Jung-dong Korean restaurant with booth seats for two: Gim Myeongju

When it's a day that calls for a bit more care — a family meal, or a gathering with elders — picking a restaurant is the hardest part. It can't be noisy, parking has to be easy, and the menu should have broad appeal. So while looking for a Bucheon Korean restaurant for a group meal, I visited Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang in Sinjung-dong.

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang hours and reservation minimums

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 10:30–21:30
• 🅿️ Parking: Free on building's 1st floor / 1-hour support at Jungdong Park Tower
• ✔️ Reservations: Hall & partition seating for 5+, rooms for 6+

Where do you park in Jung-dong?

You can use the parking lot on the building's 1st floor. There's a parking attendant at the entrance, and valet is available too~ The lot looked plenty spacious, and if it's full, you can use the parking tower next door!!

Booth seats and private rooms: is it good for a group?

The moment I walked in, the spacious dining room caught my eye. It was the weekend, and the reservation list was full, so I could tell it's already a famous Korean restaurant in Sinjung-dong~

Most of the seats are high-backed booths, so you don't make eye contact with neighboring tables and conversation doesn't carry over much — very private 👍👍

There are also separate private rooms further inside. If you need to talk quietly or you're with a large group, I'd recommend asking about a room in advance 👍

Tteuranchae Jeongsik menu and how two people order

Tteuranchae Jeongsik (ordered per person)

The base table setting, Tteuranchae Bapsang, is ₩13,000 per person, and you add at least one single dish on top. The ₩18,000 single dishes are barley corvina, soy sauce marinated crab, charcoal-grilled pork, and stir-fried baby octopus; the ₩15,000 ones are cockle salad and grilled mackerel. The Tteuranchae Bapsang isn't sold on its own — it's ordered according to the number of seated guests.

So the two of us ordered the Tteuranchae Jeongsik plus a Tteuranchae Bapsang~ Even with that order, we kept grabbing side dishes from the self-bar and ended up completely full~

What you can refill at the self-bar

There's a separate self-bar set up in the middle of the hall where you can refill side dishes.

Just from what was out that day — japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), fried lotus root, fried eggplant, spicy chili salad, various namul (seasoned vegetables), cabbage salad, lettuce, and more — there were over ten kinds

For rice, there were two cauldrons to scoop from — yellow rice and barley rice — plus plum tea and omija (schisandra berry) tea, so you can round it all off with dessert drinks too~

Opening the table drawer revealed spoons, wet wipes, and napkins, which was convenient. The spoons were individually wrapped, so hygiene-wise it was a pass!! I could eat with peace of mind.

The brassware spread, with fried lotus root refilled twice

The side dishes come out laid on brassware. With each side dish in its own small brass bowl on a tray, the table doesn't look cluttered at all — it felt neat and tidy.

None of the side dishes were seasoned aggressively, so I kept reaching for more~~ Every side dish here can be refilled at the self-bar!!

The fried lotus root has a thin, crispy coating that doesn't get soggy even after a while, so I refilled it twice hahaha

Bori gulbi with green tea water and hwangmi pressure-pot rice

The main side dish, barley corvina, arrived. It's grilled whole and comes with the bones already removed, so it's easy to eat. The flesh isn't dry and pulls apart cleanly along the grain, but it still keeps that distinctive chewy texture corvina has. It's not too salty, so it's perfect as a rice side dish!!

Green tea rice water is served separately, so you can pour it over rice and top it with a piece of barley corvina!! Very ochazuke-like~~

Since it's made from same-day milled yellow rice and cooked in a pressure pot only after you order, it takes about 10 minutes~ The rice was genuinely delicious!! I really learned how much the rice itself matters!!

The cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) didn't have a strong smell, so even people who find its distinctive aroma off-putting could eat it without trouble!! It's not too salty, so it's great mixed into rice. Cheonggukjang is refillable too

Is Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang worth a trip to Bucheon?

• ✔️ The space is spacious with booths, rooms, and 3rd-floor group seating, so it's easy to plan a gathering no matter the headcount
• ✔️ The self-bar lets you refill not just side dishes but the cheonggukjang too
• ✔️ Rice is cooked to order in a pressure pot, so it's always in good condition
• ✔️ Seasoning isn't strong, making it an easygoing option to bring elders along
• ✔️ Building parking lot available, with a parking attendant on site

This was exactly the kind of quiet, easygoing Bucheon restaurant you need for a family meal, a parent's birthday, or a meeting between families before a wedding. If you're weighing options for a Bucheon Korean restaurant near Sinjung-dong, I'd recommend Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch!!