Self-serve sides, spicy bibim pork noodles in Aewol: Handam Guksu

Address: 33 Aewol-ro, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si Hours: Daily 10:00 to 20:30, Monday until 16:20 Parking: 4–5 spots available in front of the restaurant

Pork noodles are one of those dishes you end up eating at least once on any Jeju trip, right? This time we were looking for somewhere to eat after walking along Handam Coastal Trail in Aewol, and ended up at Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch. Here's how it went :)

Where Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch is and what the dining room feels like

Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch is a pork noodle restaurant right in front of Handam Coastal Trail in Aewol, at 33 Aewol-ro. Once you step inside, Aewol's sea comes into view through the windows.

Since we'd come all the way to Jeju, being able to eat while looking out at the sea like this was so nice. 🥰🥰🥰

Is there a wait at Handam Guksu in Aewol?

Since it's in an area of Aewol that draws a lot of tourists, there can be a wait depending on when you go. When we visited it wasn't a busy time, so we got a table right away, but during peak times you may need to put your name down on Catch Table.

The tables right by the window open up a beautiful view of Aewol's coastline in Jeju, so it's really nice to enjoy the scenery while eating.

More than gogi guksu: what's on the Handam Guksu menu

I assumed a pork noodle specialty restaurant would only serve gogi guksu (pork noodle soup), but looking at the menu there were more varieties than expected. Besides the classic rich bone-broth gogi guksu, there was mala gogi guksu blending in mala spice, and bibim noodles made with dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) — a bit of a twist on traditional Jeju noodles.

One thing to note: the side dishes are completely self-serve, so after ordering you have to bring them to your own table!

Two bowls for two: bibim gogi guksu and gogi guksu

At Handam Guksu, our go-to pork noodle spot in Aewol, Jeju, my wife and I ordered bibim gogi guksu and gogi guksu. Once the two bowls were set side by side, they were both bigger than expected — one topped with bright red mixed sauce, the other with a milky bone broth, so completely different in look, which made them great to order together and share.

How the spicy bibim gogi guksu tasted

My wife's bibim noodles looked like they'd be pretty intense given how deep-colored the sauce was, but once mixed, it was spicy with a nice sweet-and-tart balance, and my chopsticks kept going back for more??? haha

When you lift up the noodles hidden under the toppings, more and more keep coming — the portion is much bigger than it looks, so I think you'd get the full sense of how generous it is if you saw it on video.

We made sure to properly mix the noodles and meat so the sauce wouldn't clump on one side. Once evenly tossed, the red sauce coated the noodles all over, making for a much more appetizing look.

One of the things that surprised me most about Handam Guksu was the noodle portion. As I lifted the noodles with my chopsticks, they just kept coming — the amount was that generous. Even I, who eats a fair amount, couldn't finish it all...

The signature beef-bone broth gogi guksu

This is gogi guksu, the signature menu item at Handam Guksu, located along Handam Coastal Trail in Aewol, Jeju.

Doesn't it look filling just from the sight of all that meat piled on top of the milky broth? Haha. Tasting the broth first, I could feel the deep flavor characteristic of bone broth, but it wasn't overly greasy or heavy. It was rich yet went down cleanly, making it easy to eat the meat and noodles together, and alternating with the bibim gogi guksu, the spicy and the mild flavors complemented each other well.

Ah, and the meat portion was generous, but the noodles weren't lacking either. Lifting the noodles up, even a single chopstick-full was quite substantial. With all that meat in there too, by the time you finish a bowl, you'll be much fuller than you expected. That wraps up our visit to Handam Guksu, our go-to pork noodle spot along Handam Coastal Trail in Aewol, Jeju.