Gukbap restaurant near Geoje Jungle Dome on market day: Bongga Gukbap

Today I'm introducing a restaurant in Geoje-myeon, on Geoje Island — Bongga Gukbap!

Where Bongga Gukbap is in Geoje, and where to park

We visited during the Chuseok holiday, right on a five-day market day in Geoje-myeon, planning to eat breakfast after browsing the market. Bongga Gukbap was well located too — about 5 minutes by car from Geoje Jungle Dome and around 10 minutes to Sup Sori Park and Bird & Fish.

There was a dedicated lot right in front of the restaurant with room for about 5 cars, and it was within a 5-minute walk of the Geoje five-day market.

Inside Bongga Gukbap: the room and the menu

The inside was quite spacious, and since we came in the morning it was quiet at first. Soon a big crowd of grandfathers arrived straight from the market. You know the saying — a restaurant full of grandpas and grandmas is a guaranteed good one!

The owner had displayed suseok (ornamental viewing stones) collected as a hobby along with various knick-knacks, and some hand-painted rubber shoes gave off a real countryside feel.

Here's the menu at Bongga Gukbap in Geoje. We ordered one pork gukbap, one mixed gukbap, and a small suyuk. Since we were eating with our son, we asked for the dadaegi (chili paste) to be served separately.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar at Bongga Gukbap

The side dishes came out first: kkakdugi (radish kimchi), geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi), chive salad, lettuce, garlic, chili peppers, onion, salted shrimp with ssamjang (dipping paste), and pickled onion. Since we also ordered suyuk, the spread was even more generous.

Any side dish running low can be refilled from the self-serve bar. The geotjeori, kkakdugi and chive salad were all so good we went back for seconds.

Once the gukbap and suyuk all arrived, the table was completely full. We'd asked for the dadaegi separately so we could share with our son, and it was nice that the suyuk came with its own broth too!

Small suyuk platter, warmed at the table on a gas burner

Tender, soft suyuk. It arrives warm, and they give you a gas burner so you can reheat it if it cools down.

The suyuk had no gamey smell at all and paired well with both the pickled onion and the geotjeori. Even our four-year-old boy's taste buds approved — he ate it happily!

Mixed gukbap and pork gukbap: clear broth with perilla seed powder

Whenever we go to a gukbap place, I always order mixed or intestine gukbap while my wife gets pork gukbap. The mixed gukbap was loaded with plenty of intestine, meat and sundae (Korean blood sausage).

The broth had a clear feel with perilla seed powder mixed in, giving it a nutty flavor. Seasoning it with dadaegi and salted shrimp made it even more delicious!

Gukbap really does taste best with the rice mixed in and eaten alongside geotjeori or kkakdugi! The geotjeori was freshly made and crunchy, while the kkakdugi was well-fermented and tangy — two different kinds of kimchi that went perfectly with the soup.

Verdict: breakfast at Bongga Gukbap after the five-day market

We browsed the five-day market before Chuseok and had a solid breakfast at Bongga Gukbap — a restaurant full of local elders really is a guaranteed good one!

The suyuk had no gamey smell and the gukbap broth was clear and nutty, making it a great stop for a hangover too. It's well located near several Geoje attractions and opens early enough for breakfast, so it's a good option for hangover recovery while traveling around Geoje Island! When you visit Geoje, don't just stick to the sights and pretty cafés — check out the countryside vibe of the five-day market too, and grab a hearty bowl of gukbap while you're at it.