Gukbap lunch at Gildong Station: minari tofu samhap, Sinjuokmi

Recently I really wanted a hearty, delicious meal near Gildong, so I went to a very highly rated restaurant~ It's Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch (신주옥미 길동직영점), which has made the list of Gildong's Blue Ribbon restaurants thanks to flavors passed down for two generations!

Thanks to the high-quality meat and carefully made food, it's popular as a filling lunch spot near Gildong Station, and it's also famous as a go-to 24-hour hangover soup place in Gildong that you can visit any time~

Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch: location, hours and parking

Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch is at 102, 1st floor, 1459 Yangjae-daero, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, 206 m from Exit 1 of Gildong Station. It's open every day, 24 hours, all year round, and it offers parking, group seating, takeout and reservations, with separate men's and women's restrooms.

• Address: 102, 1st floor, 1459 Yangjae-daero, Gangdong-gu, Seoul (206 m from Gildong Station Exit 1)
• Hours: Daily 00:00–24:00 (open 24 hours, year-round)
• Parking and facilities: Parking available, group seating, takeout, reservations, separate men's/women's restrooms

How to get to Sinjuokmi from Gildong Station

Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch is really close, about a 3-minute walk from Exit 1 of Gildong Station!!

Public transport access is great, and the parking lot is well equipped too, so it's easy to come by car.

Inside Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch: is it roomy enough for a group lunch?

The inside of Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch was much bigger and more comfortable than it looks from the outside~ The tables are spaced generously, so it never felt cramped for a Gildong Station lunch with coworkers or friends.

On one side of the restaurant there's a tidy self-serve bar where you can grab extra side dishes without feeling awkward about it, which was really convenient throughout the meal~

They apparently boil the pork themselves four times a day, and you can tell the care that goes into it: the moment I walked in, a clean smell whetted my appetite!!

As you'd expect from a famous Blue Ribbon spot in Gildong, I could feel that even the hygiene and cleanliness of the place are a cut above~

The interior is bigger than I expected, and the wide spacing between tables makes it good for groups. The lighting is bright and clean, so a group visit seems fine. The whole hall is well kept, which made eating there comfortable~ The decor looks carefully done too, and there were even mouthwash, dental floss and candy, which was perfect for freshening up after the meal!

What is Sinjuokmi's minari tofu samhap, and how much is it?

The minari tofu samhap (미나리두부삼합) at Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch costs ₩38,000, and it comes in a big hot pot with pork head, minari, tofu and stir-fried kimchi all together. The gukbap dishes like the regular sundaeguk (blood sausage soup) are excellent too, but today I was craving something special, so I ordered the minari tofu samhap!!

It arrives in a big hot pot piled with freshly boiled, tender pork head, fragrant fresh minari, warm and nutty tofu, and stir-fried kimchi bursting with savory flavor. The look of it alone was overwhelming~

How did the minari tofu samhap taste?

I piled tofu, stir-fried kimchi and plenty of minari onto a soft piece of pork head and ate it in one bite, and nuttiness and fragrance spread through my whole mouth in perfect harmony!! There was not a trace of gamey smell, and the texture was so tender it practically melted in my mouth~

It's filling enough as a meal, so it makes a great special lunch near Gildong Station, and I think it would be the best drinking snack in the evening!!

Finishing the broth with ramyeon noodles or porridge

You can add ramyeon noodles or porridge to the rich broth that the ingredients leave behind, so I finished the meal as heartily as any course dinner~ As I spooned up the spicy, deep broth, I thought there's no better 24-hour hangover soup in Gildong to soothe your stomach the morning after drinking!!

Sinjuokmi's Gyeoteulim Gotgan: unlimited side-dish refills

The side-dish area!! (unlimited banchan service)

And last, Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch has a spot called the Gyeoteulim Gotgan (곁들임 곳간, side-dish storehouse), which is literally a zone for unlimited side-dish refills.

Kimchi, minari, garlic and more: you can eat it all without any awkwardness, and it's really tasty haha

Even coffee and rice... it's seriously amazing. Definitely a top Gildong restaurant, I admit it, T_T

Verdict: is Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch worth a return lunch?

Between the quality of the meat boiled with care every day and the clean-tasting food, I finally understood why Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch is counted among Gildong's Blue Ribbon restaurants~

A spacious, comfortable hall, friendly service, and the huge perk of being open 24 hours all year!! If you're looking for a 24-hour hangover soup spot in Gildong or a hearty meal you can visit any time without fuss, definitely stop by. I'd return 200%~!!