Bucheon Korean restaurant with a toddler, soy crab added: Gim Myeongju

It was a hot, boring weekend, so I hopped over to the much-talked-about Urban Square model house near Sosa Station! After all that house-hunting on foot I got hungry, so we ran straight to a Korean set-meal restaurant I'd bookmarked nearby.

What is Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch like?

This is the real main destination of today's post: Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch (김명주뜰안채밥상 신중동점), a Bucheon Korean restaurant with a great reputation. Thanks to its neat, tidy table settings, it's also very popular as a spot for Korean-style gatherings in Bucheon.

📌 Restaurant and parking info

• 📍 Location: 70 Jungdong-ro 254beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 10:30–21:30 (last order 20:50)
• 👶 Amenities: High chair available
• 🛍️ Other: Freshly milled rice for sale (1 kg, ₩10,000)
• 🚗 Parking: Private lot available (parking attendants on duty, so it's convenient)

Right from the entrance, the old-fashioned tiled roof and the jangdok (traditional sauce jar) decor go together so nicely, don't they?

Parking and the stairs to the 2nd floor: fine with a child?

Parking matters a lot when you visit a restaurant. Gim Myeongju has a very spacious private lot. On top of that, there are parking attendants on duty, and even though it was a busy weekend, they sorted out the cars quickly and kindly. No parking stress, so I was in a good mood before we even went in.

After parking, you go through a passage inside and up to the 2nd floor, where the restaurant is. There's no elevator, but the stairs aren't steep and there aren't many steps, so even our 17-month-old son climbed up bravely on his own. It was no problem to visit with a little one.

Tablet ordering: Tteuranchae Bapsang for two plus soy crab

You order on the tablet at the table. You can order a set meal in one go, or add any main dish you like to the basic 'Tteuranchae Bapsang' spread, which felt like a reasonable, good-value setup!

We ordered the Tteuranchae Bapsang for two plus soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang).

Side dishes and the self-bar

Before long, a neat lineup of side dishes was set out for us. Seasoned vegetables (namul), japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), stir-fried eggplant and more — every one had a lovely homemade touch.

On top of that, if you run out of sides, or want more rice or fresh salad, you can help yourself at the self-bar on one side of the restaurant, which felt extra generous and nice.

Pot rice, cheonggukjang and the soy crab

Nutty pot rice (solbap) after so long — the rice alone is heavenly! This cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) in particular was truly a work of art. The broth was so rich and deep that the stew pot alone was worth the price of a main dish, and all four of us dug in without a word.

And now the grand rice thief: the soy-marinated crab! The shell and the leg meat aren't too hard, so it's just right for slurping out. See how full the meat is? The savory depth was the real deal, and looking around, lots of other tables were eating soy crab too. Actually, I'm on a diet right now with diet injections. But with the weather this hot, not eating enough left me drained and struggling. T_T

But what do you know, this soy crab completely brought back my lost appetite! I'm dieting and my appetite is back, so should I laugh or cry... Still, eating something delicious made me so happy. :)

Finishing with namul bibimbap from the self-bar gochujang

A Korean's true dessert is rice, right? Haha. After seeing so many tasty namul sides in a long while, I was dying for bibimbap. At the self-bar, there are big mixing bowls and bibimbap gochujang (chili paste) set out generously for making it yourself. I was also impressed by the thoughtful touch of letting you pick sesame oil or perilla oil to your taste!

Seeing the shine on the bibimbap I mixed up, I couldn't put my spoon down. Even when you're about to burst, you need to wrap up with a bowl of bibimbap to really feel you ate well, right? Haha. The nutty sesame oil aroma and the crunchy namul went so well together that I scraped up every last spoonful.

P.S. The Urban Square model house I visited before lunch, near Sosa Station

With nothing in particular to do on the weekend, and it being so hot and boring, I went to look around the model house of 'e-Pyeonhansesang Bucheon Urban Square' by Sosa Station, which has been getting a lot of buzz lately.

Address: 1 Gilju-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi. It's right next to the Bucheon Manhwa Museum, so it's easy to find.

Inside, judging by the atmosphere, the most popular 84 type was sold out in every variation. Instead, I really liked the layout of the 74B type! The pleasant layout typical of a new build and the classy accent-wall details stood out, so it was a very enjoyable tour. Just in case, I asked about remaining 74B units: the Building 302, closest to the station, had just one left on the low-to-mid floors, and Buildings 102 and 103 have a small number of low-to-mid-floor units left. If you're interested, you'll want to hurry.

After happily finishing the tour, there was a gacha event on the way out, so I gave it a go.

Ta-da! I won 5th prize and got a cute portable mini LED fan. Haha. It was really hot outside, so it was a handy, cheerful little gift. Apparently Urban Square will wrap up soon, and the next in line, 'Zenith', is preparing for sales. If you're interested in new builds in Bucheon, keep a close eye on the Applyhome (청약홈) site!