Perilla banchan to go from a Bucheon Korean restaurant: Gim Myeongju

Today I'm introducing a Bucheon Korean set-meal spot I really enjoyed — Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch. It's the kind of place where a freshly cooked pot rice, savory cheonggukjang, and a whole table of banchan (side dishes) come out together. There's such a wide variety of side dishes and it's filling enough for a proper meal, so it's a good spot for a family outing or bringing your parents. Let me walk you through the menu I tried, the vibe of the place, and parking too :)

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch: address, hours and prices

• Address: 경기 부천시 원미구 길주로560번길 59 (59 Gilju-ro 560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea)
• Hours: Daily 10:30–21:00
• Last order: 20:00
• Parking: Dedicated parking lot available
• Reservation/waiting: Catch Table available
• High chairs: Available
• Feature: Pot rice + cheonggukjang + a wide range of Korean side dishes
• Banchan refills: Self-bar available
• Group/family gatherings: Possible

Parking and the Monday lunch wait at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang

The parking lot at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch seemed to be shared with three nearby stores, but the lot itself is quite large so you shouldn't have to worry too much :) I visited during Monday lunch peak and still found a spot right away. Parking is always a bit of a worry when going out for lunch in Bucheon, so it was nice not to stress about it!

It was lunch peak so there were a lot of customers, and I joined the wait through Catch Table. Registering on-site was quick and easy, and while waiting I browsed the snacks for sale near the entrance haha.

On one side of the entrance they were selling nostalgic snacks — chammastic, ginger jelly, doraji yeot (bellflower root taffy), miso ppeongtwigi (puffed rice snack), pumpkin yakgwa (honey cookie) and more haha. It was fun browsing them one by one on the way out :)

This place is clearly popular! Even though I visited on a Monday during lunchtime, there were so many people there to eat. Having a wait even on a weekday made me think it must already be a pretty well-known spot in Bucheon haha.

How to order the Tteuranchae Bapsang set meal and what à la carte dishes cost

Ordering at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang can be a little confusing on your first visit! Basically it's one menu item per person — you either order the set meal for everyone at the table, or order the Tteuranchae Bapsang for ₩13,000 per person and then add at least one à la carte dish per group of 4. From what I saw, more people go for the Tteuranchae Bapsang + à la carte combo than the set meal haha.

The à la carte options are dried yellow croaker, soy marinated crab, and charcoal-grilled pork at ₩18,000 each, and cockle salad and grilled mackerel at ₩16,000 each, so there's plenty to choose from based on your taste. Note that the Tteuranchae Bapsang is only available for elementary school age and up, and comes with freshly cooked pot rice and cheonggukjang. Extra rice and side dishes are available at the self-bar, and the cheonggukjang can be refilled too!

Since the ordering system confused me a bit, I ended up ordering two set meals. When the food came out, I was honestly shocked haha. The spread was seriously massive!!! It was way too much for two people, and eating through it I thought, 'ah, so this is why everyone adds an à la carte dish to the Tteuranchae Bapsang instead' haha. The portions are generous, so keep that in mind when ordering!

Finishing the stone-pot rice as nurungji soup

The freshly cooked, steaming hot pot rice comes out first haha. You know the trick, right? Scoop the rice into a bowl and pour water into the pot. While you eat, it transforms into savory nurungji-tang (scorched rice soup) haha. Finishing with hot nurungji at the end settles your stomach, and yep — this is exactly the taste of a proper Korean set meal!

Scoop out all the rice into a bowl, then pour water into the stone pot haha. Leave it while you eat, and the rice stuck to the bottom softens into a savory nurungji-tang! Having it hot at the very end feels like the perfect finish.

The yeolmu mul-kimchi you have to fetch from the self-bar

There's a self-bar off to the side, so if you run out of any side dish you can easily grab more haha. There's a wide variety of banchan, and being able to refill as much as you want was a nice touch!

Also, yeolmu mul-kimchi (young radish water kimchi) doesn't come with the basic table setting! You have to get it yourself from the self-bar. It's genuinely delicious, so make sure to grab some!!! haha It's cool and refreshing, perfect for cleansing your palate between bites of the set meal.

Small plates are also stocked generously at the self-bar, so feel free to grab one whenever you need it haha. Since a Korean set meal involves portioning out multiple side dishes and mains, having free access to small plates was really convenient!

What the 12 basic side dishes are

There are a whopping 12 basic side dishes! A full table packed with 12 different banchan — take a look before you go haha. With so much variety, picking through them all was genuinely fun!

How the cheonggukjang, charcoal-grilled pork and grilled mackerel tasted

The cheonggukjang was legit too! haha It had that savory, rich flavor that went really well with the pot rice. And if you want more, just ask a staff member — it's not on the self-bar, so you'll need to request a refill directly :)

The charcoal-grilled pork that came as the main dish had a flavor that pretty much anyone, young or old, would love! The sweet and salty marinade combined with the charcoal aroma made it easy for both adults and kids to enjoy without any fuss haha. The portion was also more generous than I expected, so we could really dig in.

The mackerel comes out completely whole haha. A big, golden-brown grilled mackerel arrives with plenty of flesh, which paired really well with the rice. Ordering two set meals meant the mains alone made the table look like it was about to collapse under the weight of the food haha.

Overall, the table setting looked neat and clean, which made it even more appealing haha. With the mains and all the basic side dishes laid out generously, it seems like a great place to take your parents, or to visit for a family gathering or when you need to host someone!

After your meal, there's also a Naver review event running, so be sure to join haha. If you write a review with a photo and verify it, you can apparently get cash-equivalent points! It's available once per table, so don't just walk out after eating — make sure to grab it :)

Buying perilla leaves to go, plus the restroom, coffee and waiting area

At Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang, you can also buy the side dishes and cheonggukjang you enjoyed during the meal separately! They were selling packs for ₩5,000 each :) My friend who came with me loved the perilla leaf side dish so much that she ended up buying a pack haha. Being able to enjoy the banchan you liked at home afterward was a nice touch.

The restroom is inside the restaurant too, so it was easy to use haha. No need to step outside or hunt down a shared building restroom, which was especially convenient when visiting with kids or parents!

You can also grab a cup of coffee, whether after your meal or while waiting haha. There's a coffee machine and paper cups set up separately, but it's noted that it's for use after eating or while waiting, not for use inside the dining area :)

The waiting area was clean and comfortable, so waiting there was no trouble at all haha. Plenty of parking, a generous and neatly arranged spread, plus a self-bar on top of it all! It's especially well suited for dining with parents, family outings, or finding a spot for a gathering. If you're craving a hearty Korean meal, I recommend giving Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch, a Bucheon Korean set-meal restaurant, a visit^^