Gyodae Station burger spot: flatfish & cheese fondue combo, Soulbucket

Today I'm finally sharing my visit to Soulbucket, a Gyodae Station favorite I'd been meaning to try. It has been loved by locals for a long time in a very competitive area, so I went in with high expectations :)

Where is Soulbucket near Gyodae Station, and where do you park?

Soulbucket is a 5-minute walk from Gyodae Station Exit 14, at the Seoul National University of Education intersection. Free parking is almost impossible, but you can use the paid lot of the Hanseong Building behind the restaurant (₩5,000 per hour).

I heard it's a kind-hearted shop that has done business around Gyodae Station for years and donated a lot. The owner and staff seemed to have a good vibe, too.

On top of that, the Naver Place page offers coupons: a handmade dessert coupon for families of 3 or more, a random side coupon for office workers at dinner, a Bud draft 330 coupon for couples, and more. Worth checking!

The place is on the small side, and the atmosphere and interior carry the traces of being loved by Gyodae locals for a long time.

What's on the Soulbucket menu?

There are 6 burgers: beef, shrimp and flatfish burgers plus variations. Since flatfish is the specialty here, they also sell fish and chips made with flatfish. Budweiser draft beer is only ₩4,500, so next time I want to come back for fish and chips with a draft beer!

Soulbucket was also selected as an "Anshim Sikdang" (safe restaurant), a certification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It provides tools for sharing food, manages utensils hygienically and keeps staff masked. The self-bar had jalapeños, house-made mayo, disposable gloves and more.

We ordered the two items below. Drinks are from a self-serve dispenser, so you can refill~!

• The Rich Fondue Plate
• Fresh Flatfish Sachi Burger set

What is The Rich Fondue Plate burger like?

The Rich Fondue Plate is Soulbucket's premium burger: a Rich Beef Burger plunged right into quattro cheese fondue, with a spectacular look. Being quattro cheese fondue, it had a slightly funky smell, too! Even so it wasn't greasy, and it completely won over this cheese lover.

And this isn't an ordinary handmade burger: it has not one but two thick patties. Extra cheese is sprinkled on top, so the cheese is "rich" and the patties are "rich"!

See how thick the patty is? The onions are properly caramelized, so even though the burger itself isn't heavily seasoned, the sweet-salty flavor was so good. It's been about 2 weeks since I ate it, and I still think of this one whenever I finish something important!

The corn salad and fries on the side

Since it can feel a bit heavy, it comes with a corn salad. Unlike other burger franchises, the mayo isn't excessive or thick, so it works as a fresh palate cleanser.

And as you'd expect from a Gyodae Station favorite, the fries were the best ever! I think you can judge a handmade burger place by its fries. Crisp outside, fluffy inside, and melting away once in your mouth. Truly art!!

Is the Fresh Flatfish Sachi Burger free of fishy smell?

Next I tried what I ordered and was most looking forward to: Soulbucket's signature "Fresh Flatfish Sachi Burger." It's a handmade burger with a patty of fresh-tasting flatfish fried in beer-yeast batter, sandwiched with fresh vegetables.

With fish, quality control to avoid any fishy smell is really important, so making this the signature item shows the owner's pride. The burger was so hearty I couldn't fit it in one bite! haha

Wow... the fish melts in your mouth, melts.... The batter isn't thick, so it's crisp, and it's not greasy at all. The balance is amazing!

A video was playing on the shop's screen, and it showed them baking their own buns in-house? The bun was really good too!! There's a reason this has been a Gyodae Station favorite for so long.

Why I recommend Soulbucket for handmade burgers near Gyodae Station

If the comedian Pungja came to Gyodae Station, I think Soulbucket would get a mention at least once. It's that kind of warm-hearted favorite. So if you want carefully made food rather than a franchise around Gyodae Station, I recommend Soulbucket!

TMI rambling time. If you order exactly what we did (The Rich Fondue Plate + Fresh Flatfish Sachi Burger set), it's a combo that can't fail! After studying with a friend at a café, I passed Soulbucket again on my way home late in the evening, and it was still full of people.