Gwakji Beach noodle restaurant with tablet ordering: Handam Guksu

Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch, a pork noodle spot worth trying in Aewol

Where is Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch, and when is it open?

Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch is at 33 Aewol-ro, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju, South Korea, 1st floor. It's open 10:00–20:30 (last order 19:50), and on Mondays until 16:20, with a break time of 15:30–17:30. Parking is available in front of the restaurant, and Randy's and Handam Trail parking lot both offer 1-hour parking support.

Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch, an Aewol noodle restaurant with a Jeju sea view. On the first day of a trip to Aewol, Jeju, I was looking for somewhere filling for lunch near Gwakji Beach and ended up at Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch. The location was also handy for stopping by Aewol's Randy's Donuts or the café street, so let me review it in detail.

Where do you park near Gwakji Beach?

For parking at Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch in Jeju, about 4 cars can fit in front of the restaurant, and if you park at the nearby Randy's Donuts parking lot or Handam-ro Trail parking lot, you get 1 hour of parking support, so parking wasn't inconvenient at all.

An ocean-view noodle restaurant with the Jeju sea spread out before you

Window seats with an ocean view and tablet ordering

Inside, Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch has a full window wall, so once you sit down the Aewol sea fills your view. The interior was clean and understated, and from the window seats you could see the breakwater and sea in the distance — a treat for the eyes while eating.

Orders are placed via the tablet installed at each table.

Bone-broth pork noodles 10,000 Dongchimi bibim noodles 10,000 Dombe cold pork 15,000

What's on the self-serve side dish bar

At Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch, you bring your own side dishes from the self-serve bar. Once you've placed your order, just head to the corner near the entrance marked 'SELF BAR' and take as much as you'd like to eat. The dishes on offer were kimchi, pickled radish, and peppers, and it was nice being able to portion out exactly what you wanted. There were also hair ties and kids' tableware available, which made things easy.

Dombe naengsuyuk, 15,000 won

The dombe naengsuyuk (cold pork on a cutting board) came out first. 'Dombe' means cutting board in Jeju dialect, and here thinly sliced boiled pork is served chilled with wasabi and a tangy sauce on the side, so dipping the meat in the sauce made it clean and light without any greasiness.

Handam Guksu's pork noodles, with their rich bone broth and generous meat

Bone-broth pork noodles, 10,000 won

These pork noodles come topped with Jeju pork in a broth simmered for a long time from bone stock. The soup was rich yet clean, not overpowering, and topped with bean sprouts, green onion, corn, and sesame seeds. Lifting the noodles pulled up a piece of meat naturally, showing just how generous the portion was.

Dongchimi bibim noodles, 10,000 won

These are bibim noodles you pour cool dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) broth over and mix, topped with julienned cucumber, bean sprouts, corn, and boiled pork. Mixing the bright red sauce evenly through the noodles brought out a tangy-sweet, spicy kick. The dongchimi broth in particular was a masterstroke!

What made Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch worth the stop

The biggest draw of Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch is definitely the ocean view. Sitting by the window during the day and eating while looking out at Gwakji's sea clearly sets it apart from other pork noodle restaurants. The parking in front and support at the nearby public lot also make it especially convenient for travelers getting around by car. It's popular enough that there can be a wait at lunchtime, so keep that in mind.

★★★★★ Genuinely one of the best bowls of pork noodles I've had in Jeju.