Seolleongtang and galbitang lunch near Ansan City Hall: Morakmorak

These days, as mornings and evenings start turning cool, I somehow find myself craving hot, rich broth dishes. That day, my husband and I were debating what to have for lunch and decided to head to Seongpo-dong in Ansan for seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and galbitang (beef short rib soup), which we hadn't had in a while. The place we visited was Morakmorak Seolleongtang Ansan Seongpo Main Branch.

A basement restaurant near Ansan City Hall, with parking

Being near Ansan City Hall makes this place easy to find when you're looking for somewhere to eat in Ansan, and apparently it draws not just Ansan locals but people from nearby Siheung and Gunpo too. It's located in the basement of Star Plaza, and being able to use the building's parking lot was convenient. It's close enough to walk from Ansan City Hall, which makes it a solid lunch spot too.

A seolleongtang restaurant run by a butcher shop

What I liked most about Morakmorak Seolleongtang was that it's a seolleongtang place run by a butcher shop. Since good meat comes straight from the butcher shop next door, I could definitely tell the quality of the meat in the soups was different.

With seolleongtang or galbitang, the broth matters, but ultimately how much proper meat they give you determines how satisfying it is. Here, the meat comes in really generous portions, and once you taste it, the tender texture is impressive.

Broth simmered for 3 days, aged for 2

They put special care into the seolleongtang broth in particular. They simmer Korean beef bones and other bones, freshly deboned at the butcher shop, for three days, then chill-age it for two days and completely remove the fat to make a clear, rich broth.

Maybe that's why, from the first spoonful, the broth felt clean and deep in flavor without any heaviness or excessive greasiness.

Salad bar and open kitchen

There's a salad bar, so we could grab extra side dishes or utensils as needed. Their diced radish kimchi was so good that I went back for a generous refill.

It's an open kitchen, so you can see right into it. Watching them run things so cleanly built a lot of trust!

The tables were well kept, too.

After ordering, the food came out quickly, and the basic side dishes were neatly arranged.

Seolleongtang — clear, but deeper the more you eat

If I had to describe the seolleongtang I had in one phrase, it was clean yet deep in flavor.

When you think of ox bone broth, you usually picture something milky white and heavy, but Morakmorak Seolleongtang's broth is relatively clear, so the first taste isn't overwhelming.

Interestingly though, the deep flavor of the bone broth comes through more the more you eat. Most of all, it wasn't just a soup with lots of broth and little else — the meat inside was truly generous. Take a bite of the meat and it's tender, not tough, and you can really taste the meat itself.

There are even thin noodles mixed in, so it's quite filling even before you add rice,

and with kimchi and diced radish kimchi on the side, a bowl disappears fast.

Because the broth is clear and clean, I thought it would be easy for anyone to enjoy, from kids to grandparents. Apparently a lot of people come here — or order takeout — specifically to recover their energy, and after tasting it, I could see why.

Galbitang — the meat falls right off the bone

The galbitang my husband ordered exceeded expectations too.

With galbitang, the broth matters, but honestly what matters most is how tender and generous the short rib meat is.

Morakmorak Seolleongtang's galbitang comes packed with large chunks of short rib meat, so it looked substantial from the moment it arrived.

The short rib meat was so tender it fell right off the bone, and I liked that the texture was soft with almost no tough bits.

The rich yet clean broth, layered with the flavor drawn from the short ribs, had a different kind of appeal from the seolleongtang.

What I liked most of all was that the amount of meat left nothing to be desired.

After finishing a bowl of galbitang, you feel full enough to know you've had a proper meal that day.

What about prices and the menu?

Prices are reasonable too, considering today's dining costs — seolleongtang starts at ₩9,000 and galbitang runs about ₩14,000.

I assumed Morakmorak Seolleongtang, true to its name, only sold seolleongtang, but looking at the menu, there were more options than I expected. There are hearty soup dishes like Korean beef seolleongtang, beef tendon seolleongtang, galbitang, and ox tail soup, as well as meal dishes like yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef tartare rice bowl) and hot pot beef bulgogi. There are also dishes like tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), yukhoe (raw beef tartare), and mixed beef boiled meat hot pot, making it a good spot not just for a meal but for a drink on the side too.

Since they use good meat from their own butcher shop, dishes like yukhoe or the boiled meat hot pot feel especially promising here. It seems like a great spot for family meals out, office lunches, meals with parents, or company dinners and small gatherings.

The restaurant is fairly spacious, which is another plus — comfortable whether you're eating solo or with a group.

After my husband and I finished our seolleongtang and galbitang, we felt warm and full inside — a satisfying meal all around. Naver reservations are available too, so booking ahead makes things even more convenient. Takeout is available as well, which would be great for enjoying a hearty meal at home.

This isn't just a place that's good at broth — you can really taste the quality of good meat that started at a butcher shop, and I think that's the biggest reason to choose Morakmorak Seolleongtang.