24-hour gukbap with jjokbangi sundae in Yongbong-dong, Gwangju

A 24-hour gukbap restaurant in Yongbong-dong

Gujeon Gukbap

Address: 1382-3 Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. 1F / Hours: Open 24 hours, every day of the year / Parking: Lot behind the restaurant

Baby chairs are available.

I had some business in Yongbong-dong and stopped by 'Gujeon Gukbap,' a 24-hour gukbap spot known for its kimchi — it's the restaurant Jeon Cheol-woo raved about!

Parking is behind the restaurant

There's a parking lot behind the restaurant, and since it was getting close to lunchtime, I worried there wouldn't be a spot, ㅠㅠ but there happened to be one open so we could park right away 😆

If you come in through the back door from the parking lot, the Gujeon Gukbap entrance is on your left — just so you know! We didn't know that and went in through the front entrance instead ㅋㅋㅋ

The kimchi pride is obvious from the entrance 👍🏻

A menu with both Namdo-style and Jeju-style gukbap

This restaurant Jeon Cheol-woo loved sells both Namdo-style and Jeju-style gukbap! I'd been craving bracken (gosari) haejangguk so badly ㅜㅜ and to think they sell it this close to me ㅠㅠ

And the best part is it's open 24 hours, every single day of the year!!!!! I asked the owner and they said they give you kimchi with takeout orders too ❤️

Entrance and waiting area

As you walk in, there's a kiosk for registering your wait, along with dental floss, mouthwash, candy, and hair ties! On the left there's a decorative piece with a very Jeju kind of vibe, and on the other side are waiting chairs along with a baby chair.

That's right, eating well is living well. And your body weight is a very precious thing — it wasn't gained without effort 👍🏻

From solo seats to partitioned booths

There were solo seats, partitioned booths, and open tables — a good variety of table styles.

Every table comes with a paper cup, small dish, sesame oil, pepper, cho-gochujang (vinegar chili paste), perilla seed powder, and salt, so you can season to your own taste!

Zucchini gukbap, bomal kalguksu (only 20 servings a day), bracken haejangguk, spicy gukbap... wow... they had so many of the gukbap dishes I love!! Total direct hit on my taste!!!

What we ordered

• 1 spicy mixed sundae gukbap
• 1 spicy jjokbangi gukbap
• 1 meat dumplings
• 1 zero-sugar cola

The basic side dishes came out right after we ordered!! Sticky rice, seaweed, salted shrimp, water, kimchi!!!

You can grab any other side dishes you want from the self-serve bar!

Proof of a kimchi spot: spicy-sweet kimchi and green onion kimchi

When a restaurant has a giant image of kimchi right on the exterior, you know it's a kimchi spot. Spicy-sweet kimchi and green onion kimchi ㅠㅠ wrapped in sticky rice and seaweed, it's heavenly... (you can add extra sticky rice at the kiosk, for an extra charge). As a pregnant mom with gestational diabetes... my eyes just roll back... it's such a happy flavor...

Only now do I realize I should have asked whether they include the green onion kimchi with takeout too...

Free baby meal for under 48 months, plus a review event

And this Jeon Cheol-woo favorite, Gujeon Gukbap, gives a free baby meal to infants under 48 months! The baby meal comes with quail eggs, sausage, seaweed, bone broth, and rice! Every single side dish on the baby meal is exactly the kind kids devour in seconds ❤️❤️ The owner really seems to understand kids well!!! 👍🏻

And!!! If you take part in the review event, you can choose either a seasonal bibimbap or fresh-pressed juice!!

Plus they had a summer-season menu item called nakmaksae (octopus and short rib combo)! Just looking at the photo made my mouth water... ㅋㅋ

Meat dumplings and spicy jjokbangi gukbap

Plump dumplings... ❤️ It had been a while since I'd had dumplings, so I stuffed a whole one in my mouth and devoured it in two bites... ㅋㅋ

The filling was packed so full that one bite filled my whole mouth with dumpling — pure happiness ㅠㅠ❤️

The spicy, punchy jjokbangi gukbap ❤️ As a pregnant mom I tried to keep some kind of conscience and only had one bite of the glass noodles... ㅎ

I gave the noodle-heavy sundae to my partner and focused mostly on the big jjokbangi sundae 😆

I had really been craving jjokbangi sundae so badly!!! Plump and thick, packed full without bursting open — perfect for savoring one big bite at a time.

The jjokbangi sundae is savory with absolutely no gamey smell — the best.

I tasted my partner's broth too — wow 👍🏻 The mixed sundae gukbap had jjokbangi sundae mixed in as well! I gave him the noodle-heavy sundae and he sweetly handed over his jjokbangi sundae in return... ❤️

My partner really is a true Gwangju native 👍🏻 He says you absolutely must eat sundae with cho-gochujang ㅋㅋㅋ Everyone has their own preference, so we each enjoyed it our own way ❤️

The seasonal bibimbap from the review event

The seasonal bibimbap we got from the review event! It was loaded with yeolmu (young radish greens), so crisp and fresh with vegetables!! I couldn't believe you could get a bibimbap like this just for a review event...!!

Why I'll go back

Oh, I got so absorbed in the green onion kimchi and regular kimchi that I forgot to mention the kkakdugi (radish kimchi) ㅋㅋ but that was delicious too!!!! Every single kimchi at this gukbap place was amazing! I've already asked my partner to pack some for takeout after I give birth ㅋㅋㅋ This time I'll finish the whole bowl for real ㅠㅠ If it were closer to home, I think I'd probably come here all the time..ㅋㅋㅋㅋ