24-hour Korean eatery in Ingye-dong, Suwon: mild vs spicy bone soup

A hangover soup spot for a late evening in Ingye-dong

Eolkeunhan Ppyeo Haejangguk (얼큰한뼈해장국) Suwon Ingye Branch is a 24-hour pork bone soup restaurant in Ingye-dong. When you look for a place to eat in Ingye-dong, there are tons of meat restaurants and bars, but not that many places where you can have a hearty meal of hangover soup. Especially on days when I have to eat late in the evening, I look for somewhere easy to walk into, so this time I visited this 24-hour spot.

With 24-hour soup places I honestly worry about hygiene, but this restaurant is run so cleanly that I was relieved. Even the windows were spotless, so it already passed the hygiene test. So many places are dirtier than you'd expect, but this one is really clean.

Parking? Use the in-building lot

Eolkeunhan Ppyeo Haejangguk Suwon Ingye Branch lets you use the parking lot in the building, so bringing a car was no burden. Ingye-dong is always crowded, so parking is a worry for many people. Every time you visit a restaurant you might circle around looking for a space or keep checking the clock on your parking time throughout the meal, so being able to eat without that worry felt like a big plus.

It's open 24 hours, and it must taste good because delivery orders kept coming in. I liked that you can visit any time: breakfast, late dinner, late-night snack, or a hangover cure. Above all, in-building parking made it easy to come by car, and I could leave in a relaxed way after eating, which was satisfying.

The dining hall and eating solo

Inside, the place was much bigger than I expected. The tables were spaced out comfortably, so it didn't feel stuffy, and the atmosphere was easy for dining alone. The staff guided us quickly and were friendly.

One bowl each of mild and spicy ugeoji bone soup

The bone hot pot (jeongol) is good for sharing among several people over drinks, but we just wanted a simple meal, so we ordered ugeoji bone soup (pork bone soup with dried cabbage leaves).

I usually like bone soup, so this time I ordered the fiber-rich ugeoji version, one mild and one spicy, to compare. Even with the same dish, the broth has a different charm, so you can pick by taste. The mild one is a plain, ordinary broth. The spicy one isn't the numbing, unpleasant kind of hot; it was about twice as spicy as Shin Ramyun.

They bring basic side dishes, and if you want more you just help yourself. They're indispensable with bone soup, right?

Maybe because the weather was hot, my husband ordered a cola.

The first thing that caught my eye when the food arrived was the generous portion. There were 5 huge bones and plenty of ugeoji, so it looked filling just by sight. The rice was served warm too, which is great for dropping into the broth.

Ugeoji bone soup, spicy: ₩12,000

If you usually like spicy broth, you'll probably be happier with this one. I thought it would suit a rainy or cold day especially, and it's just right as a hangover cure the morning after drinking. Both have their charm, but the spicy one here has a refreshing yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) feel, which is why I picked it.

The very first sip had a sharp kick, but it isn't just spicy for the sake of it. The deep flavor of the rich bone broth stays intact and a clean heat comes up after, so my spoon kept going back.

Ugeoji bone soup, mild: ₩11,000

The broth was rich but not too harsh, with real depth. Bone soup usually comes with perilla leaves and perilla seed powder, but this one has neither, so it actually felt clean.

Each bowl has 5 bones in it.

It's not just broth once the bones are out; it's packed with ugeoji too, which made it even more filling.

There was a lot of lean meat to pick off the bones. The portion was so big that I couldn't finish all the meat. Men can definitely finish it all.

The moderately fermented kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) kept its crunch, and eating it in between meant I could enjoy the soup to the end without feeling greasy.

The meat on the bones came off tenderly and wasn't dry, which I was happy with.

It went well with the long-simmered broth and rice, and the ugeoji had soaked up plenty of broth, so the more I chewed, the more its savory flavor came through.

How big is the portion? Enough to fill an adult man

What satisfied me most was the taste and the portion. It's a regular menu item, but the amount was enough to fill even an adult man. Regular bone soup would surely be tasty too, but I also recommend the ugeoji bone soup with its refreshing flavor.

Eolkeunhan Ppyeo Haejangguk Suwon Ingye Branch had plenty going for it: a generous portion, rich broth, convenient parking and 24-hour service. The mild bowl had a deep, clean taste anyone can enjoy, and the spicy one let me really feel the charm of a sharp yet rich broth, so personally it satisfied me most. If you want a hearty meal in Ingye-dong or are looking for a hangover cure, I recommend dropping by once. It's good for eating solo, with family or with friends, and I'd happily go back.