Sold out by 10:30am: organ meat bar at Paldam Sundae in Gimpo

My husband and I usually love sundae-guk (blood sausage soup), so on weekends we tend to look around for a good soup place nearby.

This time we were checking out the Gimpo area near our place and heard that a spot called Paldam Sundae was quite famous as a Gimpo sundae-guk restaurant, so my husband and I went to check it out ourselves.

It's also fairly close to Geomdan New Town, so it was easy to visit without much hassle, and I liked that it opens early, at 10am.

Location and hours of Paldam Sundae Gimpo Main Branch

• 📮 Address: 5 Ungok-ro
• 🕰️ Hours: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
• 🚫 Closed: Every Thursday

Arriving at 10:30am — what the wait was like

We got there a little after 10:30am that day. I thought we'd still have plenty of time, but that turned out to be a total misjudgment on our part, haha.

Starting from the customer right after us, people weren't just being seated — they were entering in the order they'd registered on Tableing.

So here's a really important tip for anyone visiting: if you're not doing an opening run, register for the wait the moment you arrive. We got lucky and were seated right away, but if we'd been just a little later, we would have had to wait.

Why the clean interior and menu options stood out

Once inside, the place was clean and well-kept overall, with about 10 tables from what I could see.

As soon as we sat down, the side dishes came out first, and then we picked our menu.

The 3 dishes we ordered

We ordered a total of 3 dishes!

• Spicy lean-meat sundae-guk ₩11,000 (no fat, lean meat)
• Clear lean-meat sundae-guk ₩10,000 (no fat, lean meat, sundae only)
• Suyuk (sous-vide pork head meat) ₩15,000

That's what we ordered. One thing I really liked about Paldam Sundae is that you can choose between fat and lean meat, or even go mostly sundae — it was great being able to order to my exact taste.

The organ meat self-serve bar you have to try while you wait

And if you come to Paldam Sundae, I think this is a must-do: the organ meat self-serve bar!

While waiting, I went over to the self-serve bar and found a variety of organs ready to go — liver, lungs, heart, and more. You can take as much as you like to your taste, which is great news for anyone who loves organ meat.

Even though we visited in the morning, we noticed a few tables enjoying daytime drinks alongside their soup and organ meat.

If you're into organ meat, this self-serve bar alone makes the place worth a visit.

The food came out fast, and soon our table was full

After grabbing a bit of organ meat from the self-serve bar and chatting for a while, our food came out quickly.

The suyuk looked amazing from the moment it arrived. Since it's the kind you eat warmed up while simmering, we waited a bit for it to start bubbling. In the meantime, we decided to start with the soup!

Clear lean-meat sundae-guk vs. spicy lean-meat sundae-guk

I ordered the clear lean-meat sundae-guk and my husband got the spicy version. From the first bite, we were both surprised at how much tastier it was than we expected.

To me, it didn't taste like a typical sundae-guk — it felt like the broth combined the flavors of ox bone soup and sundae-guk in just the right balance. The broth was rich but not overwhelmingly heavy, and it still had that classic savory sundae-guk flavor.

Honestly, it's easily in my top 3 sundae-guk soups I've ever had, haha.

My husband tasted it too and said it was better than the regular sundae-guk place he used to go to in Yeongjongdo — and coming from him, since he's pretty picky, I felt oddly proud. I was the one who found this place and brought him, so hearing him say it was delicious made me genuinely happy.

I like eating mostly sundae, so I ordered accordingly. I set the sundae aside first and tried dipping it one piece at a time into salted shrimp sauce, chojang (vinegar-chili sauce), and dadaegi (chili paste seasoning).

It was delicious that way too — and starting with the plain broth, then adding perilla seed powder about halfway through, was also great. Even though it's the same sundae-guk, adding seasoning or perilla seeds changed the flavor enough that I never got tired of it until the end.

Try it plain first, then adjust to your taste!

Eat the sous-vide pork head meat the moment it starts bubbling

And then, the suyuk! This exceeded expectations too.

We waited a bit at first since we started with the soup, but once it began bubbling with the bean sprouts underneath, we dug in right away. Personally, I recommend eating it as soon as it starts boiling.

I worried it might get tough if simmered too long, so I ate it once it was nicely warmed through, and the pork head meat was more tender than I expected — not chewy at all. Eating it with the bean sprouts underneath added a crisp yet soft texture that paired really well.

With rice mixed into the sundae-guk and a piece of suyuk on top, it was seriously filling.

Looking for Gimpo sundae-guk? Worth the wait

Paldam Sundae was one of those rare places where my husband and I both agreed right away, "Let's come back here!"

What we liked most was being able to customize the sundae-guk with fat, lean meat, or mostly sundae to our taste, plus the organ meat self-serve bar where organ lovers can eat as much as they want.

Even though we arrived after 10:30am, the tables filled up fast — so remember this if you're planning a visit. Unless you're doing an opening run right at the 10am opening time, register for remote waiting on Tableing the second you arrive!

It's also fairly close to Geomdan New Town, so if you're in the Geomdan or Gimpo area looking for a great sundae-guk spot, it's worth visiting.

Both of us, as sundae-guk lovers, were satisfied, and I think anyone who loves organ meat would love it even more.

Next time, we're thinking of visiting with a bit more time to spare so we can properly enjoy the organ meat self-serve bar and maybe even try some daytime drinking, haha. For anyone looking for a great Gimpo sundae-guk spot, this is one I'd recommend!