Bucheon Jakdong Korean restaurant with baby chairs: Hanchon galbitang

Why visit Hanchon Seolleongtang Kkachiul Station Branch in Bucheon Jakdong?

Now that mornings and evenings are starting to cool down, I find myself craving warm soup dishes. And when eating out with a kid, you tend to look for food that's gentle rather than spicy or strong-flavored — something everyone from grandparents to toddlers can enjoy. This time I visited Hanchon Seolleongtang Kkachiul Station Branch, well known as a Jakdong local favorite.

Wanting something hearty that day, I ordered the wang (king-sized) galbitang and the nurungji (crispy scorched rice) half-chicken samgyetang. I'd always thought of Hanchon Seolleongtang as just, well, seolleongtang, but it turns out they also have galbitang and samgyetang, which makes it a great pick for family meals since everyone can choose something different. Especially with a kid, having more menu options means everyone gets to eat what they actually want — which honestly makes things a lot easier.

Is Hanchon Seolleongtang easy to visit with a child?

One thing I personally loved was that they have baby chairs ready to go! Whether or not a restaurant has a baby chair matters more than you'd think when you're eating out with a little one, so I was happy to be able to sit my kid comfortably and actually enjoy the meal.

What is the wang (king-sized) galbitang like?

First up was the wang galbitang (king-sized short rib soup). True to its name, it came with noticeably large ribs. What matters most in a galbitang is how much meat is actually on the bone, and here the ribs came generously meaty — it was genuinely fun picking the meat off with chopsticks.

More than anything, the broth had a clean yet deep flavor. It wasn't too salty or heavy, more the clean, easy-to-eat style that goes really well with rice. Picking apart the big ribs and eating them with a spoonful of broth felt properly filling. And galbitang is one of those soups that's great with rice mixed right in — since the broth was so clean, adding rice didn't feel heavy at all, and it made for a satisfying full meal.

How does the half-chicken samgyetang with nurungji taste?

The other dish I ordered was the half-chicken nurungji samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup with crispy scorched rice). It comes with half a chicken simmered until tender, along with nutty nurungji. Adding the nurungji to the usual warm, clean samgyetang broth brought out an even deeper, more savory flavor.

The chicken was cooked through so well the meat pulled apart easily, and eating it with the warm broth felt properly comforting all the way down. I've always liked the sticky rice or nurungji that comes with samgyetang, so this time I ended up scraping up every bit of the nurungji too.

Eating the chicken alongside the nurungji gave it more texture and a definite sense of fullness compared to just the chicken alone. The galbitang suits meat lovers well, while the samgyetang is a real winner if you like tender chicken and nutty nurungji — so it'd actually be nice to visit as a family and order both to share.

Unlimited rice refills and other family conveniences

Another thing I really liked was the unlimited rice refills. With soup dishes, one bowl of rice can sometimes feel a bit short, so being able to comfortably ask for more made the meal feel properly hearty. Especially with dishes like galbitang or samgyetang that go so well with rice, free refills ended up feeling like a bigger perk than I expected.

When eating out with a kid, flavor matters, but so does how easy the place is to actually use — and with baby chairs ready and rice refills you don't have to think twice about, this was a solid spot for a family meal.

When the weather starts turning cool like this, nothing quite hits like galbitang or samgyetang. I tried both the wang galbitang and the nurungji half-chicken samgyetang this time, and since they're so different in style, I'd actually recommend going with a group and sharing rather than picking just one. From the wang galbitang with its big, meaty ribs to the samgyetang with tender chicken and nutty nurungji, it's the kind of combo that comes to mind whenever you want a properly filling meal. If you're looking for somewhere to eat with a kid, it's worth checking for baby chairs and unlimited rice refills too.

After finally getting a proper warm-soup-and-rice meal in after a while, I left feeling completely satisfied and full. If you're in the Jakdong area looking for something easy to eat as a family, try the wang galbitang or nurungji samgyetang at Hanchon Seolleongtang Kkachiul Station Branch for a hearty meal :)