Gwacheon Korean restaurant near LetsRun Park: Bibisam octopus rice

What do I do whenever I visit Gwacheon? It’s horse-racing-track day~~! The weather has gotten so much cooler, so on my way to LetsRun Park for the first time in a while, I stopped by Bibisam for hot stone octopus roe rice for lunch.

Bibisam Gwacheon Main Branch location and hours

It’s 30 m down the Burger King alley from Exit 11 of Government Complex Gwacheon Station, immediately on the left. Hours are 11:00–22:00, with last orders at 20:30.

Parking and waiting

Parking isn’t provided, but there is a public parking lot directly behind the restaurant. It costs ₩900 for the first 30 minutes, then ₩400 for every 10 minutes after that, so keep that in mind!

If all the seats are full, write the last four digits of your phone number on the waiting list and wait~ If you aren’t there after being called twice, they move on to the next person, so stay nearby when your turn is coming up!

A clean space that’s comfortable for solo dining

Since it hasn’t been open for long, the interior was clean and pleasant overall. The tables and dining area were neatly arranged, making it comfortable to eat, and the whole place felt so tidy that it would be perfect for a family meal or lunch. It also felt easygoing enough to dine alone.

I could especially tell they care about cleanliness, so I had a really pleasant meal :) I practically did an opening run and came in as the first customer! Thanks to that, I could leisurely photograph the empty dining room. But as lunchtime got closer, customers started coming in one by one, and before long it was bustling with people eating. It really does seem like a popular lunch spot :)

Hot stone octopus roe rice and Korean beef tteokgalbi set

They offer torim bibimbap made with namul, bulgogi, Korean beef yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), or octopus, along with hot stone roe rice and hot stone octopus roe rice.

My boyfriend and I have exactly the same taste, so we ordered two servings of the hot stone octopus roe rice + Korean beef tteokgalbi set!

Self-service bar guide

Bibisam is run with a small staff, so both picking up and returning your food are self-service. Soup, side dishes, and water are available at the self-service bar too.

The self-service bar has white kimchi, sesame oil, small plates, scissors, tongs, soup, aprons, and a water dispenser.

So many restaurants think food is clean just because they wear gloves, then handle food with those gloved hands, but Bibisam says its rule is not to touch food with gloved hands! I love that~

The individually wrapped disposable apron is sooo cute.

Such an appetizing hot stone octopus roe rice set 🩷

Woooow, the hot stone bowl was full of plump octopus and flying-fish roe! They said to mix the bibimbap with chopsticks, but I found it easier to mix the hot stone bowl with a spoon. There was seaweed powder too, so I added a little of that, haha.

The octopus wasn’t tough at all—it was really tender!! The popping flying-fish roe, crunchy danmuji (pickled yellow radish), and rice crisped onto the hot stone bowl. The ingredients worked together perfectly 👍👍

Korean beef tteokgalbi

The juicy Korean beef tteokgalbi had a sweet, deeply savory tteokgalbi sauce, and it went so well with the roe rice!!

Proof that we ate well. We cleaned our plates and were on our way.

If you’re looking for a good solo lunch spot in Gwacheon, I recommend Bibisam, a Korean restaurant where you can have a simple but filling meal 😋