12 crabs and fritter refills at Bomseol, a Chowol, Gwangju hanjeongsik

Recently, my whole family got health checkups and we decided it was finally time to eat healthy, so my mom and I went to enjoy soy marinated crab (ganjang gejang) at Bomseol, a hanjeongsik restaurant in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. Normally I'd be having pasta or brunch, but I figured it was time for a healthy, hearty meal haha.

Where Bomseol is and when it opens

Bomseol is located at 51 Hyeonsan-ro 385beon-gil, Chowol-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It's open from 11:00 AM to 8:30 PM, with a break time from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and last order at 7:45 PM.

T Map shows the opening time as 11:30 AM, but when I actually went, it was already open at 11.

Park your car, climb the stairs, and there's Bomseol!

Inside Bomseol: interior and atmosphere

We arrived around 11:30 AM and a lot of people were already eating.

I thought it was in a somewhat out-of-the-way spot, but somehow everyone seems to know this is a great hanjeongsik restaurant in Gwangju — it was surprising how many people found their way here.

Bomseol menu and prices

Bomseol — 'a healthy table filled with nature' — has a signature Bomseol table set at ₩15,000 per person, and other Korean dishes like the soy marinated crab set, barley gulbi, and cockle salad in the ₩20,000-plus range.

With unlimited barley rice and self-bar, even big eaters can eat their fill at this Gwangju hanjeongsik restaurant.

The self-bar: eggplant and mushroom fritters on refill

This is the self-bar. Made with fresh ingredients, it's full of namul (seasoned vegetables), mushrooms, kimchi, lotus root, and more — all put together in harmony with the main dish, so the meal feels more polished than homemade.

I especially loved the eggplant fritters and mushroom fritters — I went back for refills twice.

Normally I won't touch mushrooms unless they're enoki, but Bomseol fries them almost like sweet and sour pork (tangsuyuk), and the mushrooms came out crispy outside, moist and chewy inside — delicious.

Soy marinated crab set for two: 12 domestic crabs

One great thing about Bomseol, a well-loved hanjeongsik spot in Gwangju, is how fast the food comes out. We ordered the soy marinated crab set for two, and within 5 minutes the whole table was set with a feast fit to break the table legs.

The soy marinated crab set comes with every banchan from the self-bar, plus cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) and hot-pot rice (sotbap).

The soy marinated crab was domestic, and a whopping 12 crabs came out, so we ate until we were completely full. It wasn't too salty or overpowering, so I kept reaching for more.

At other famous ganjang gejang spots, you usually get one big crab per person — maybe a crab and a half at most, or two small ones. Here, even though the crabs were on the smaller side, they were packed full of meat, and each set of two had 6 crabs per person — 12 total. That felt genuinely generous.

My mom, who loves soy marinated crab, ate it up so happily that I felt proud on her behalf. Apparently Bomseol has a patented, in-house recipe for their ganjang gejang, which might explain why it tasted savory and rich rather than just salty.

The crab meat was so packed that one big bite was pure bliss — a total rice thief!!

Cheonggukjang, hot-pot rice and sungnyung to finish

The cheonggukjang had a nutty, savory, slightly salty flavor that went really well with the rice. There were whole soybeans in it for some texture, and mixing a little rice into the stew instead of just sipping the broth made it feel much heartier.

Honestly, the banchan themselves were so good that I finished a whole bowl of rice in no time, and the sungnyung (scorched rice tea) was nutty and delicious too — I didn't leave a drop.

One nice thing about eating hanjeongsik is getting to try banchan you wouldn't normally eat, one by one. Some were salty, some were mild, and switching between different dishes instead of eating just one thing made the meal feel much richer. There was even japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), which you don't get to eat easily at home, so I think even young kids would enjoy it.

They also sell the banchan to take home, so if you love Korean food, it might be nice to buy some banchan after your meal at Bomseol!

Who should keep Bomseol in mind

If, like me, you enjoy soy marinated crab and a variety of Korean banchan, you'll have fun trying one dish after another from a table piled high with food. This time I had the soy marinated crab set, and it was so good that I already want to come back and try other menu items at this Gwangju hanjeongsik restaurant!

If you're looking for a family dinner spot in Gwangju, craving a clean, proper Korean set meal, or — most of all — if you're in the mood for rice-thief soy marinated crab, remember Bomseol!!