Hongdae Korean restaurant for jjageuli and bulgogi: Bap Jangin

A Korean restaurant conveniently between Hongik University Station lines

If you're looking near Hongik University Station for a Korean restaurant serving kimchi stew or stir-fried spicy pork that you could eat every day without getting tired of it, I recommend Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch.

The dining hall is spacious with a clean atmosphere. It is right near Hongik University Station, so it is easy to get to, too. The distance between Line 2 and the Airport Railroad at Hongik University Station is huge, but this place sits right in the middle, making it close from Line 2, the Airport Railroad, or the Gyeongui–Jungang Line.

The food here generally leans spicy, so you'll like it even more if you enjoy spicy food.

It is open from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM, making it a Hongdae restaurant where you can eat fairly late.

Inside has a casual orange-toned atmosphere, and lots of groups come here. Since tables can be pushed together to make group seating, you cannot just sit wherever you like even if there are empty seats; you have to sit where you are shown. You never know when a group might suddenly pour in. At first I thought, Why are they telling me to sit here when there are so many seats...? But later, when dozens of group guests filed in, I understood... There is always a reason once you see it.

There is also a self-service bar with bean sprouts, kimchi, pickled chili peppers, and sesame oil. Since the food overall is on the spicy side, I skipped the kimchi and brought only bean sprouts and pickled chili peppers.

I sat at an inside window seat, but they offered me another seat. It turned out the air-conditioning was weak there, so it could get warm. I said it was fine and stayed by the window.

Choosing jjageuli and set-meal options

Time to order.

The cheat code here is to add roasted seaweed flakes and stew to rice, then mix it all up. The food is generally spicy, but lots of foreign visitors come here too.

The individual dishes include jjageuli (a thick, spicy Korean stew), kimchi stew, and soft tofu potato stew.

You can choose between regular salty seasoning and less salty seasoning. For jjageuli, you can choose the spice level. There are add-ons too: potato sujebi (hand-torn dough soup), ramen noodles, or one slice of Spam. There is also soft tofu beef brisket stew, beef brisket doenjang stew, stir-fried squid, and stir-fried bulgogi.

For set meals, there is a one-person Spam set and a one-person full set meal. There are add-ons and alcoholic drinks too. For the one-person Spam set, you first choose a stew, then the spice level, then an add-on.

For the two- to three-person Spam set, you choose the stew, flavor, and add-on.

The one-person full set meal has the same options.

There are various other full set-meal options as well.

Spicy regular jjageuli and smoky bulgogi

The bulgogi I ordered with the jjageuli was 300g, so it was quite a substantial amount. You can mix it with oil and roasted seaweed flakes, but I left out the oil and mixed in only the seaweed flakes.

It had diced pork in it, and even though I ordered the regular, non-spicy version, it was nicely spicy and delicious. A spicy kick comes as standard.

The bulgogi was full of smoky flavor, with pepper and charred aroma deeply infused. Unlike ordinary stir-fried spicy pork, it had a harmonious mix of slight sweetness, smokiness, and pepper.

Those pickled chili peppers were so good...

There was plenty of pork, and it was savory and salty enough to make two bowls of rice disappear in no time.

Mixing rice thoroughly with the bulgogi is seriously delicious. Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch is a great place for a filling, tasty, comfortable Korean meal in Hongdae. The restroom is inside too, and the place is pleasant. It is Bap Jangin in Hongdae, with a spacious dining hall where you can eat comfortably.