Gunsan hangover soup with a self-serve bar: Insaeng Gamjatang

Come lunchtime, don't you always end up wondering what on earth to eat haha 😆 Especially on days when you're recovering from the night before (?) or just craving something hot and soupy, nothing beats a good haejangguk (hangover soup), I think 😆

This time I went for Gunsan lunch hangover soup at Insaeng Gamjatang Gunsan Branch! Being a proper gamjatang (pork bone stew) specialist, they had all kinds — napa cabbage gamjatang, green onion kimchi gamjatang, aged kimchi gamjatang, even mustard leaf kimchi gamjatang — so it was fun picking based on what you're in the mood for. Seeing the table fully spread out was satisfying just to look at 💛

Where is Insaeng Gamjatang Gunsan Branch, and where do you park?

Insaeng Gamjatang Gunsan Branch is located at 197 Gongdan-daero, 1st floor, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk. The big Insaeng Gamjatang sign is visible from outside, so it wasn't hard to find at all.

Behind the store there's parking for about 80 cars, so that's worth knowing if you're driving :) The basement of the building has a bowling alley and the 2nd floor houses a HRD Korea office, which might help you find the spot too.

Inside Insaeng Gamjatang: clean and roomy

Walking in, the vibe was a bit different from what I pictured a typical gamjatang restaurant to be! Wood-tone interior, green plants placed here and there, warm lighting — overall it felt clean and comfortable :)

The space looked plenty roomy for a lunch meal, or for visiting with a group. You order through a tablet at the table, so I got to browse the menu and take my time picking haha

How many kinds of gamjatang are on the menu?

Looking at the menu, there was the basic Insaeng napa cabbage gamjatang, plus green onion kimchi gamjatang, aged kimchi gamjatang, and even Yeosu Dolsan mustard leaf kimchi gamjatang. It was fun realizing that even a single dish like gamjatang can be chosen by broth and kimchi type.

There's also a half-and-half gamjatang option so you can enjoy two flavors at once. If you just want a simple solo meal instead of gamjatang, there's also bone soup (haejangguk).

There's napa cabbage, aged kimchi, green onion kimchi, and mustard leaf kimchi pork bone soup, plus a boneless soup option too — quite a lot of choices if you're looking for Gunsan lunch hangover soup.

The bubbling hot pork bone soup arrives

Finally the soup I ordered arrived, and the presentation alone was on point haha. A stone pot filled to the brim with red broth, scattered green onions on top, and a generous amount of napa cabbage.

Watching the broth bubble away in the hot stone pot made me even hungrier 😂 The soup was rich yet spicy, the kind of flavor that naturally makes you want rice!

The well-simmered napa cabbage had properly soaked up the broth and was soft, and picking off the meat stuck to the bones alongside it was satisfying. Being a proper gamjatang specialist really showed in how the rich broth, tender bones, and plentiful napa cabbage came together.

Choosing your kimchi: green onion, aged or mustard leaf

One of the fun things about Insaeng Gamjatang is that it's not just napa cabbage — you can pick flavors based on kimchi type, like green onion kimchi, aged kimchi, or mustard leaf kimchi..!

Even with the same bone soup, the broth feels different depending on the ingredients, so it'd be fun to visit with a group and each order something different 😆 Our table ended up with a different-feeling pot in front of each of us — a total hangover soup party

What's at the self-serve side dish bar?

One thing I really liked! There was a separate self-serve side dish bar set up on one side of the restaurant.

If you run low on side dishes while eating, you don't need to call a staff member over — you can just grab as much as you need, which was convenient 😆

Is Insaeng Gamjatang a good lunch stop in Gunsan?

Seeing the full spread laid out, it really was generous haha. With a hot stone pot, a bowl of rice, kimchi, diced radish kimchi, and white kimchi on the side, it made for a filling lunch. If you've gotten a little tired of the same old options while looking for Gunsan lunch hangover soup,

being able to choose based on preference — napa cabbage, aged kimchi, green onion kimchi, or mustard leaf kimchi — left an impression. The place was also spacious and clean, and with the self-serve bar, it was easy to grab extra side dishes comfortably while eating :)

On a day when you're craving hot, rich broth and want to pick the meat clean off the bones, then mix in rice and polish off the whole bowl — Insaeng Gamjatang Gunsan Branch is the place that'll come to mind 🥔💛

Insaeng Gamjatang Gunsan Branch / 197 Gongdan-daero, 1st floor, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk, South Korea / Daily 07:00–03:00