Gunja Korean pub: rice paper roe cheese jeon and bingsu at Saechamjip

This post includes a purchase paid for with my own money (partly supported). Saechamjip nails both value for money and flavor.

• ❤️What matters most is how the snacks taste
• 💜A place that gets both value and flavor right
• 💛A private room-style pub in Gunja
• 💚A Korean pub with freshly reinvented dishes

What kind of Korean pub is Saechamjip in Gunja?

Saechamjip (새참집) is a Korean pub near Gunja Station that reinvents familiar Korean snacks and serves them at good-value prices. It was my round-two stop on a night that ran to three rounds.

One day I ran happily through three rounds for the first time in ages, and for round two I stopped at a Korean pub that's famous as a Gunja favorite. Looking at the menu, I saw they take familiar dishes, reinterpret them, and offer them at good-value prices.

The most special snack was this one. This is jeon (savory pancake)? It's made with a crispy rice paper shell filled with pollock roe, potato and cheese, so you get a taste that's familiar yet new.

I meant to stop after round two, but thanks to the thoughtful hutgae stick hangover remedy they gave us, I ended up going to round three. So, with this ending, my excuse is: blame Saechamjip, the Gunja favorite.

Saechamjip location and opening hours

Saechamjip is at 16 Neungdong-ro 36-gil, 2nd floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, close to Exit 6 of Gunja Station. It's open daily from 17:30 to 02:00.

It was my first time drinking in Gunja, and this street is seriously hot!

Looking for a room pub in Gunja? The Saechamjip atmosphere

Saechamjip is a Gunja room pub on the 2nd floor with slightly dim lighting and a private area at the back.

The moment I climbed to the 2nd floor and opened the door, the mood won me over. The lighting is slightly dim, just right for drinking, and

there's even a private space at the back, so if you're looking for a room pub where your group can relax, you won't regret paying attention to this post. The atmosphere is great, but the snacks are also insanely good!

I'll start by slurping up the muksabal (chilled acorn jelly soup) that comes as the complimentary snack, marveling all the way.

How does Saechamjip's fire-flavored brisket tofu stew taste?

Saechamjip's fire-flavored brisket soft tofu stew (sundubu-jjigae) is ₩19,900, and it's not an ordinary one: it's Saechamjip's own version, packed with a smoky, charred flavor.

You know soft tofu stew is only right when it's spicy and sharp enough to hit you right in the throat, don't you?

The spicy broth with its smoky fire flavor is loaded with brisket, which adds a rich depth, and the soft tofu feels like it sobers you up from the drinks you're having. Personally I'm picky about soft tofu stew, but Saechamjip, the Gunja favorite, gets my approval. If this had been round one, I'd have ordered a bowl of rice and dropped it right in.

Pollock roe cheese potato jeon made with rice paper

Saechamjip's pollock roe cheese potato jeon is ₩17,900 and is made with well-boiled Gangwon-do potatoes, salted pollock roe and cheese.

I definitely ordered potato jeon, but it looked totally new. The funky aroma of Parmesan cheese filled the table, and when I cut into it, wondering whether this really counted as potato jeon, I found grated potato mixed with pollock roe, plus cheese on top. I was moved by the crispy rice paper texture, and then the Parmesan flavor made me exclaim too. To reinvent potato jeon like this! There are so many food geeks in the world, and it makes me happy.

I said they should sell the spicy soft tofu stew and the crispy, nutty cheese roe potato jeon as a set. The drinks just keep going down.

As for the pollock roe cheese potato jeon at Saechamjip, the good-value Korean pub with tasty snacks: the edges have a crisp, fried texture, and inside, the mashed potato, roe, cheese and rice paper melt together in the heat, almost like eating a delicious potato cheese rice cake. The Parmesan cheese, poured on almost by the heap, was definitely the kicker.

Injeolmi threadlike bingsu as a finishing snack

Saechamjip's injeolmi threadlike bingsu (shaved ice dessert) is ₩14,900, a sweet, nutty finishing snack you keep reaching for.

I'd judge that a pub selling bingsu has an owner who truly enjoys drinking and having a good time. When you drink, you naturally crave a cold dessert, right? Milk threadlike shaved ice with injeolmi (roasted soybean) powder, rich vanilla ice cream, sweet red bean paste and rice cakes: I totally recommend it as a finishing snack!

Saechamjip restroom and whether I'd come back

The restroom at Saechamjip, the Gunja favorite, is inside the shop, and it's stocked with mouthwash, hair ties, dental floss and even feminine products. Such thoughtfulness is amazing. I was impressed.

If you're looking for a good-value Korean pub with tasty snacks in Gunja, Saechamjip is the place I'd recommend right away. It's great for round one or round two, so I plan to come back.