Ilsan pork soup restaurant near Kintex: blood sausage at Roman Gukbap

When mealtime hits in the middle of a busy day, all I can think about is a hot bowl of gukbap (Korean soup with rice) to fill me up. This time I headed to Roman Gukbap in Daehwa-dong, Ilsan. I just went planning to have a plain pork gukbap, but the menu had blood sausage and steamed meat too, so after a moment of hesitation I decided to go all out haha.

What I ordered was the Flavor-Packed Blood Sausage Pork Gukbap + steamed head meat! Let me tell you whether it lived up to its name.

Where is Roman Gukbap near Kintex, and is there parking?

Roman Gukbap is a gukbap restaurant in Daehwa-dong, Ilsanseo-gu. Parking is available right in front of the store, and it's fairly close to Kintex, so it's a decent spot to stop by when you're looking for somewhere to eat near Kintex.

The interior felt warm and homey rather than the usual rough-and-ready gukbap-shop vibe. There were retro items scattered around too, which was nice to look at.

There were group parties in when I visited, and it does seem like a place that gets a lot of group visits. I also heard it's a good spot for drinks with a group.

Roman Gukbap menu: pork gukbap types, suyuk and jeongol

Roman Gukbap has a wide range of gukbap options beyond the basic pork gukbap, including offal gukbap, Sunsal Roman, blood sausage gukbap, and spicy pork gukbap. They also serve steamed meat and hot pot, so it looked like a good spot for a drink in the evening, not just a meal.

I was extremely hungry that day and wanted something filling, so I ordered the Flavor-Packed Blood Sausage Pork Gukbap. And since gukbap alone felt like it wasn't enough, I also ordered the steamed head meat.

Gukbap plus steamed meat combo? I mean... isn't that already game over? haha

First spoonful: how clear is the pork gukbap broth?

One of Roman Gukbap's defining features is its clear, clean-style pork gukbap. Previous reviews say the broth is made in-house using domestic pork leg bones and pork, simmered clean and deep with a lot of umami — and I found plenty of reviews agreeing.

I always try the broth plain before adding anything. It was already seasoned just right, so I didn't need to add a thing! Not too salty, not too bland haha.

What the Flavor-Packed Blood Sausage Pork Gukbap tastes like

And now, today's star: the blood sausage pork gukbap! Unlike regular glass-noodle sundae (Korean blood sausage), this has the rich, savory taste unique to blood sausage, so it'll catch the eye of anyone who's into that. Previous reviews said Roman Gukbap's blood sausage is clean-tasting and savory with no gamey smell, and even mentioned a kid enjoying it.

Eating the meat and blood sausage together in the soup made every spoonful fun. The broth itself is clean, but adding the blood sausage deepens the flavor a notch — the clean broth plus savory blood sausage combo worked really well together.

Steamed pork head meat: the best dish to drink with

And the steamed head meat I ordered alongside! You dip the softly boiled meat in salted shrimp sauce or ssamjang, and picking off a piece between spoonfuls of gukbap made a great combo.

The meat was so tender — great for a plate of steamed meat with a drink in the evening, but I bet kids would love it too!

Side dishes at Roman Gukbap: kimchi and kkakdugi

Kimchi and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) really matter at a gukbap place, right?! haha Roman Gukbap's basic side dishes are refreshingly tangy kimchi and kkakdugi. I'd take a spoonful of gukbap, top it with kimchi, then switch to kkakdugi — and before I knew it, the rice was gone.

The broth isn't the sharp, strongly seasoned type, so it wasn't overwhelming even eaten together with kimchi or kkakdugi.

Is Roman Gukbap worth it for pork gukbap in Ilsan?

Roman Gukbap would suit anyone who prefers a clear, clean, savory style of pork gukbap over the thick, milky-broth kind.

Ordering the blood sausage and steamed head meat alongside the gukbap made it a pretty filling meal. Previous reviews also point to the clean broth, meat with no gamey smell, and the savory blood sausage as its strengths.

With the weather turning cooler these days, how about a bowl of hot pork gukbap at Roman Gukbap near Kintex in Ilsan?