Korean lunch after Gilsangsa spider lilies in Seongbuk: Seochon Nugak

Seochon Nugak: hours, prices and lunch menu

Seochon Nugak is a Korean restaurant at 88 Hyehwa-ro, 1st floor (Seongbuk-dong 122-7), Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 11:00 to 15:00, with a menu featuring a beef tteokgalbi (grilled meat patty) rice bowl with shiitake mushrooms for ₩15,000 and a Jeju tot bap (seaweed rice bowl) with abalone and scallops for ₩17,000. Reservations, group bookings, and takeout are all available, though there's no parking on site — you'll need to use a nearby paid public lot.

A short clip of lunch at Seochon Nugak, a well-known lunch spot near Hansung University Station, sharing the beef tteokgalbi rice bowl with shiitake and the Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallops.

How to get to Seochon Nugak from Hansung University Station

Seochon Nugak is 864m and about a 15-minute walk from Exit 5 of Hansung University Station. You could also take village bus 2 from Exit 6 and ride two stops. But since the red spider lilies at nearby Gilsangsa temple were in full bloom, I went there first last Tuesday, planning to walk over to lunch afterward.

A short clip of the red spider lilies in bloom at Gilsangsa — for more of the flower review, click the green blog link on the right side of the clip to see the full spider lily display at Gilsangsa.

After enjoying the red spider lilies at Gilsangsa, a great spot to visit in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, I searched for Seochon Nugak, where I'd booked lunch, and found it was just 1km and 15 minutes on foot, so I walked straight over. You could also take village bus 2 from Gilsangsa to the Hongik University Middle and High School entrance stop and walk from there — whichever's convenient.

Inside Seochon Nugak: interior and atmosphere

Arriving at Seochon Nugak on the ground floor, I saw potted plants out front and customers already having lunch inside. After the walk from Gilsangsa and a bit of exercise, past 1pm my appetite was in full swing haha. ✌️🤣 The menu board out front showed a variety of options — set meals (bansang), hot pots, and single dishes.

Inside past 1pm, many customers were already eating. The space isn't large, but the interior is clean and the vibe is pleasant, almost café-like. 👍💯🤣 This lunch spot sits on Hyehwa-ro, the road running from Hansung University Station toward Seongbuk-dong, and it's known for its tidy side dishes and rice-based dishes. With hours from 11am to 3pm daily, it's strictly a lunch place.

What we ordered at Seochon Nugak

With my appetite well earned from exploring Gilsangsa and walking over, I went for the best options on the menu — the beef tteokgalbi rice bowl with shiitake mushrooms for ₩15,000 from the bansang section, and the popular Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallops for ₩17,000. There are plenty of other bansang, recommended dishes, hot pots, single items, and drinks on the menu board to suit any taste.

Two bowls for lunch: tteokgalbi rice bowl and Jeju tot bap

🍚 Beef tteokgalbi rice bowl with shiitake mushrooms, 15,000 won

First up, the beef tteokgalbi rice bowl with shiitake mushrooms. Generously shaped beef patties sat on top of the rice, served alongside grilled shiitake mushrooms, fresh vegetables, and what looked like sweet-and-tangy dressed carrot strips.

🌿 Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallops, 17,000 won

The second dish, the one I was especially looking forward to — Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallops. Green vegetables, tot (seaweed), gim (dried seaweed), carrot strips, radish, and nuts mixed through the rice, topped with a hefty piece of abalone. It looked like a genuinely healthy meal just from the presentation.

🥢 The side dishes and seaweed soup that come with it

The banchan (side dishes) that came with both mains caught my eye too. Braised lotus root, broccoli, seasoned greens, and jeon (savory pancake) were neatly arranged, plus a warm bowl of miyeokguk (seaweed soup) on the side. The banchan leaned toward letting the ingredients' natural flavors shine rather than heavy seasoning, and paired well with the mains. We started by mixing everything together with the beef tteokgalbi rice bowl first.

Then I moved on to mixing through the Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallops to share. The clean flavor of the abalone and scallops, combined with the tot's distinct ocean scent and its slightly crunchy texture, gave it a charm quite different from a regular rice bowl.

Eating the abalone together with rice and vegetables let each ingredient's flavor come through — clean and light — and we took turns sharing the scallops too, working through the meal bit by bit.

The tteokgalbi was tender to bite into, with the savory taste of beef and a subtle shiitake aroma that worked really well with the rice. Adding vegetables brought a light, nutty flavor plus a crisp texture — an easy, no-fuss meal.

🍽️ Is it worth sharing two dishes at Seochon Nugak?

Above all, ordering two dishes at once meant we got to taste two very different flavors and textures — great for a lunch shared between two people. The tteokgalbi rice bowl delivered the hearty, savory satisfaction of meat, while the Jeju tot bap, with its abalone, scallops, tot, and vegetables, felt lighter and fresher.

Going back and forth between the two dishes let us enjoy a wider range of flavors than sticking to just one. Best of all, everything came out arranged so neatly as a set meal that it was fun just looking over each dish, and it made for a great, relaxed lunch to chat over. 👍💯🤣

We ate the rice bowls alongside the miyeokguk, and while the staff mentioned extra side dishes were available on request, what we already had was plenty.

🌸 A healthy Korean lunch in Seongbuk-dong after Gilsangsa

At Seochon Nugak, this well-known lunch spot near Hansung University Station, we ordered the beef tteokgalbi rice bowl with shiitake mushrooms and the Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallops to share, and getting to taste both dishes' distinct charms made for an especially satisfying lunch. It's a place worth visiting on days when you want a Korean meal built around rice, vegetables, seafood, and meat with tidy side dishes rather than anything heavily seasoned. If you're out exploring Seongbuk-dong and craving a solid lunch, Seochon Nugak's neatly arranged Korean table is worth stopping by for. ✌️😊

The subtle smokiness and savory flavor of the tteokgalbi worked so well together it could be enjoyed even without side dishes. It felt like a bowl suited to anyone wanting a tender texture and a satisfying, filling meal. After finishing lunch, we walked slowly back down to Exit 5 of Hansung University Station as a bit more exercise, took Line 4, transferred to Line 9 at Dongjak Station, and headed home — wrapping up about six hours of red spider lily viewing at Gilsangsa and a delicious meal, a lovely autumn outing to close out the Chuseok holiday. 👍💯🤣