Sinjung-dong Korean restaurant with scorched-rice tea: Gim Myeongju

It's September, and I was craving a hearty, healthy meal, so I went looking around and found this place! Here's my review of a Bucheon must-visit Korean restaurant — Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch. Let's go!

Where is Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang, and is there parking?

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch is a Korean restaurant using part of the 1st floor plus the 2nd and 3rd floors at 70 Jungdong-ro 254beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It's 385m from Exit 3 of Sinjungdong Station, open daily 10:30–21:30 with last order at 20:50. Free parking is available on the building's 1st floor.

This Bucheon must-visit Korean restaurant looks huge just from the outside! It's about a 4-minute walk from Exit 3 of Sinjungdong Station, so accessibility is great.

If you're driving, you can park comfortably on the 1st floor of the building. If it's full, parking at the parking tower (Jungdong Park Town) gets you 1 hour supported. The address is 70 Jungdong-ro 254beon-gil, Bucheon-si.

There's a Tteuranchae café on the 1st floor! It's nice to have a coffee and rest after eating.

With a reservation at Tteuranchae, you can order special menu items — braised duck, roasted duck, pork belly, and more. The 3rd floor is reserved for group bookings!

This Bucheon must-visit Korean restaurant mills its own yellow rice fresh every morning! It's said to have more aroma, flavor, and nutrition than regular white rice, making it healthier!!

This Bucheon must-visit Korean restaurant is also a certified pest-free zone.

Inside Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang: seating, private rooms and the waitlist

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch has a CatchTable kiosk at the entrance, so if there's a wait you can put your name down there. I went during an off-peak time after lunch and got seated right away without waiting! Also, leaving a Naver receipt review gets you a free can of soda, so go for it~

The interior was spacious and comfortable! Warm lighting and wood-toned interior created a relaxed atmosphere, making it easy to eat and chat.

There are also private rooms, making it a good spot for reunions, birthday parties, family dinners, work dinners, and all kinds of gatherings.

There's a restroom inside, so you don't have to step outside — very convenient!

They also sell snacks, yakgwa (honey cookies), side dishes, and rice, so if you need to buy any, just ask the staff.

What's on the self-bar, from wrap vegetables to plum and omija drinks

At the self-bar of Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch, you can scoop up extra side dishes yourself if the basic ones run low! There was a wide variety — fresh lettuce wraps, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), fried eggplant, dried radish greens, and more!

There's also sesame oil, tableware, yellow rice, and barley rice.

The self-bar had plum tea and omija (schisandra berry) tea. I tried both — personally, while omija is refreshing too, I found plum tea also helps digestion and tastes great!!

There are aprons ready to protect our clothes too! Hygienic disposable aprons — nice touch.

✅ Check point — the kitchen closes at 9pm, so the self-bar is also cleared at that time. All side dishes are sold at the counter, so if you want to buy some, ask the staff.

• Side dishes 5,000 won per pack
• Barley yeolmu mul-kimchi 10,000 won

Menu and prices at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang, and how to order

At Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch, you order the tteuranchae bapsang (base table setting) at 13,000 won per person, plus at least one single dish. Single dishes are dried barley yellow corvina, soy marinated crab, charcoal-grilled pork, stir-fried baby octopus, seasoned cockles, and grilled mackerel, ranging 15,000–18,000 won.

After much deliberation, we ordered the following.

• Tteuranchae Bapsang 13,000 won x2
• Single dish (soy marinated crab) 18,000 won
• Soju 5,000 won

You can view detailed images on the T Order tablet at each table, and orders are also placed through T Order.

Each table has cold water and paper cups, so there's no need to feel parched between bites — nice touch!

The 13,000-won set meal: 12 side dishes and cheonggukjang stew

💃🏻The food has arrived🕺🏻 A full table of side dishes, cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste stew), and soy marinated crab!!

Let's take a look one by one: seasoned doraji (bellflower root), napa cabbage kimchi, seasoned perilla leaves, spinach, japchae, lettuce, potato, dried radish greens, fried eggplant — 12 side dishes made with seasonal ingredients and full of care! If the basic side dishes run low, you can refill endlessly from the self-bar.

Here are the 4 side dishes I kept reaching for! None were too strong-flavored, all just right in seasoning, easy to eat without any burden.

This is the cheonggukjang! So good — savory and salty, it went great with rice. It had smooth tofu in it, and the radish especially gave the broth a refreshing quality!

Jeju yellow crab marinated in soy sauce, 18,000 won

This is the single dish, soy marinated crab. It's made by aging Jeju yellow crab in a secret soy sauce recipe. The crab was fresh, and it wasn't just salty soy flavor — you could also taste the spiciness of the chili!

Pressure-cooked yellow rice and scorched-rice tea (nurungji sungnyung)

This is the pot rice! This Sinjung-dong must-visit Korean restaurant 'Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang' cooks the rice in a pressure cooker as soon as the order comes in, so the grains were glossy, savory, and chewy!

They scoop this rice into another bowl, pour hot water over the scorched rice left in the pot, and put the lid back on! Once you've finished the rice, you can finish with a savory bowl of scorched-rice tea.

Is Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang worth a visit in Bucheon?

• Spacious, comfortable interior
• Private rooms suitable for all kinds of gatherings
• A warm, thoughtfully prepared home-style meal
• Friendly staff
• Side dishes, snacks, and rice for sale
• A great restaurant to bring parents to

It was nice to have a hearty, healthy meal that felt like home cooking in a comfortable space! How about a warm meal today with freshly pressure-cooked yellow rice at 'Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang'~