Jonggak Station Korean lunch: bossam and pumpkin porridge, Bonghyejane

Today I visited Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch (봉혜자네주방 종로타워점), a great spot for a Korean lunch near Jonggak Station! It's close to the station, so it's easy to get to, and you can enjoy a range of Korean dishes as set meals. I was especially happy with how generous the sets are, from the pumpkin porridge that comes with them to the side dishes, haha.

Location and opening hours of Bonghyejane Jongno Tower branch

Bonghyejane Jongno Tower branch is at 51 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the second basement floor of Jongno Tower (Units B206 and B207), about 75m from Jonggak Station Exit 3-1. It's open Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 and Sat–Sun 11:00–20:00, with a break time every day from 15:00 to 16:30.

• Name: Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch (봉혜자네주방 종로타워점)
• Address: 51 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (Jongno Tower B2, Units B206 and B207)
• Location: About 75m from Jonggak Station Exit 3-1
• Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 / Sat–Sun 11:00–20:00
• Break time: Daily 15:00–16:30
• Last order: Weekdays 20:00 / weekends 19:00

What's the atmosphere like?

Bonghyejane Jongno Tower branch is on the second basement floor of Jongno Tower, which connects to Jonggak Station. The interior was bigger than I expected, with plenty of tables. Wood-tone decor and warm lighting made the whole place feel clean and comfortable.

The tables are spaced nicely too, so it looked fine for a meal with a friend or a lunch with coworkers. If you're looking for a lunch place in Jonggak, keep it in mind!

Bonghyejane menu and the sets we ordered

Bonghyejane has a variety of Korean set meals, including stir-fried octopus, charcoal-grilled bulgogi (marinated beef), spicy seafood sundubu (soft tofu stew), stir-fried pork and bossam (boiled pork wraps). There were plenty of other choices too, like whole stir-fried octopus, spicy stir-fried small octopus, and bibim jjolmyeon (spicy chewy noodles) with flat dumplings.

This day, we ordered these two!

• Bossam set ₩15,000
• Charcoal bulgogi set ₩14,000

What comes with the set meals?

When you order a set at Bonghyejane, you get side dishes like sweet braised soybeans (kongjaban) and white kimchi, plus pumpkin porridge. The varied side dishes were the first thing I liked. Each one came neatly plated, and they went well with the main dish.

The pumpkin porridge that comes with the set is a treat

What I really loved was the pumpkin porridge!! 🎃 It comes with the set, and it was way more delicious than I expected!! Starting with the porridge before the main dish left my stomach feeling full and happy. Personally, I think little touches like this are the charm of a Korean set meal.

Bossam set ₩15,000: clean and mild, no gamey smell

First, the bossam set!

The bossam at Bonghyejane came sliced into bite-size pieces, served with garlic, chili peppers, ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste) and mumallaengi (seasoned dried radish). Above all, I didn't smell any gamey odor in the meat at all, and it was mild and clean, so I enjoyed it a lot.

The meat tasted good on its own, but it also went well topped with the mumallaengi, ssamjang or garlic, and with rice it made a perfectly filling meal.

Charcoal bulgogi set ₩14,000: a subtle smoky grill flavor

Next is the charcoal bulgogi set.

The charcoal bulgogi set has beef bulgogi cooked with various vegetables, so it goes well with rice. As the menu describes, the beef has a subtle smoky grill flavor, with a charm different from the bossam.

If the bossam is mild and plain, the bulgogi comes with seasoning added, so I was glad we ordered both. Because it's a set, you get rice, side dishes and pumpkin porridge too, so the meal felt quite generous.

Price and verdict: a ₩10,000-range Korean set meal near Jonggak Station

Most of the set meals at Bonghyejane Jongno Tower branch are in the ₩10,000 range, so it's a good place to visit when you want a filling Korean meal near Jonggak Station.

• Convenient location close to Jonggak Station
• Neat, tidy side dishes
• Bossam that was mild with no gamey smell
• Delicious pumpkin porridge that comes with the set

The main dishes were tasty, but what stuck with me were the pumpkin porridge and the neatly served side dishes. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Korean restaurant in Jonggak, especially if you want a filling set meal for lunch :)