Cockle bibimbap lunch for 5 in Yeouido, Seoul: Gaetbeol-ui Jogae

Today I went with friends to 'Gaetbeol-ui Jogae,' a clam restaurant near National Assembly Station! It's a place I visit often, so let me give you a detailed review ✨

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido hours, parking and corkage

• ❤️Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:00)
• ❤️Corkage: Available (free)
• ❤️Parking: Free (building basement parking available)
• ❤️Private hire: Available
• ❤️Room seating: Min 2 – max 16 people
• ❤️Group seating: Min 8 – max 16 people

How to get there from National Assembly Station

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae is located on the 2nd floor of the Geukdong VIP Building (the KFC building)! Follow the stairs on the right side of the building to get up there (the elevator here is a bit of a hassle, so I don't recommend it).

What the restaurant looks like inside and out

This is the entrance! Since it hasn't been open long, it had a fancy, clean feel.

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae mainly serves kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and clam hot pot — apparently the types and amounts of clams in the hot pot can change depending on the season and harvest!

They say they serve a generous giant clam hot pot made with fresh clams and seafood sourced from clean waters every morning — and it really does look generous haha. Apparently it's loaded all at once with a variety of seafood: razor clams, abalone, scallops, hard clams, mussels, octopus 🐙, whole squid, and shrimp 🦐!

Apparently they have a new menu item called 'seafood boiling' — I'd never heard of it before so I was curious! It's said to be a Southern American party food, so I'll have to try it next time haha.

The inside of the restaurant is spacious like this, and even though it was crowded when we visited at lunchtime, the place is so big there was no wait!

There's a self-bar like this where you can make your own unlimited doenjang (soybean paste) barley rice — I'll show you what that looks like later!

The kalguksu at Gaetbeol-ui Jogae is genuinely delicious haha (I guarantee it) — they use fresh-cut noodles for a chewy texture, apparently.

Lunch menu prices and what five of us ordered

There are basically 4 lunch menu items! Spicy clam kalguksu / clam meat kalguksu / Namhae cockle bibimbap / Namhae fire cockle rice bowl!

• ✔️Clam meat kalguksu × 3 (₩11,000/person)
• ✔️Namhae cockle bibimbap × 2 (₩10,000/person)

There were 5 of us and this was exactly the right amount haha.

And there were various toppings and sides you could add on!

Free refills of doenjang barley rice at the self-bar

This is how you make the doenjang barley rice I mentioned above.

Just looking at it, you can tell it's good, right ㅠㅠ The crisp, refreshing texture of the yeolmu (young radish greens) paired so well with the savory doenjang, it was so tasty haha. With the chewy bite of the barley rice added in, it was clean-tasting yet savory, and it just kept going down!

How is the clam meat kalguksu? With sujebi dough flakes

The star of the show, the clam kalguksu, arrived ❤️ It was packed with clams and seafood, so the broth was truly refreshing and savory. The briny yet clean broth drawn out from the seafood, combined with the fully cooked, chewy noodles — the chewiness and savoriness were insane... The broth wasn't heavy at all, it was clean, so I kept scooping more haha. It seemed perfect for curing a hangover too!

There are hand-torn dumplings (sujebi) in there too, like this, and I found the sujebi really tasty with its slightly chewy texture too haha.

Namhae cockle bibimbap: is it spicy?

I was torn between the spicy fire cockle bibimbap and the regular cockle bibimbap, but since some of my friends can't handle spice, we went with the regular cockle version?? The result was total satisfaction ✨ haha. The cockles were plump and chewy, great to bite into, and the seasoning wasn't too intense, so it was just right haha. The briny, savory flavor unique to cockles combined with the nutty sesame oil aroma made it totally addictive rice-stealing food!

Adding the secret sauce made it go so well with the cockle bibimbap! My friends were all amazed as they ate it haha.

Is Gaetbeol-ui Jogae worth it for a Yeouido group lunch?

• ✔️ The spacious, clean dining room makes it a great spot for a Yeouido lunch or group meal
• ✔️ Unlimited doenjang barley rice at the self-bar means you're already full before the mains even arrive ❤️
• ✔️ The clam kalguksu, packed with clams, has a refreshing, clean broth — highly recommend for curing a hangover too!
• ✔️ Fresh noodles make for a chewy bite, and with sujebi mixed in there's great texture too haha
• ✔️ The cockle bibimbap also had plump cockles and non-aggressive seasoning that all my friends loved ✨

This is a place I visit often as a regular, and every time I go, the generous portions and clean broth flavor satisfy me all over again, so I keep coming back haha. If you're looking for a great kalguksu or cockle bibimbap spot near National Assembly Station, I recommend this place 🥰