Early breakfast in Jeonju: 6:30am bean sprout soup at Ogeorijip

My mom's hometown is Namwon, so we went there every year, but somehow I never made it over to nearby Jeonju — always a little regret of mine. Then I watched an episode of Dokbak Tour featuring Kim Beom, who's from Jeonju, and it made me want to go so badly haha, so I planned a Jeonju trip.

It was a short one-night trip, but Jeonju Hanok Village left a strong impression, and food-wise, Jeonju's signature bean sprout soup was hands down the best part — I feel like I really found a great spot, so I want to share it.

Ogeorijip, a bean sprout soup restaurant in Jeonju

Where is Ogeorijip? Hours and parking in Seohak-dong

Ogeorijip is located at 45 Seohak 2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk, and is open daily from 6:30am to 2pm. Last order is at 1:30pm, and it's closed every Tuesday, plus closed on September 25th for Chuseok.

For parking, you can use the Seohak-dong Art Village public parking lot for free, just 50 meters from Ogeorijip.

Open from 6:30am: the best early breakfast in Jeonju

We're the kind of hardcore Korean-food people who skip breakfast maybe once a year, so we planned to visit a bean sprout soup place in Jeonju that opens early. Ogeorijip opens at 6:30am, making it perfect for breakfast on a Jeonju trip — we showed up at 9am and it was already packed with customers.

The crowd was a real mix: families with kids, couples, friends, older folks — all ages, all types.

There are window seats that look great for solo dining, too — solo travelers could eat comfortably here. The restroom is inside, which made it feel clean, and the whole place has that plain, unpretentious neighborhood-restaurant vibe combined with tidiness. Even the spoons were sparkling haha.

Ogeorijip menu and prices

The menu board at Ogeorijip, a place specializing in bean sprout soup and Korean beef knee soup! The menu is short and simple, which makes it feel that much more focused and expert. Plus, you can get a full meal for as little as ₩6,000 — such a great value restaurant in Jeonju! Traveling costs so much in food alone haha, so a place like this feels precious and wonderful.

Given the honest prices, the ingredients that go in feel genuinely well made, and you can sense the owner's pride. It's basically a restorative meal where you can't leave a single drop of broth behind.

Side dish bar and a free soft-boiled egg for every diner

Ogeorijip serves simple side dishes that pair well with the soup — kimchi, seaweed, salted shrimp relish — plus one free soft-boiled egg per person. Seeing the textbook version of Jeonju bean sprout soup I'd watched on TV right in front of me was such a fun moment, and getting to experience this local Jeonju food felt really valuable haha. Traveling really does make you read meaning into everything.

This was also my first time trying salted shrimp relish — not the moist, salty salted shrimp we usually eat on bossam, but with the moisture and saltiness toned down, leaving a subtle, deeply savory flavor. Both the beef bone broth ingredients and the salted shrimp relish are sold separately, and the Korean beef knee soup can even be shipped.

Just looking at the ingredients that go into the soup, you can tell the owner is generous — and he's also incredibly warm and kind in person, carefully explaining how to eat the dish while serving it. Wrapping rice and salted shrimp relish in seaweed instantly perked up my appetite — I could've polished off a whole bowl of rice just with that haha.

If you run out of side dishes, you can easily grab more from the self-serve bar. Rice refills are unlimited too!

• Yangban Bean Sprout Soup — ₩6,000 cash / ₩7,000 card
• Hwangje Bean Sprout Soup — ₩8,000 cash / ₩9,000 card
• Korean Beef Knee Soup — ₩11,000 cash / ₩12,000 card

How does the yangban bean sprout soup broth taste?

If you're picturing plain bean sprout soup with rice dumped in, think again. Ogeorijip's broth is refreshing with an insanely deep flavor. It was way, way, way better than I expected — genuinely surprised.

The rice comes already mixed into the broth.

The ingredients look simple, but this bean sprout soup restaurant in Jeonju uses organic, pesticide-free domestic bean sprouts and a house-made restorative stock brewed from kelp, onion, dried shrimp, radish, anchovy, sprat, dried shrimp again, shiitake mushroom, dried pollack, squid, and chili seeds — that's what gives the broth its exceptional depth.

So warm and filling! Especially great as a hangover cure the morning after drinking — worked like a charm.

What makes the hwangje bean sprout soup different?

The hwangje (emperor) bean sprout soup is the basic bean sprout soup with finely prepared squid and dried pollack added. ₩8,000 cash, ₩9,000 card.

The squid was chewy and fresh, and the squid and pollack aromas mingled subtly into the broth, giving it a different charm from the yangban version. Really savory and delicious!

Apparently the standard way to eat it is to add broth to the poached egg and mix in seaweed flakes. My boyfriend, who's not great with soft-boiled eggs, chose to break his straight into the broth instead.

Korean beef knee soup: how much meat and how tender?

Ogeorijip's Korean beef knee soup is another dish I'd highly recommend — it's loaded with beef knee cartilage in nearly a 50/50 ratio of broth to meat.

Not chewy at all — soft enough to eat with your gums, practically!

Dipping the knee cartilage in chojang (vinegar-chili sauce) instead of wasabi soy sauce wasn't quite my personal taste, but it was an interesting experience haha.

The Korean beef knee is simmered with sea salt, ginseng, milk vetch root, licorice, and other good ingredients for a deep, rich broth. It felt like getting a premium health boost first thing in the morning.

Piling on kimchi as you go, and the whole bowl disappears in no time!

Proof of a finished bowl haha! Thanks for the meal! I highly recommend Ogeorijip as a go-to spot for Jeonju's famous bean sprout soup.