Offal gukbap with no gamey smell in Geoje-myeon: Bongga Gukbap

When you want a hearty meal in Geoje, nothing beats gukbap (Korean rice soup)! This time I visited Bongga Gukbap (본가국밥) in Geoje-myeon.

Where is Bongga Gukbap in Geoje, and what are the hours and parking?

Bongga Gukbap is at 9 Giseong-ro, Geoje-myeon, Geoje, Gyeongnam. It's open Monday to Saturday from 7:30am to 8pm and closed every Sunday. You can park about 5–7 cars right in front of the restaurant.

• Address: 9 Giseong-ro, Geoje-myeon, Geoje, Gyeongnam, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sat 07:30–20:00
• Closed: Every Sunday
• Break time: none announced
• Parking: in front of the restaurant (about 5–7 cars)
• Facilities: takeout, reservations, group seating
• Other: self-serve bar for extra side dishes

There are gukbap places everywhere, but when you actually look for a good one, you end up picking at the broth, the gamey smell of the meat, even the side dishes. I love gukbap, but I love suyuk (boiled pork slices) even more, so any place known for good suyuk makes me extra curious.

Bongga Gukbap is on Giseong-ro in Geoje-myeon, with parking right out front. It's also only about 5 minutes by car from the Geoje Botanical Garden Jungle Dome, so it's a fine meal stop during a Geoje trip.

Since it opens at 7:30am, it should also suit anyone who wants a filling meal early in the morning.

What is the atmosphere like at Bongga Gukbap?

The inside is bigger than I expected, with plenty of tables, so it works well for a meal with family or a group.

Paintings and calligraphy hang on the walls, and I heard the owner made them himself.

I usually like pretty pictures and written phrases, and going through them one by one, they were lovely and each had its own personality. Seeing works like these in a gukbap restaurant was quite impressive 👍 The interior is also tidy and clean, so it felt comfortable to eat in.

Bongga Gukbap menu and what we ordered

The menu has a wide range: pork gukbap, sundae gukbap (blood sausage rice soup), offal gukbap and mixed gukbap, up to Bongga beef gukbap made with beef. Besides gukbap there's suyuk baekban (boiled pork set), tasting suyuk, and small and large suyuk, so you can order to match your group size and taste.

I was really hungry, so I ordered mixed gukbap, offal gukbap and a small suyuk. Haha.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar at Bongga Gukbap

The basic side dishes are kimchi, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and buchu-muchim (seasoned chives), along with onion, chili peppers, garlic and saeujeot (salted shrimp).

Many reviews say Bongga Gukbap makes its kimchi and kkakdugi in-house. Anyone who loves gukbap knows how important kimchi is at a gukbap place. Haha. Just one piece of well-fermented kkakdugi makes a spoonful of gukbap so much better, right? The fresh kimchi (geotjeori) goes well with suyuk, and the kkakdugi pairs nicely when you mix rice into the broth.

You can get more side dishes from the self-serve bar, which was convenient, and I could eat plenty of kimchi and kkakdugi.

What's in the mixed gukbap at Bongga Gukbap?

The mixed gukbap has lean meat, chewy offal and chalsundae (glutinous sausage) all in it. Mixed gukbap is definitely fun to eat. When I scooped up the contents with my spoon, there was a generous amount of everything, from lean meat to chewy offal to chalsundae.

I liked that the mixed gukbap has so many ingredients that the texture never gets boring. You eat some tender meat, then chew on chewy offal,

and then add some chalsundae in between, so even within one bowl the flavors vary, and it was so delicious.

What is the broth like at Bongga Gukbap?

The broth is relatively clear and refreshing, with perilla seed powder added for a nutty depth. And one of Bongga Gukbap's signatures is exactly this broth.

The relatively clear, refreshing broth was its hallmark. Perilla seed powder brings out a nutty flavor, and the richness of the perilla blends with the broth without ever feeling too heavy or muddy.

Does the offal gukbap at Bongga Gukbap have a gamey smell?

For a writer sensitive to gamey smells, the offal gukbap at Bongga Gukbap had no gamey smell at all. With offal gukbap, preparation matters most. I can't eat it if there's even a slight smell, but Bongga Gukbap cleans its offal so well that there was no smell whatsoever.

The offal has an appealing texture, chewy yet tender, and a nutty flavor that builds as you chew. Rather than gukbap that hides the smell with heavy seasoning, the taste of the ingredients themselves and the broth worked well together.

How is the small suyuk served at Bongga Gukbap?

The suyuk here comes thinly and neatly sliced, a different charm from suyuk cut thick to emphasize chewiness. The thin slices are easy to pick up one at a time, and you get the tender texture of lean meat together with the chewiness of the fatty parts.

With suyuk, what matters is boiling it clean with no gamey smell, and the suyuk here was moist and tender.

And of course you can't skip the combo of suyuk, garlic and chili on a lettuce wrap, all in one big bite, haha. Add some fresh kimchi (geotjeori) and the mildness of the suyuk and the savory depth of the kimchi go together even better.

If you order suyuk at Bongga Gukbap, the gukbap broth comes with it. You can have warm broth alongside the suyuk, so it seems fine even for people who don't order gukbap separately.

Who should eat at Bongga Gukbap in Geoje?

Bongga Gukbap opens early and also has suyuk baekban and suyuk on its own besides gukbap, so the menu range is wide, from a simple breakfast to a lunch with a group. I also liked that beef gukbap is on the menu as well as pork gukbap, so you can choose by taste.

From the nutty broth to the side dishes that go with suyuk, it felt like a place that covers everything you expect from a gukbap restaurant. If you're in Geoje craving breakfast or a hearty lunch and want gukbap and suyuk together, Bongga Gukbap is worth a look.