining with a large group!

On the weekday lunch I visited, I saw quite a few families eating together as well as groups having gatherings. It seemed like group use would be no problem at all if you book ahead. I'm actually thinking of holding my next family gathering here at Maehwa Gondeurebap. I think my grandmother would love it.

They have high chairs ready and strollers are allowed inside, so it's comfortable to dine with young kids too. The seating gaps are wide, which makes it easy. Perfect to stop by after an outing to Gwangmyeong Cave.

Menu and ordering conditions

The menu has Maehwa Gondeure / Bulgogi / Spicy Pork / Baby Octopus, and basically it's one dish order per person, applying from elementary-school age and up. Set menus require a minimum order of 2 servings, just so you know. And the pot rice comes as a base of 2 servings, so even if 3 people go, you'll get rice for 4.

Gondeure spicy pork set

The pork set comes with gondeure iron-pot rice + spicy stir-fried pork + salad + basic side dishes + soup, and it was quite generous. Even now, while writing this post, I'm tempted to go again. The side dishes were all ones you'd actually want to eat, with nothing unnecessary in there. I kept reaching for every single one.

True to a proper Korean set meal, the variety of side dishes was so satisfying. Doraji (bellflower root) salad, gim (seaweed), anchovies, seasoned greens, cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew), salad, bean sprout salad — pretty much perfect, right? The spicy pork set had a decent kick, spicy enough even for us adults, so if you don't like spicy food, it might be better to order it less spicy. We're planning to order it less spicy next time.

The cheonggukjang was so rich and delicious that I kept eating it. Every single side dish was perfectly seasoned too!

With such generous side dishes, it honestly felt like I ate two meals' worth that day. The rice was so sticky and delicious that I kept eating more..!

The iron-pot rice had gondeure mixed in, giving off a gentle fragrant aroma, and being cooked in a pot, it was glistening all over with a lovely sheen.

Eating the gim (seaweed) together with the spicy pork, the seasoning matched perfectly. The portion was more generous than expected too, so we ate at a relaxed pace.

The men in my family don't usually give out compliments easily, but maybe because spicy stir-fried pork is a man's soul food, they kept eating it saying it was delicious. I ate it all to the end too. So good!

I finished off with sungnyung (scorched rice tea) and cheonggukjang together at the very end, and since it was Korean food that day, I could eat comfortably without any worry. My stomach felt light afterward too~

Coffee and a walking path after the meal

On the way out, they had coffee ready too.

Outside, there was even a walking path where you could get a breath of clean mountain air. Worth recommending this Hain-dong, Gwangmyeong restaurant, Maehwa Gondeurebap, don't you think? Highly recommended as a Gwangmyeong Cave restaurant too.