Jeju noodle restaurant for mixed noodles and broth: Handam Guksu

Choosing lunch in Aewol

When you travel around Aewol in Jeju, even choosing lunch becomes a surprisingly tricky decision, haha.

So many pork noodle places come up when you search for Aewol lunch spots, but actually deciding on one is not easy. My restaurant criteria? It has to be good, but if the wait is too long, I tend to give up, lol.

This time, while looking for somewhere near Handam Beach, I visited Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch (한담국수 곽지애월점). It was close to the sea, had parking, and offered several noodle options, so choosing a menu looked easy.

Parking and hours at Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch

It is on the first floor at 33 Aewol-ro, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju, South Korea. Hours are 10:00–20:30 Tuesday through Sunday and 10:00–16:20 on Monday, with space for about three cars out front.

I got there right at the 10 a.m. opening, so I could park comfortably in front.

If the spaces in front are full, parking at Handam Walking Trail Parking Lot comes with one hour of support. Just check carefully before you go: Handam Parking Lots 1 and 2 are not covered.

Inside the restaurant by the sea

Handam Guksu sits right in front of the sea.

Once inside, I could see the sea through the full-height windows, so there was the fun of taking in the view while eating. Overall, it felt clean and comfortable.

I saw family groups too, and high chairs were available.

The self-service bar had extra tableware and side dishes, so you could take what you needed.

Ordering mixed noodles and beef-bone-broth noodles

The menu included beef-bone-broth pork noodles, bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles), mala pork noodles, dombe suyuk (Jeju-style boiled pork), and black pork tteokgalbi (grilled minced-meat patties).

That day, we ordered bibim guksu and sagol guksu (beef-bone-broth noodles). They are both noodles, but the moods are completely different, so they were great to order together and share.

If one menu feels a little lacking when you are having Aewol pork noodles, choosing one brothy dish and one mixed dish like this seemed like a good idea.

Side dishes I remembered as much as the mains

I tried the side dishes before the food arrived, and they surprised me a little, lol.

The fresh kimchi and pickled radish were much better than I expected.

The fresh kimchi was crisp, with seasoning that really clung to the palate. The pickled radish was tangy and salty, so I kept reaching for it while eating the noodles.

Personally, I remember the side dishes just as much as the mains that day.

Bibim guksu with broth added your way

First up, the bibim guksu.

Like bibim naengmyeon, it came with broth separately, and that was quietly great. Rather than mixing it all in from the start, you can add a little at a time to suit your taste: keep the seasoning bold, or add more broth for a refreshing bowl.

I mixed in a moderate amount, and the lightly spicy flavor with an added tang really woke up my appetite.

Above all, the noodles were really chewy. Their springy texture was still there, and with the seasoning, I just kept reaching for more.

Beef-bone-broth noodles topped with dombe pork

The sagol guksu had an appealing warm, rich broth.

It arrived already seasoned, and it was exactly right. The broth was savory without feeling too heavy, and the dombe pork on top made it filling with the noodles.

If I were having Aewol pork noodles in Jeju, I would want to add at least one warm brothy dish like this, haha. The bibim guksu sharpened the appetite with tang and spice, while the sagol guksu filled me up warmly, so alternating between them was a great combination.

True to an Aewol lunch favorite, the restaurant filled up quickly after a little while. The noodles were good, of course, but the side dishes made me especially satisfied that day.

A filling noodle meal near Handam Beach

Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch was a good place for a filling bowl of noodles while staying close to the sea.

I liked that the bibim guksu let you mix in broth to taste and had chewy noodles, while the sagol guksu was filling with its dombe pork topping. More than anything, the fresh kimchi and pickled radish were so delicious that I think I will keep thinking about them, lol.

If you are looking for an Aewol local favorite and want to sort out lunch near the sea, or want pork noodles and bibim guksu together, ordering this combination would be a good option.

Q&A

Was it a good choice for lunch in Aewol?

It was close to Handam Beach, so it was easy to stop by during a trip, and it was great for a filling meal.

What was the best menu item?

The chewy noodles in the bibim guksu stood out especially, and I also liked the sagol guksu for its rich broth.

How were the side dishes?

The fresh kimchi and pickled radish were seriously delicious. I liked them enough to want them again, lol.

Was the location and parking convenient?

The parking support made it convenient for travelers using rental cars, and the restaurant was right on the main road, so it was very easy to find!