Solo lunch pork bone soup near Cheongcho Lake, Sokcho: Gwandongjip

Gwandongjip: a Sokcho spot near Cheongcho Lake with delicious guk-bap (soup with rice) — a ppyeohaejangguk lunch review

One day traveling in Sokcho, I was craving a hot bowl of guk-bap for lunch. After checking out of my accommodation, nothing beats guk-bap for a light brunch, so I picked something easy to eat as one meal. I visited Gwandongjip, a good lunch spot near Cheongcho Lake in Sokcho, and had ppyeohaejangguk — both the side dishes and the soup were delicious. Here we go!

Easy access near Cheongcho Lake in Sokcho

This place was easy to get to, right near Cheongcho Lake. Being close to the tourist area really does make it easy to find and convenient to stop in for a quick meal.

The exterior of Gwandongjip. Parking was available right in front of the store.

Interior and group seating

I visited during the early lunch hour, so it was relaxed. The interior was bigger and more comfortable than I expected. There's group seating in the back too, so it's good for travelers visiting in groups.

Gwandongjip menu and prices

The signature dish is gamjatang, but I ordered ppyeohaejangguk for lunch. I was curious about the aged kimchi pork bone steam too, since the reviews were good. Gamjatang and the bone steam dish require an order of 2 or more, so trying the rice-thief aged kimchi pork bone steam at lunch could be a good idea too.

Six side dishes

There were six side dishes, and they seemed to change slightly day to day. Macaroni salad, dried radish, stir-fried fish cake, seasoned bean sprouts, kimchi, pickled garlic. Every single one was tasty. [I love a place that gives you macaroni salad as a side dish]

Ppyeohaejangguk for ₩10,000, broth with bean sprouts

Gamjatang is great too, but ppyeohaejangguk served in a single earthenware pot is nice because it's easy to eat. Instead of napa cabbage, bean sprouts went into the broth, giving it a refreshing, lighter feel.

One spoonful of the broth and you get that clean, distinctive bean sprout freshness added in — it's a rich meat broth, but it doesn't feel heavy at all.

How generous is the portion?

The earthenware pot itself is on the larger side, so the portion is really generous. If you want a hearty, filling lunch, this is definitely the guk-bap spot near Cheongcho Lake in Sokcho for big eaters!

Most places give you just two chunks of meat per serving, but Gwandongjip's ppyeohaejangguk had three big chunks...

There's a lot of meat clinging to the bones, and it falls right off with just chopsticks, no hands needed. The meat must have been simmered a long time too — not tough at all, so soft in this ppyeohaejangguk.

There were also plenty of vegetables to fish out — kimchi or napa cabbage, not sure which — and after finishing the whole bowl of guk-bap, the portion was so generous I left some rice behind.

Wrap-up

If you're looking for a hearty guk-bap lunch near Cheongcho Lake in Sokcho, a warm bowl of gamjatang, aged kimchi pork bone steam, or ppyeohaejangguk at Gwandongjip should make for a satisfying meal.