Korean bar in Gwangjin, Seoul for rice wine and beef hot pot: Simsuljip

A Korean bar in the Konkuk University food alley

Simsuljip (심술집), a Korean bar I’d recommend near Konkuk University Station, is a five-minute walk from the station. It’s in the Konkuk University food alley.

I arrived at Simsuljip, a bar near Konkuk University Station. After spending all day checking out pop-ups and shopping in Seongsu, ending the day at Konkuk University Station is just the truth, haha. I stopped by in the early evening. Since it was a weekday, there wasn’t a wait.

Simsuljip’s menu and 12% Gyeongtakju

Simsuljip has an interior that feels made for drinking. The menu includes beef suyuk jeongol (boiled beef hot pot) ₩29,000, cheese potato julienne pancake ₩12,000, house-made fried chili peppers ₩12,000, yukhoe bibim noodles ₩13,000, sliced pork and bean-sprout stir-fry ₩13,000, a simple snack set ₩16,000, spicy beef tendon ₩19,000, Simsuljip seasoned yukhoe ₩18,000, five-spice braised pork ₩32,000, whelk somyeon and flat dumplings ₩18,000, beef tripe hot pot ₩29,000, spicy beef tendon soup ₩24,000, arong satae beef pancake ₩20,000, squid kimchi pancake ₩12,000, beef tendon fish-cake soup ₩24,000, and dumpling hot pot ₩23,000.

There are so many kinds of alcohol, too. They even had 12% Gyeongtakju, the makgeolli famously associated with singer Sung Si-kyung—something you don’t often see at bars, haha. Wow, I was finally getting to try it. I was really excited. For food, I ordered the steaming beef suyuk jeongol.

At 12%, it’s quite strong for makgeolli (Korean rice wine). Since I don’t really like watery makgeolli, it seemed perfect for me. Come pair Gyeongtakju with Korean bar food near Konkuk University Station sometime.

The 12% Gyeongtakju comes in a 500 ml bottle, a little less than the usual plastic-bottle makgeolli, and the ingredient list is moving: 100% Korean rice, purified water, nuruk, enzyme preparation, acidity regulator, and yeast. That’s all—how does it taste like this?!

Gyeongtakju stands out for its thick, cloudy body. I poured myself a satisfyingly full glass. Makgeolli glasses are provided as standard.

Beef suyuk jeongol that stays hot on the burner

The ₩29,000 beef suyuk jeongol arrived. It had been thoroughly simmered, and because it came on a burner, I could eat it hot right to the end. Once it comes to a boil, you can dig in straight away. Ta-da!

Ahh, so good. The makgeolli had a cherry-blossom aroma; it was bright and delicious, without a single unpleasant note. I recommend this Korean bar near Konkuk University Station. Table ordering made things easy, and there was a TV in one corner of the shop, so it looked good for watching videos or sports. I also liked that the restroom was inside the restaurant.

Order the beef suyuk jeongol and you get unlimited broth refills and rice noodles, too. They bring them at the start, but I recommend adding the noodles after you’ve eaten some of the hot pot. It came with soy sauce mixed with mustard, crunchy chicken-leg crackers as the basic snack, plus pickled onions and radish kimchi to cut through the richness.

It was packed with tendon—maybe even knee tendon?—and I can’t say enough about how tender the arong satae beef was. Under the meat was a full layer of vegetables, including garlic chives, enoki mushrooms, and bean sprouts.

The high-quality arong satae was so soft it practically pulled apart as I lifted it. Arong satae can turn tough when it’s cooked badly, but none of that here—it was warm, tender, and such a treat!! The tendon was absolutely delicious too, especially with that soy-mustard sauce. Things like the spicy beef tendon soup would probably be tasty as well. It all looked just right as drinking food.

Dip it in the sauce with garlic chives and all the vegetables, and the makgeolli goes down so easily. I almost ordered a bottle of soju too, but barely held myself back. It was a weekday, after all, haha.

Bubble, bubble. Now that the weather isn’t hot anymore, how about a menu item that suits this kind of day perfectly? That bubbling broth was especially delicious—its savory depth comes right through, and the meat and vegetable stock really whet your appetite.

Finishing the hot pot with rice noodles

The broth was like a delicious galbitang (beef short-rib soup), which is exactly why they give you rice noodles. They went so well together. After eating some, either add more broth before the noodles or simply put them in and boil them for a whole new dish. When you’re drinking, carbs suddenly become irresistible, and finishing with rice noodles completes the feast.

I recommend it as a Korean bar near Konkuk University Station. Try the Gyeongtakju too.