Pork bone soup and fried rice in Paju: Cheongnyeon Gamjatang

Even in summer, sometimes you just crave hot soup. There's no great gamjatang spot near my place, so I end up hunting one down whenever I go out. This time I found Cheongnyeon Gamjatang Sundaeguk in Geumchon and paid a visit.

Where is Cheongnyeon Gamjatang in Paju Geumchon, and is there parking?

Cheongnyeon Gamjatang Sundaeguk Paju Geumchon-jeom sits in a residential area on Soejae Stream Road in Paju, giving it a quiet look inside and out! Parking was available around the restaurant, which was convenient.

The owner greeted us kindly, and the interior was spotless! With plenty of seating, it looked like a good size for family dinners or group gatherings. Despite all the seats, tons of people were also getting takeout — while we were there, the takeout line ran over five minutes, and I thought, 'this must be a real local favorite!'

Is the medium gamjatang enough for three people?

The medium gamjatang at Cheongnyeon Gamjatang Sundaeguk Paju Geumchon-jeom comes with about six bones, which was plenty for three of us. We were hungry and about to order the large, since portions are listed by headcount, but the owner told us the medium would be enough and that it comes with around six bones!

Bottom line — if we'd ordered the large, we would've left most of it uneaten haha 😂 It really showed how honest and conscientious this owner's business is! Besides gamjatang, they also do grilled bones, and there's a hangover soup that's easy to eat solo, so if you're dining alone, this place works too.

Table setting and the spicy silbi kimchi self-bar

Each table had an apron for guests along with small plates and sauces for eating — such a nice touch! Since the bones are quite large, they even provided disposable gloves so you could pick them up by hand, a thoughtful detail I hadn't seen at other gamjatang places.

They serve basic side dishes but let you self-serve extras. Besides fresh kimchi, cubed radish kimchi, and bean sprouts, there's also silbi kimchi (a spicier fresh kimchi), so if you like it hot, help yourself to as much as you want! Choony loves spicy food, and I remember her saying this silbi kimchi was amazing haha.

The medium gamjatang: six pork bones stacked into a tower

And finally, the medium Cheongnyeon gamjatang arrives! You can add ramyeon, glass noodle, or dumpling soup add-ons if you want. Potato, a few pieces, and enoki mushroom are already included.

Cheongnyeon's signature is stacking the bones like a tower! The owner then arranges it so it's easier to eat. I could feel their thoughtfulness — they waited until I finished taking photos before doing anything.

They gave us a big bowl and told us to set aside the bones we weren't eating yet, then add them back in before eating. So at the start, they simmered it with just three bones. Each bone was so huge that even just three made for a full, mouthwatering look.

Stripping the bones for a boneless hangover-soup bowl

To show you the size of the bones better...I pulled one out lol. I'm actually the type who picks all the meat off the bone and eats it boneless-style, so as in the photo above, I got everything ready to eat that way haha.

Ladle in two or three scoops of broth and you've got yourself a boneless hangover soup. They do have a boneless option on the menu, but personally I enjoy picking the bones and love the rich broth that comes from them, so I always order it with the bones! But if you'd rather skip the hassle and just enjoy it boneless, that works great too!! (Lots of nearby tables were eating the boneless version, so I might try that next time ^_^)

Rice, broth refills and two bowls of fried rice

At just the right moment, we ordered a bowl of rice and mixed it in a little — so good! Adding onion makes it even better and brings out that sharp, spicy kick even more.

The staff noticed us running low and offered a broth refill — the broth just kept getting richer the longer it simmered, and I polished off another bowl of rice without even noticing haha.

The real highlight of gamjatang has to be the fried rice. They portioned it out just right and mixed it for us themselves, so it was easy to eat!! We went through two bowls' worth, and it was a lot — I was stuffed haha. That fluffy rice turning crispy and scorched at the bottom is a texture I won't forget.

Review event and final verdict on Cheongnyeon Gamjatang

They're currently running a nostalgic lucky-draw review event! Thanks to Choony's lucky hands, we somehow won a ₩5,000 gift certificate, so I'll have to come back soon!! The owner was so kind and the gamjatang was so delicious at this Paju Geumchon favorite, Cheongnyeon Gamjatang Sundaeguk! There are also a lot of public offices and companies nearby, so it seems like a great lunch spot too! Drop by whenever you're craving gamjatang~!