Gimhae gamjatang restaurant, Sunday lunch with group seating: Ppyeodae

Gamjatang near the Gimhae Costco: Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch

On a Sunday lunch, craving something hot and hearty, I headed to a Gimhae Juchon favorite: Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch.

There's parking right in front of the restaurant, plus plenty of spots nearby, so no parking stress at all. That's a real perk out here on the edge of the city — if you're out at Gimhae Costco, keep this place in mind for lunch or dinner.

This Gimhae Costco favorite has apparently been on TV too. I once had their jellyfish salad with garlic and a fresh pyeonyuk (boiled pork slices) dish — genuinely great, highly recommend. But today I was going straight for the gamjatang.

I'd come out to Costco and was looking for somewhere to eat around Juchon, and sure enough — being Sunday lunchtime — the place was packed. I figured there'd be a decent crowd at mealtime, but it was way busier than expected. Clearly not a Gimhae Juchon favorite for nothing.

Juchon has a Costco nearby, so a lot of people are looking for a meal before or after shopping. If you want a hearty one-dish meal, this Costco-adjacent spot is worth a visit.

Group tables and the dining room at Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch

There's a dedicated space for groups, so I snapped a photo. Shortly after, that whole area filled up with a group of diners — glad I got the shot when I did!

Plenty of certificates and awards are on display, proof that its reputation as a Gimhae Juchon favorite is well earned.

Menu and prices: what a meal costs in Juchon, Gimhae

• Haejangguk Feast Set (1 person) ₩16,000
• Bone-in / Boneless Haejangguk ₩11,000
• Sundae Ugeoji Haejangguk ₩11,000
• Hwangtae Haejangguk ₩11,000
• Gamjatang Feast Set: 2 people ₩40,000 / 3 people ₩53,000 / 4 people ₩65,000
• Gamjatang (single dish): 2 people ₩35,000 / 3 people ₩43,000 / 4 people ₩50,000
• Handmade Pork Skin Pyeonyuk ₩9,000
• Skate Sashimi Salad ₩15,000
• Sotbap upgrade ₩1,000
• Self-serve fried rice ₩3,000

The main menu here is haejangguk and gamjatang — being early Sunday lunch, a lot of people were digging into their haejangguk bowls, probably nursing a hangover from the night before. Whether you order the bone-in or boneless version, it really does the job.

The side dishes arrived. Aside from the pyeonyuk, everything else is refillable at the self-serve bar.

Medium gamjatang with unlimited sari refills

We ordered the gamjatang (medium) that day. Gamjatang always tastes best shared, so we went with the medium size. The pot arrived at the table loaded with bones and a rich broth — looked amazing from the start. As it simmered away, the broth got deeper and deeper, and there was real satisfaction in picking the meat off each bone one by one.

What I loved most was the unlimited sari refills! With gamjatang, just eating broth and meat can feel like something's missing, but ordering extra sari over and over can feel like a hassle — here you can refill without a second thought. If you're someone who loves noodles in gamjatang broth, you'll be especially happy. Meat, then sari, then back to the broth — the meal turned into a genuinely fun, drawn-out affair. And the house-made kimchi paired with it was excellent too.

Switching to sotbap and scraping the nurungji

Another dish I was looking forward to was the sotbap. I ordered it along with the gamjatang, and seeing it arrive piping hot just made me happy. After scooping out most of the rice, I poured water into the pot and let the remaining rice turn into nurungji (scorched rice tea). After all that meat and sari, finishing with warm nurungji left me feeling completely satisfied.

After something as rich and intense as gamjatang, the nutty nurungji made a surprisingly good combo. If you're at this Gimhae Juchon gamjatang spot, I really recommend getting the sotbap. There's a regular version and a gondre (aster) sotbap — next time I want to try the gondre one. The rice was glossy, chewy, and perfectly cooked — scooping it out and making nurungji from it really made the meal feel complete.

Even full, you can't skip the ramen sari in gamjatang. This Gimhae Juchon favorite gives it free. Such a generous Gimhae Costco spot.

Ending with 3,000 won self-serve fried rice

But it doesn't end there. Once you've made your way through the gamjatang, there's one dish you always end up craving — fried rice! We ordered it made with the leftover gamjatang broth to close things out. Even already pretty full, the fried rice somehow still went down easily. The rich flavor of the gamjatang broth soaked into the rice gave it a completely different appeal from plain rice. Meat, sari, and finally fried rice — truly a satisfying meal.

Was Sunday lunch worth it in Juchon, Gimhae?

I visited during Sunday lunch and the place was genuinely packed. Families were eating together, and many tables had groups sharing gamjatang — clearly a popular weekend lunch spot. Seeing this kind of crowd makes me think this is a Gimhae Juchon favorite that's been steadily loved by locals.

If you're in Juchon looking for something hot and filling like gamjatang or haejangguk, it's worth a stop. And if you've come out to the Juchon Costco and need somewhere to eat, this works well too. Shopping tends to work up an appetite, and gamjatang plus sotbap plus fried rice will definitely fill you up. So if you're hunting for a good Costco-adjacent spot, this one's worth keeping in mind.

To sum up what we ate that day: a generous gamjatang (medium), unlimited sari refills added to taste, house-made kimchi on the side, sotbap turned into nurungji, and finally fried rice to finish. Looking back, that was a proper, thorough meal.

What stuck with me most was how packed Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch was even at an early Sunday lunch. If you're craving a hearty meal in Juchon and you love gamjatang, keep this one in mind. Whether you're searching for a Gimhae Juchon favorite or a place to eat after the Juchon Costco, this is one I'd recommend. Next time I visit, I'll probably order the gamjatang again and work my way through sari to fried rice all over again :)

Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch: address, hours and parking

• Address: 295 Seobu-ro 1637beon-gil, Juchon-myeon, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 06:00–21:00 (last order 20:30)
• Sep 24–26: 06:00–21:00 (open during Chuseok holiday)
• Group seating available, reservations, takeout, parking, Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms