Late-night sundaeguk in Gangdong: two chili levels at Boseung Hoegwan

It had been over a year since my husband and I last had sundaeguk (blood sausage soup) together. That day I was really craving gukbap, so I figured we might as well go somewhere with good reviews and good taste — after some digging, I found Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch, a local Cheonho restaurant. I didn't realize there were this many kinds of gukbap; we spent ages choosing from the menu. Great taste, great portions! The interior was clean too, so this is a 100% will-visit-again Cheonho restaurant.

Where is Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch, and what about parking and hours?

Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch is about 80m from Exit 3 of Cheonho Station, on the 1st floor at 654 Olympic-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul. It's open 24 hours, so a bowl of gukbap is possible even late at night, and while it's easy to reach by public transit, there's even parking available.

Boseung Hoegwan seems to be adding new branches around town lately. There's one in our neighborhood too — Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch — and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Cheonho restaurant.

The Boseung Hoegwan menu: why choosing takes so long

The Boseung Hoegwan menu is so full of gukbap varieties that the scrolling never seems to end. I was honestly surprised looking at the menu — there was no end to the choices. No matter how far we scrolled, there was more, so both my husband and I spent a long time picking.

Each table has a tablet-style kiosk, so once you comfortably pick your menu, staff help set up the side dishes for you.

Inside Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch at 9:30pm

The interior of Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch was wide and open — spacious enough to seat 50 people at once, I'd guess. Even though we visited late, around 9:30pm, there were couples, solo diners, group meals, and after-party gatherings all sitting at their tables.

Honestly, it was the cleanest sundaeguk restaurant I'd ever seen, and with tables set up all the way toward the back, it seemed like a great spot for group gatherings too. One visit and you naturally get the impression that this is a sundaeguk gukbap restaurant with solid hygiene standards. Recommended if you're looking for a Cheonho restaurant.

What side dishes come with the gukbap at Boseung Hoegwan?

The side dishes at Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch include fresh chives, salt, dipping sauce for the boiled meat and sundaeguk, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), and kimchi. While we were still deciding on our order, staff had already neatly set the side dishes down for us. Refills were unlimited, of course, and they tasted good enough that we refilled once more.

How spicy is the one-chili pork-jowl gukbap?

What I ordered was the spicy pork-neck gukbap (얼큰항정수육국밥). On the menu, every dish at Boseung Hoegwan has a chili count on the right side, and the spicy pork-neck gukbap gets one chili. I'm known among friends for being pretty bad with spice, but for reference, if you can handle carbonara rosé with milk, you can handle this just fine.

The pork neck inside was generously loaded — it just kept coming — and when ordering you could also choose whether to add or skip perilla seed powder and the noodles inside. I added the perilla powder, mixed it into the soup, and took a sip — the broth had a rich, deep flavor.

Sundae jiok gukbap: two chilis, and my husband's reaction

My husband got the sundae hell gukbap (순대지옥국밥). It's labeled 'spicy' right next to the name, and has two chilis marked beside it. I thought, how spicy could it really be? But my husband kept repeating 'this is spicy' from start to finish — and he's not even someone who's bad with spice.

Is it worth adding the sundae plate and boiled head meat?

We also ordered a sundae (blood sausage) plate and boiled head meat to share — no gamey smell at all, chewy and delicious.

The boiled meat came sliced thin. It's not warm — it's served cold. I usually have a sensitive nose, but there wasn't a single moment where I questioned the smell; my husband and I enjoyed the boiled head meat together without any issue.

If you like sundae, I think you'd like the sundae plate at Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch too. There were three different kinds of sundae arranged on the plate, which made it fun to share one by one with my husband. Japchae sundae, regular sundae — it was nice to pick and choose, and since it came out warm, we felt satisfyingly full right away. Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch was so clean and tasty — I'd recommend it if you're looking for a Cheonho restaurant.