Songdo Korean restaurant with low-salt marinated crab: Bomseol

Bomseol Songdo International City is a good-value Songdo hanjeongsik (Korean set meal) spot, whether you're meeting for lunch or dinner in Songdo or bringing your parents for a family meal.

Dinner at Bomseol in Songdo before a show at the Incheon Arts Center

I was looking for somewhere easy on the stomach to eat with dad before a show at the Incheon Arts Center, and that's how I found Bomseol .ᐟ Everything was delicious across the board, from the side dishes to the main dish 🤤 My dad, who usually doesn't eat seasoned crab, actually ate quite a bit of it here, which surprised me ʕʘ‿ʘʔ Even dad approved, so this Songdo hanjeongsik spot stuck with me — let's get into Bomseol Songdo International City :)

Bomseol Songdo International City: location, hours and parking

• 📍 A116-A120, 1F A-dong, 40 Cheomdan-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon
• 🕖 Daily 11:00 - 21:00 / break time 15:00 - 17:00
• Lunch last order 14:00, dinner last order 19:40
• Closed Sept 28
• 🅿️ 2 hours free parking in the mall's underground lot

Bomseol Songdo International City is on the first floor of A-dong at Songdo's E5 City Mall .ᐟ I don't live in Songdo, so this was my first time here and parking felt a bit confusing ( ◠‿◠ ) If you're driving, it's best to park right near the entrance as soon as you enter the lot ✨

The building is split into A-dong and B-dong. If you take the A-dong elevator up, turn left right when you get off .ᐟ There are lots of shops in the building, so don't get mixed up and take your time getting there ♥

Bomseol Songdo International City is the kind of casual hanjeongsik spot that feels clean and neat — exactly the kind of place elders would like .ᐟ If you, like me, have weak digestion and prefer food that's mildly seasoned and easy on the stomach, this is a great spot for a gathering ✨

Inside Bomseol: table spacing and private rooms

Even from outside, the warm colors and green plants gave off such a cozy, well-kept feeling. Right as you walk in, there's a nurungji (scorched-rice) dessert corner (´∀｀*) I could already smell the toasty aroma .ᐟ

Inside, the tables were spaced generously and even the ones close together were separated by partitions, so it looked comfortable to chat and eat even during peak hours .ᐟ There were room guests during my visit so I couldn't take photos, but there are private rooms available too — book ahead for an even more private group meal :)

Bomseol's four set menus and how the main dish differs

All the menus at Bomseol Songdo International City are hanjeongsik served as full table settings ♥ Depending on price, there's Deulbap Set, Bomseol Set, Sodam Set, and Myeongin Set. The Bomseol Set comes with seasoned geoge (marinated crab), the Sodam Set comes with old-style beef bulgogi hot pot, and the Myeongin Set comes with soy-marinated crab and dried yellow corvina — that's the main difference :) All menus require orders of 2 or more, just so you know.

I'd been craving seasoned crab lately, so I thought this is it and ordered the Bomseol Set for two .ᐟ

Self-serve bar: ssam greens, barley bibimbap and pumpkin porridge

It's honestly surprising that a hanjeongsik place at this price point offers a self-serve bar like this 👀✨ The set for two was a lot of food so we didn't get to use it, but you can help yourself to leafy greens for wraps. My mom would really love this ♥

You can also make your own fluffy barley bibimbap — the instructions are written in detail, so give it a try ♥

There's also today's namul (seasoned vegetables), eggplant fritters, various side dishes, and pumpkin porridge you can help yourself to, which makes this a really great place to bring your parents .ᐟ

What comes with the Bomseol Set for two (46,000 won)

Bomseol Set for two, 46,000 won. Our order was laid out so neatly ♥ The Bomseol Set comes generously with stone pot rice + cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) + basic table setting + seasoned geoge (marinated crab) + bossam (boiled pork wraps) + grilled mackerel + a savory pancake :)

First, we scraped the rice out of the stone pot onto a plate and poured hot water in, waiting for it to turn into delicious nurungji (scorched rice) 🤤

I've been to hanjeongsik restaurants with my parents often and figured this would be pretty similar, but the taste was as healthy and well-seasoned as the neat presentation suggested — an easy-on-the-stomach spot ✨

Cheonggukjang without the funk and moist bossam at Bomseol

The cheonggukjang came already cooked, so we just had to let it bubble a bit before eating. I like doenjang stew but I don't usually eat cheonggukjang because it's too funky for me — but Bomseol's version was clean and not very funky, something people of all ages could enjoy, so even someone with a picky palate like me enjoyed it. My dad immediately mixed it with rice and dug in.

Bossam, of course, was delicious — no need to say more. It was boiled so moist with no dryness at all, the meat had a nice tender chew, and it was so good topped with mu-saengchae (spicy radish salad) ･:*+♥

Grilled mackerel

The well-grilled mackerel was so good too — there were so many side dishes that paired well with the stone pot rice, I couldn't decide what to eat first 💦 It wasn't fishy at all and the flesh was plump — dipped in sauce with rice, it was salty-sweet and so tasty ♥

Geumge marinated crab: low-salt enough for a crab-averse dad

The main dish of the Bomseol Set — seasoned geoge (marinated crab) ♥ I don't even know how many pieces I ate alone... it's truly rice-thief territory 🍚 No matter how good seasoned crab is, if it's too salty you end up eating too much rice and get sick of it, but this one tasted low-salt, so it wasn't overly salty even eaten without rice .ᐟ .ᐟ .ᐟ Even my dad, who dislikes seasoned crab, ate this happily. If that's not convincing enough, I don't know what is ✨

I usually eat small portions but I really overate that day... Even just the side dishes and rice were so good, the rice kept disappearing haha, especially the jellyfish salad that refreshed my palate after the crab — I ate the whole thing myself ♥

Sungnyung to finish and self-registering parking on the way out

To finish, of course, we had the sungnyung (scorched-rice tea) that had been steeping earlier ✨ Even full, I couldn't resist. It warmed my stomach and settled everything nicely — I felt really comfortable after eating 💛

I came looking for a good Songdo hanjeongsik spot and I think I found the right one. Very satisfying .ᐟ Don't forget to self-register your parking on the tablet at the counter before you leave ♥

• ✔️ A good-value Songdo hanjeongsik restaurant
• ✔️ Great for a family gathering with parents in Songdo, Incheon
• ✔️ A good spot for lunch, dinner, or a family meal in Songdo

If you're looking for a spot, come have a warm meal at Bomseol Songdo International City ♥