Jeonju hangover soup with extra squid: kongnamul gukbap at Ogeorijip

I knew I had to try bean sprout soup while traveling in Jeonju, and that's how I found Ogeorijip. There was word it's a local favorite, so I made a point of tracking it down — part of the fun of traveling is stumbling onto a great place like this. Spoiler: I got it right again this time haha.

Where is Ogeorijip in Jeonju, and what are its hours?

Ogeorijip is a bean sprout soup and beef knee soup restaurant at 45 Seohak2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk. It's open 06:30–14:00, last order 13:30, closed every Tuesday.

• Name: Ogeorijip
• Address: 45 Seohak2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk, South Korea
• Hours: 06:30–14:00
• Last order: 13:30
• Regular closed day: every Tuesday
• May close early if ingredients run out
• Closed September 25 for Chuseok

Even from the outside it had that comfortable, homey soup-restaurant feel. The sign spells it out in big letters — bean sprout soup and beef knee soup specialty.

Inside Ogeorijip: bar seats that make solo dining easy

Walking into Ogeorijip, the owner greeted us so warmly that I felt good the moment I stepped in. The interior wasn't fancy — more of a cozy, homey soup-restaurant vibe good for just sitting down and having a meal. With both regular tables and bar seats, it seemed like an easy place to eat alone too.

We ordered the royal bean sprout soup with added squid, plus a beef knee soup.

There were photos on the wall from a TV appearance, and the kitchen was open, so as we sat waiting we could see the staff hand-trimming the bean sprouts one by one. Watching that up close before the food even arrived made me even more excited haha.

When I go to a restaurant, food matters, but I also quietly notice hygiene and cleanliness. The spoons and chopsticks were shiny enough to see my face in, and that told me they take care with their dishes too — I liked that.

Ogeorijip's side dishes: kimchi, salted shrimp and gim

Banchan and water at Ogeorijip are self-serve. Kimchi and diced radish kimchi were set out to take as much as you liked, and the kimchi here was genuinely delicious.

No matter how good a soup restaurant's broth is, if the kimchi is lacking something feels off. This kimchi was perfectly aged with well-seasoned flavor — a spoonful of soup, then a piece of kimchi, just right.

Before the food arrived, they brought out a generous stack of gim (seaweed) too haha. Personally I love a restaurant that's generous like this. Especially with food — I like it when the people making it are open-handed and generous. It might seem like a small thing, but it makes you feel cared for. They told us to just ask if we needed anything, and with the gim piled on so generously, I was in a good mood before I'd even eaten.

Wrapping warm rice in the gim, I tried adding a little salted shrimp too — and however it's seasoned here, it wasn't the usual sharp, salty hit you'd expect. Even eaten plain it wasn't too salty, with great savory depth, and just a touch on the rice was delicious on its own. Warm rice on gim, a little salted shrimp — a simple combo, but I kept going back for more, and before the main dish even arrived I was already thinking the soup here must be really good haha.

Royal kongnamul gukbap with extra squid: how does it taste?

Ogeorijip's royal bean sprout soup came bubbling in a stone pot, loaded generously with pollack and squid. Both the bean sprout soup and the knee soup arrived in stone pots, so the visuals alone were impressive.

I tried the broth first — thanks to the pollack, it wasn't just refreshing, there was real depth to it too. Rich but not heavy, clean yet addictive. The signature crisp freshness of bean sprouts plus the savory depth of pollack made for an incredible broth.

Adding the squid was a good call haha. There was plenty of it, and eaten together with the crunchy bean sprouts, the chewy-and-crisp textures worked great together — good bite all around. The bean sprouts stayed crisp too, never mushy. Having watched them being trimmed by hand in the kitchen, it somehow tasted even better.

I scooped out the solids separately and mixed them with the chogochujang (vinegared chili paste) set on the table. Bean sprouts and squid together in that sauce were a real treat, and the chogochujang itself had a sweet-tangy front with a subtle kick of spice behind it — really good. A sip of broth, a bite of the mix, some rice, some kimchi... it kept me pretty busy haha.

Soaking rice in the broth and topping it with a little salted shrimp was great too. Since the shrimp wasn't overpowering, it didn't mask the broth's flavor — it just rounded out the seasoning. Add a piece of kimchi on top and there's nothing more to say haha. The main dish was great, but every single side here, from the kimchi to the salted shrimp, was so good I never had a chance to put my spoon down.

The poached egg, with a little broth and some gim mixed in, was smooth and delicious too haha.

Korean beef knee-cartilage soup that won over a skeptical friend

We also ordered Ogeorijip's beef knee soup. Honestly, the friend I went with usually doesn't like knee soup. So she took a bite with low expectations, and suddenly —

Wait, I actually like knee soup?

Hahaha. Excuse me, you just said you didn't like it. Thanks to Ogeorijip, a new knee soup fan was born that day.

The broth was rich without feeling heavy, and the knee cartilage had that signature chewy-yet-tender texture. Watching someone who doesn't normally eat knee soup enjoy it that much says more than a hundred times of me saying it's delicious. We came for bean sprout soup and left won over by the knee soup too — both bowls and all the banchan, completely cleaned out.

Why Ogeorijip is my hangover meal pick in Jeonju

No need to go on and on about how good it was haha. Two empty stone pots say it all. The owner welcomed us warmly from the moment we walked in, and even on the way out asked where we were from — when I said we were heading back down after a trip, they told us to drive safe since we might get drowsy after eating. That warmth stuck with me.

The food was great, but leaving with that kind of warm hospitality is what made this place one I'd love to visit again next time I'm in Jeonju. From the owner's kindness to the hand-trimmed bean sprouts in the kitchen, the spotless dishware, the generous gim, and basics like kimchi and salted shrimp — every single detail was on point.

Whether you're a Jeonju local or just craving a hot, hearty bowl to cure a hangover, if you're traveling around Jeonju or Jeolla-do looking for a good meal, this place is well worth a visit. You'll leave with a full stomach and a good mood.