Squid-pork bulgogi and Suhyangmi rice in Gimcheon: Sonamu Sikdang

Smoky grilled Korean squid and black pork bulgogi, pricey Golden Queen Suhyangmi rice, and side dishes that take real effort but taste amazing — a Gimcheon local favorite, good enough to be the signature restaurant of Apo-eup: Sonamu Sikdang

Sonamu Sikdang in Apo-eup, Gimcheon: back after a few years

I visited Sonamu Sikdang, a local favorite in Gimcheon. I'd been once a few years ago, and finally came back to eat osam bulgogi again.

Gimcheon is known for its grilled bulgogi — there's even a whole black pork alley in Jirye-myeon. If there's one truly excellent briquette-grilled restaurant representing Gimcheon-style grilled bulgogi in Apo-eup, it's Sonamu Sikdang.

Sonamu Sikdang menu and prices

Here's the menu board at Sonamu Sikdang, a local favorite in Gimcheon.

• Briquette-grilled — black pork, seasoned/soy, 180g ₩13,000
• Osam bulgogi / grilled squid, 180g ₩14,000
• Japonica freshwater eel, grilled, 200g ₩21,000
• Rice bowl ₩1,000 (comes with doenjang jjigae when ordering Suhyangmi/rice)
• Extras — Buchujeon ₩6,000 / Grilled deodeok ₩10,000
• Extra doenjang jjigae ₩3,000
• Drinks ₩2,000 / Alcohol ₩4,000

Eight side dishes worth a bowl of rice on their own

The side dishes at Sonamu Sikdang are art. Honestly, basically art. Freshly made and still lively — egg salad, quail eggs braised in soy sauce, mung bean sprouts, baek-kimchi (white kimchi), seasoned zucchini, seasoned doraji (bellflower root), stir-fried dried shrimp, mushroom sweet-and-sour... Side dishes that sit around get dry and lose flavor, but here it felt like they'd just been tossed and put straight onto my rice spoon. I felt like I could eat a full meal on side dishes alone! A solid Gimcheon lunch spot for a filling midday meal — Sonamu Sikdang.

Osam bulgogi for two, 360g: smoky flavor without the smoke

The food came out fast, in under 10 minutes. We ordered squid bulgogi, 2 servings (360g), and buchujeon. Since it's briquette-grilled, there's a nice smoky char, but I liked that there was no smell or smoke inside — must be grilled outside the building 🙂

Made with domestic squid and black pork, yet only ₩14,000 per serving. A fair price, but the flavor runs as deep as the restaurant's long history. The taste was exactly the same as when I found this place through a search years ago — nothing had changed, and that felt really good. Sonamu Sikdang, a consistent local favorite in Gimcheon. Part of me wants to keep it to myself, and part of me wants everyone to know about it! Though of course, it's already famous ㅠㅠ

Golden Queen Suhyangmi rice and the free doenjang jjigae

When you order rice at Sonamu Sikdang, you get doenjang jjigae for free — and not a token amount either, but a generous serving. The rice is the Golden Queen variety. Suhyangmi is pricier than regular white rice, but this variety is especially sweet and sticky, with a scent that really reminds you of nurungji (scorched rice) candy. I already love Golden Queen rice, and finding a restaurant that actually uses it made my day! I was genuinely moved by plain white rice, haha. This kind of generosity clearly comes from a well-stocked pantry 🫢 A real, honest restaurant that doesn't skimp on good ingredients and cooks with care — best of luck to the owner of Sonamu, haha.

Buchujeon on the side, ₩6,000

We added buchujeon (chive pancake) alongside the main meat dish 🙂 Thin and crispy, it seemed great as a light side or a drinking snack too. I don't like jeon that's basically flour-mush turned into rice-cake-like dough, but this buchujeon had the chives' fragrance clearly alive, and it was nutty and savory.

Plum tea for dessert and the coffee vending machine

I fully recommend the plum tea dessert at Sonamu Sikdang. The fridge label says plum tea, but is it really? The taste was more like omija (schisandra berry) tea 🫢 Tangy and sweet, it cleaned my palate nicely. There's also a coffee vending machine, so if you like instant mix coffee, you're covered!

Why Sonamu Sikdang is worth a return trip

It was so good. The kind of taste where the rice calls for the side dishes and the side dishes call right back for the rice... Takeout is available too, so next time I'll take home the soy-sauce briquette grill. All the staff were friendly and quick, and it made me happy every time a side dish came out and they smiled and said, 'Enjoy your meal~' haha. A friendly, delicious Gimcheon grilled bulgogi restaurant, Sonamu Sikdang. Just like its name — pine tree — I hope it stays green and thriving as Apo-eup's signature restaurant for a long, long time ❤️