Ulsan gukbap restaurant with parking and wide tables: Boksan Haejang

Trying to figure out lunch in Buk-gu, Ulsan, we ended up at Boksan Haejang, which has been getting a lot of buzz lately! It's the kind of spicy, tangy hangover-soup menu that's perfect for clearing your head, so it was packed even at lunchtime — but after eating it, I actually think it would also be perfect with a midday drink.

Where do you park at Boksan Haejang?

This is the entrance of Boksan Haejang, where we went for lunch in Buk-gu, Ulsan. There's a parking lot right behind the building, so parking was easy. Songjeong in Ulsan is also just a neighborhood where parking is generally easy even without a lot! We were so hungry we hurried straight inside.

Boksan Haejang menu: rice, noodles and raw beef

Here's the menu board at Boksan Haejang. Boksan haejangguk (hangover soup) is naturally the main dish, and you can also get the hangover soup with noodles instead of rice. So you can choose between Boksan haejangguk with rice or haejang kalguksu with noodles~~ There was also yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef rice bowl), which I obviously couldn't resist, so I picked that too. It being summer, a lot of people seemed to be ordering the Boksan yukhoe mulhoe (cold raw beef soup) as well. For a side dish there was Boksan pork bulgogi, which looked good as a simple addition. And they even had mungtigi (raw beef cuts), which I love????? I decided to come back for dinner next time to try the mungtigi, and today ordered the hangover soup and yukhoe bibimbap.

We went right in the middle of lunch rush and got lucky, sitting down at the last open table without waiting. There can be a wait, but you can easily register with Table Ring, and since hangover soup is the kind of dish that turns tables over quickly, you probably won't wait too long! If you don't want to wait, remember to check Table Ring ahead of time and register for the waitlist!!

Why Boksan Haejang works for lunch with a baby

The best part of lunch at Boksan Haejang in Buk-gu, Ulsan! The interior was spacious and the tables were wide, which felt really refreshing. When tables are cramped, there's no room once the side dishes are set out and eating feels stuffy — but here the wide table was great. Plus, there was a baby chair, so even though the hangover soup dishes are hot, we could eat safely with the baby thanks to it.

The side dishes served at Boksan Haejang

They thoughtfully set out salt, pepper, sancho pepper, and perilla seeds so you can add them to taste. I tried it and the seasoning was already spot on, so I ate it as it came without adding anything.

Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), radish salad, and pickled onion too~ It wouldn't feel right to have hangover soup without these kinds of kimchi sides..!!

Yukhoe bibimbap at Boksan Haejang arrives right away

Here's the yukhoe bibimbap we ordered. It came out almost immediately after ordering. If you're short on time and don't want to wait, go with the yukhoe bibimbap!! The visual of a yukhoe bibimbap with an egg yolk plopped on top — what Korean could resist that?? I don't think there is one..

A plump egg yolk with a combination of visibly fresh yukhoe (raw beef). Add in the fresh green vegetables and it's the icing on the cake.. Can't believe this is what shows up for a lunch order~

Mixed it all together and took a proper first bite! Yukhoe, rice, and lettuce all together for one big bite — instantly touched 🩷

There was so much yukhoe that I could keep eating it together with the rice all the way to the end. I fell for how generous the yukhoe portion was in Boksan Haejang's yukhoe bibimbap. It was fresh yet mild — just right for lunch.

Boksan haejangguk: a stone bowl packed with ingredients

Next came the Boksan haejangguk. The visual of the soup bubbling away properly in its hot stone pot.. Seeing the sprinkled scallions on top, this dish also clearly had a lot of care put into it.

I usually love this kind of spicy, hearty soup packed with ingredients, and Boksan Haejang's version was absolutely loaded. That spicy flavor felt like it would cure a hangover on its own 🩷

Served in a hot stone pot, it stayed hot until the very last spoonful, and the portion was generous enough that I was properly full after finishing the bowl. A clean, satisfying hangover cure at Boksan Haejang.