Gangneung Korean restaurant with 12 side dishes: Saimdang Bueok

While traveling in Gangneung, I wanted at least one neat, filling Korean set meal, so I headed to Saimdang Bueok near Ojukheon. Gangneung has plenty of famous foods, such as Chodang sundubu (soft tofu), makguksu (buckwheat noodles), and jangkalguksu (spicy noodle soup), but sometimes on a trip you want a Korean set meal where you can enjoy lots of side dishes and mains together.

A Gangneung Korean set meal near Ojukheon

This time, I was looking for a neat Korean meal in Gangneung, and after searching for a good Korean set-meal restaurant, I visited Saimdang Bueok.

6 Jukheon-gil 85beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon State Mon–Sun 10:30–22:00 Last order 19:15 Very large parking lot

Saimdang Bueok is close to Ojukheon, making it a convenient meal stop during a Gangneung trip. It is said to be about a three-minute walk from Ojukheon, so it would be a nice place to visit for a meal after looking around. It is also about a 10-minute drive from major Gangneung attractions including Gyeongpodae, Gyeongpo Lake, Arte Museum Gangneung, the Heo Gyun and Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park, and Chodang Sundubu Village, so it fits easily into a travel route.

A comfortable interior for family meals and gatherings

Inside, the overall atmosphere was clean and orderly. Although it is a Korean set-meal restaurant, it did not feel overly formal or intimidating; it felt comfortable enough for a family meal. Along with regular tables, there were spaces where several people could dine together, so it also looked suitable for family outings or gatherings.

What comes with the Saimdang Set and soup choices

We ordered the Saimdang Set, priced at ₩19,000. Along with 12 basic side dishes, it came with japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), steamed scallops, jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), and grilled fish. You could choose either house-made Chodang sundubu or miyeok-guk (seaweed soup), and we chose one of each.

A full table of side dishes to choose from

The side dishes included steamed scallops, japchae, braised tofu, anchovies, broccoli, and more, and it was fun choosing what to try one by one.

At a Korean set-meal restaurant, you can sample a little of so many side dishes that you naturally end up eating foods you do not usually have at home. With such a varied spread, I could keep pairing my rice with a different side dish throughout the meal.

Spicy pork and grilled flounder together

The Saimdang Set also came with main dishes: spicy stir-fried pork and grilled flounder. Having both meat and fish in a Korean set meal made it feel like a proper, complete meal.

The spicy pork went nicely with rice, while the grilled flounder was mild and clean-tasting, so it was nice to alternate between the two different flavors.

We ordered one seaweed soup and one soft tofu soup. Even though we had the same set meal, choosing different soups meant we could try both. The sundubu in particular had a soft, fluffy texture that went well with the other side dishes.

When you want several Korean dishes at once

After trying the Saimdang Set at Saimdang Bueok, what I liked most was being able to eat a good variety of foods. On a Gangneung trip, it is easy to seek out restaurants specializing in one dish, but a Korean set meal worked well for a day when I wanted several kinds of food at once. Especially for a Gangneung trip with parents or a family trip, you tend to look for a place with a wide range of Korean dishes that are likely to suit everyone, and I thought Saimdang Bueok would be a good meal stop for that.