Gimhae Korean restaurant, weekend lunch with kids and gondre rice

While looking for a good restaurant in Juchon, Gimhae, I ended up at a place perfect for a hearty meal — Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch, a well-known haejangguk (hangover soup) spot in Gimhae.

Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch

Is parking easy?

Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk in Juchon, Gimhae has free parking inside the building, so there was no stress about bringing a car. On the weekend I visited, I saw a lot of cars parked along the road right in front of the restaurant too, so I just grabbed an open spot and walked in comfortably.

What kind of place is it?

This spot, well-known near Costco Gimhae, serves haejangguk and gamjatang made by a certified Korean-food master, using only carefully selected domestic pork neck bones that they cut and cook themselves. What gave me even more confidence was hearing that they handle every dish as cleanly and hygienically as if they were feeding their own family — good ingredients paired with careful management made for a much more comfortable meal.

The menu lineup

Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk in Juchon, Gimhae has a wide range of menu items — bone haejangguk, gamjatang, handmade garlic pyeonyuk, jellyfish salad with pyeonyuk, sundae haejangguk, spicy beef haejangguk, and more — so it works well whether you're eating alone or dining out with family in Gimhae. In particular, for people like me who skip bone dishes because picking the meat off is a hassle, there's a boneless haejangguk option.

Self-serve bar and how to order

The self-serve bar had basic side dishes that pair well with haejangguk — diced radish kimchi, cabbage kimchi, onion, chili, garlic, seasoning paste — plus sari (add-ins) that go great in gamjatang: potato, rice cake, dumpling soup dough, glass noodles, and ramen noodles, all free to add as much as you like.

Ordering was simple through the kiosk at each table. We ordered the two-person haejangguk feast set, which comes with pyeonyuk and seasoned raw crab, and chose sundae-ugeoji haejangguk for it. On top of that, we also ordered the donsagol ugeoji haejangguk — shredded lean meat simmered with ugeoji (dried napa cabbage leaves) — and the boneless haejangguk.

Garlic-skin pyeonyuk and seasoned raw crab

The pyeonyuk and seasoned raw crab came out first. The garlic-skin pyeonyuk isn't a factory product — it's made in-house, with 80% skin and 20% lean meat, giving it a chewy yet soft, collagen-rich texture.

The pyeonyuk was topped generously with garlic, chili, and sesame seeds, looking really appetizing. Taking a bite, the springy texture of the skin combined with the tenderness of the lean meat gave a savory flavor that got better with each chew. The garlic and chili on top added a sharp kick that cut through any richness, while the garlic's fragrance and the nutty sesame brought out the clean flavor of the pyeonyuk even more.

The seasoned raw crab that came with it had a spicy-sweet sauce full of umami, great with rice — the salty-sweet seasoning combined with the clean flavor of the crab meat was really delicious.

Sundae ugeoji haejangguk

Served piping hot in a stone bowl, the sundae ugeoji haejangguk was packed with ugeoji and sundae (Korean blood sausage), looking hearty just at a glance. Taking a spoonful of the broth, it had a rich, deep, savory flavor as if pork bones had been simmered for hours. The softly cooked ugeoji had soaked up the broth flavor, coming out savory and moist, while the sundae was chewy yet tender, pairing well with the broth. Eating the ugeoji and sundae together with the warm broth filled me up thoroughly — it worked well both as a hangover cure and as a satisfying meal.

How's the boneless haejangguk?

The boneless haejangguk, true to its name, came with all the bones removed, so I could just eat straight from the spoon without having to pick anything apart. The well-cooked ugeoji was soft and moist, deeply infused with broth flavor, savory and clean-tasting, and the boneless meat was tender rather than tough, blending well in texture with the ugeoji. The broth was rich and savory as if pork bones had been simmered for a long time, with plenty of umami, and it went down smoothly without being too spicy or salty, making me keep going back for more spoonfuls. Best of all, I liked being able to eat the tender meat and ugeoji together with the broth in one bite, without the hassle of picking bones.

Eating with the kids

The kids ended up eating the garlic-skin pyeonyuk much better than I expected, so we ordered another plate. For that extra order, we asked them to leave out the chili and garlic so it would be easier for the kids to eat. Maybe because of the chewy yet soft texture, the kids really enjoyed the skin pyeonyuk.

Gondre rice in a stone pot and slushies for dessert

It was also nice that you could switch to or add on a stone-pot rice dish. There was a regular stone-pot rice and a gondre (short-necked wild aster) version, and we went with the gondre rice.

Served hot in the pot, the gondre rice had a gently spreading gondre aroma and fluffy rice that looked appetizing. Eating it alongside the haejangguk broth, the savory gondre scent and the clean rice flavor went really well together. You could also scoop the rice out and make nurungji (scorched rice) in the pot, which made the meal feel even more worthwhile.

After finishing the meal, it was nice that slushies were available for dessert. Having a cool, sweet slushie each wrapped up the meal with a clean finish.

If you're craving a hearty bowl of guk-bap (soup with rice) or looking for a good restaurant in Juchon, Gimhae or a haejangguk place in Gimhae, give Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch — well-known near Costco Gimhae — a try.