Ox knee & tail soup with chive garnish at Mokpo restaurant Mujinjang

They've moved to Peace Square!!

My husband and I took a trip to Mokpo for some fresh air after a while. Lately he'd been sweating a lot and looking low on energy. I wanted a rich, hearty soup to help us both recover, so we headed to Mujinjang Kkori Gomtang, a famous restaurant near Mokpo's Peace Square. Third generation running the place, using only 1++ grade Korean beef — a truly authentic spot!

Moved to Peace Square — don't get the location mixed up

You really shouldn't mix up the location!! This restaurant has been run by the same family for three generations, and because the old building was aging, they moved a month ago. There seemed to be a lot of long-time regulars in Mokpo. We went for lunch, and quite a few older regulars were already eating there.

Menu and prices

The menu had ox tail soup (Korean beef) for ₩27,000, knee-cartilage soup for ₩25,000, regular gomtang for ₩12,000, and a boiled beef platter (knee + shank) for ₩40,000. Beef hip soup is limited to 10 bowls a day. Looking around, a lot of people seemed to be ordering the boiled beef hot pot too. I love a chewy texture, so I picked the knee-cartilage soup, while my husband loves meat on the bone, so he went with the tail soup.

The fact that they only use 1++ grade Korean beef gave me a lot of confidence going in. The owner's pride in the meat and the food was obvious.

Celebrity autographs and a local food competition award

Looking around the restaurant, there were autographs from various celebrities on the wall. My husband got especially excited when he spotted a signature from a golf pro he likes, and asked about it. Apparently that pro stops by every time he has a match in the area.

My husband said, "This is straight-up recovery food!!!" and vowed not to leave a single drop of broth!!!

It turns out the tail soup and ox foot dishes won an award at Mokpo's local food competition — this is a genuinely old, established local spot.

The kimchi is the lifeline of the side dishes

Bean sprouts, cubed radish kimchi, napa cabbage kimchi, chives, onion, chili peppers. The side dishes were pretty similar to what you'd get at any gukbap (soup and rice) restaurant.

But you know kimchi is the make-or-break, right? Doesn't matter how good the main dish is if the kimchi falls flat. And here, the kimchi definitely earned a nod. I found myself thinking, 'Ah, so this is why they've lasted three generations!'

Ox tail gomtang with tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat

With beef, you can always tell everything from a single sip of the broth. If the meat isn't fresh, that gamy smell hits you immediately — and beef is even worse for this than pork.

Honestly, it's hard to pull off zero gaminess, but there was absolutely none here. No trace of that distinct off-smell in the meat either. And the meat chunks were generously fatty and tender.

I don't like to put my husband on blast, but he ate like someone who hadn't eaten in days — and this is a guy who wasn't even that excited before we got there because of the hot weather. And yet he scraped that earthenware bowl clean.

I dipped some in the sauce they gave us too — the meat was so tender and the broth was outstanding. Being run by three generations really does mean something different.

The cubed radish kimchi is a must! It came in a generous portion, and there were noodles included too, which was a nice bonus.

Knee-cartilage soup: packed with collagen, great texture

It had been so long since I'd had knee-cartilage soup (dogani-tang)! Dogani refers to the cartilage around a cow's knee joint — the part connecting bone to bone, full of cartilage and tendons.

The longer it's simmered, the milkier and richer the broth becomes, and it's packed with collagen, which is great for the skin. I tried adding the chives that came with it...

The secret hiding in the chive garnish

Wait, what? What did they do to these chives? The umami and depth of flavor just shot up. There must be some hidden trick to that chive seasoning. I kept telling my husband to add chives too, but the broth was so rich and delicious on its own that he finished his bowl without them. There was also a generous amount of knee cartilage in it, so I felt like I ate to my heart's content.

I even mixed in a bowl of rice at the end — felt like I properly recharged my body.

That chewy texture is hard to put into words. It felt like a place where nourishment, texture, and flavor all come together in one bowl.

Who is this restaurant good for

The whole time I was eating, I kept thinking of my mom... it really seems like a place worth bringing parents to. It's a well-known Mokpo restaurant near Peace Square, and feels perfect for family gatherings, company get-togethers, or any kind of group meal.