Seongsu restaurant at 2pm on a weekend, no queue: Dwaeji Gomtang House

Dwaeji Gomtang House is already a super famous name in Seongsu! When I heard a special pop-up opened at the Musinsa Mega Store branch, I rushed over. Here's my review — plus a weekend visit tip that got me in with zero waiting!

Where is Dwaeji Gomtang House Musinsa Mega Store Branch, and what are the hours?

Dwaeji Gomtang House Musinsa Mega Store Branch is open daily 11:00–21:00, last order at 20:00. It's an 8-minute walk from Exit 3 of Seongsu Station, on the 4th floor food court of the Musinsa Mega Store branch.

If you love gukbap (rice soup), this is a must-visit. Clear gomtang is a clean, mild pork rice soup with a genuinely deep broth flavor, while spicy gomtang is spicier and richer than you'd expect — properly good.

Once you're up on the 4th floor of Musinsa Mega Store, you'll find the food garden — turn left and Dwaeji Gomtang House is right there!

Menu and how to order at the kiosk

The menu included clear gomtang, spicy gomtang, minari-tot (water dropwort and hijiki seaweed) giant mandu, cold jeyuk (sliced pork), herring roe radish, and various drinks. We ordered the clear gomtang set and the spicy gomtang set. Herring roe radish comes included with the set! Order at the kiosk and don't forget to grab your buzzer.

For reference, all ingredients used at Dwaeji Gomtang House are domestic. Solid sourcing from the start — you can really trust what you're eating.

4F Food Garden seating: can you eat alone here?

Since the food garden is set up like a food court, there's plenty of room — solo seats, 4-person tables, all spacious! I'd guess weekday lunches bring in a lot of nearby office workers, and with this much solo seating, it seems perfect.

Spicy gomtang: how hot is the broth really?

I was honestly surprised by how red it looked, way more than I expected haha. I figured a place aiming for a slightly 'healthier' taste wouldn't go too hard on the spicy version despite the name, so I didn't have high expectations — but it turned out spicier and richer than I imagined, genuinely intense.

Plus, thinly sliced mushrooms and tot (hijiki seaweed) mixed in, which seemed to balance out a broth that could otherwise feel a little too fiery.

Sounds like it shouldn't work, but it totally does. Eaten together with the thinly sliced meat, it really hits that hangover-curing spot — my companion was sweating it out properly.

Clear gomtang: clean broth with real depth

This is the one I ordered! Clear gomtang comes already seasoned, but if you want more, pepper and salt are set up right next to the pickup counter.

They told us to top the soup with the meat and the minced chili sauce on that white plate.

Just like this!! The minced chili sauce — not spicy at all, just chili flavor — did a great job cutting through the soft, fatty meat so it never felt greasy.

But the meat piled on top of the soup is really, really, really thin. And there's a lot of it!! At first I wondered if slices this thin would even have flavor, but being thin actually makes it taste better;;; the texture never gets in the way, and the soft meat blends beautifully with the deep, rich broth.

Herring roe with dried radish, included with every set

Eating the standard herring roe radish alongside — now I get why it's also sold separately. It's seriously addictive;;; totally different from the radish flavor I know, with a satisfying crunch and umami that had me eating it nonstop with the gukbap.

The deep, rich broth was great, but the combination of thinly sliced meat and side dishes made it complete. If you love gukbap, this is a definite must-visit!! I keep thinking about that herring roe radish especially..

How to eat at Dwaeji Gomtang House on a weekend with no queue

Here's the tip! The original Dwaeji Gomtang House location is already famous in Seongsu, so it's hard to get in without waiting on weekdays or weekends — but at the Musinsa Mega Store branch, I visited just past weekend lunchtime, close to 2pm, and there was no wait and plenty of space to eat comfortably!!

And since it's inside the Musinsa Mega Store branch, close to both Yeonmujang-gil and Seongsu Station, it made the visit even more convenient haha. You can eat, browse Musinsa, and grab coffee all in one trip — as a local, I've decided to drop by even on weekdays. Next time I'm ordering the clear gomtang plus the minari-tot mandu!