Mokpo hangover soup restaurant, oxtail vs doganitang: Mujinjang

Traveling around Mokpo, I wanted a warm hangover soup, so this time I went to Mujinjang Sik-yuk Kkori Gomtang. This place has been run by the same family for three generations since 1976, so I'd been curious about it for a while. Here's my honest take on the beef tail soup and doganitang I tried.

What kind of restaurant is Mujinjang Sik-yuk Kkori Gomtang?

Mujinjang Sik-yuk Kkori Gomtang is a gomtang (bone broth soup) restaurant with a long history, run by the same family for three generations since 1976. Looking around the restaurant, I noticed it also won an award at a 2008 local food competition. It's now relocated near Peace Square, and the space is clean with a freshly renovated feel!

Menu and prices: soju and beer at 3,000 won

The menu had beef tail soup, doganitang, eongchitang, suyuktang, and more, so we ordered one beef tail soup and one doganitang.

What caught my eye most on the menu was soju and beer at ₩3,000. These days a lot of restaurants charge ₩5,000 or ₩6,000 for drinks, so ₩3,000 is a real draw. That said, I still had a hangover from the night before, so I skipped the drinks this time. If I visit again, having a soju with a bowl of soup here wouldn't feel like much of a splurge.

Side dishes: house-made soybean paste and tangy radish kimchi

The side dishes were bean sprouts, kimchi, onion and peppers, chive salad, radish kimchi, and house-made soybean paste.

Personally, what I liked best here was the house-made soybean paste! It had a savory, homemade taste that felt different from store-bought paste — really good.

The radish kimchi was a bit unusual — kind of Fanta-like, pineapple-ish, with a pretty strong tangy note. I haven't eaten a lot of Mokpo-style radish kimchi, so I'm not sure if this is a regional trait, but it felt distinctly different to me.

How does the oxtail soup (kkori gomtang) taste?

First, the beef tail soup. Since it's made with beef tail and leg bones, I had high expectations for the broth.

Inside the soup were thin noodles, scallions, and quite a lot of black pepper. The broth overall was on the light and mild side.

There were quite a lot of bones in it, and the meat clinging to the bones was more tender and soft than I expected. My husband picked every last bit off, leaving nothing behind!

You dip the meat off the bones into the soy sauce that comes on the side. We ate the noodles, the rice, and picked the meat off the bones down to nothing!

Doganitang: the richer broth of the two

The doganitang we also ordered had doganji (beef knee cartilage) in it instead of bones.

The noodles, scallions, and pepper were similar to the tail soup.

My husband ate the noodles with the broth and then mixed in rice on top. According to him, the doganitang broth seemed a bit richer!

Which bowl would we order again at Mujinjang?

True to an old-school gomtang restaurant, everything was mild and light rather than heavy or spicy. Things that really stood out to me: the three-generation legacy since 1976, the use of beef tail and leg bones, and the ₩3,000 soju and beer.

The restaurant is spacious with a quiet, calm atmosphere overall. Personally, if I go back, I think I'd choose the beef tail soup over the doganitang.

If you're craving a hot bowl of soup in Mokpo or looking for an old, established local restaurant, this is worth a visit. And if you're like me, looking for a place to grab a meal with a drink while traveling, that ₩3,000 soju price might be especially tempting haha.