Nowon bone soup restaurant: large bowls after the holidays, Somunnan

Second visit to Somunnan Gamjatang's Junggye main branch: large bone soup this time

I went back again to Somunnan Gamjatang's main branch in Jungnye-dong, this time with Dongdong. Once a place has impressed you, it naturally comes to mind again — and since the bone soup on my first visit was so satisfying, I found myself returning here with Dongdong.

This was already my second visit. I enjoyed my first meal here, and this time there was no hesitation over the menu — I went straight for bone soup. Dongdong and I both ended up ordering the same thing: the special bone soup.

📍 Somunnan Gamjatang, main branch Address: 694 Deokneung-ro, 1st floor, Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Maybe because it was my second visit, the entrance already felt familiar. The first time, I walked in curious about what the place would be like; this time, having already tasted the food once, I walked in feeling completely at ease.

Hot soup dishes like gamjatang or bone soup are the kind of thing you crave depending on the weather or how you're feeling, and that day I wanted a solid, filling meal, so I came back. The restaurant has apparently been in the same spot since 1995, and having visited twice myself, I can feel a bit of why customers keep coming back over the years.

What's on the menu at Somunnan Gamjatang?

Alongside gamjatang, there's a wide range of soup dishes — bone soup, blood sausage soup, sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup), and blood-and-bone soup — plus dishes like samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup).

Last time I came, they also had cold buckwheat noodles and perilla oil buckwheat noodles, but since they're seasonal, the posters for those two were gone now that the weather has turned cold. Ha... (This photo is from my previous visit.) If you like cold buckwheat noodles or perilla oil noodles, aim for summer.

Last time, we each ordered something different. This time, we both picked the same thing — two orders of special bone soup! Having tried it once, I concluded that bone soup really is my favorite menu item here, haha.

Side dishes and the self-serve station at Somunnan Gamjatang

First, they brought out the side dishes, and the geotjeori (fresh kimchi) was really fresh!! I didn't try adding more, so I'm not sure, but it looks like there's a self-serve zone where you can scoop up extra side dishes yourself.

Large pork bone haejangguk: how big and how good?

After a short wait, our two bone soups arrived. Seeing two hot pots side by side already felt reassuring. Dongdong stood at attention with her hands while I took the photo, haha.

Since it was the special size, the portion looked much more generous than the regular size I ordered last time. I love piping hot broth, so I almost ordered the jeongol (hot pot) version but stuck with the individual pot instead.

As always with the bone soup I love, the broth itself was satisfying from the first spoonful.

Best of all, the meat was tender and fell off the bone easily, making it comfortable to eat. The broth also paired well with rice, so I started off eating the meat first, and before I knew it, I was mixing rice into the broth too.

Haejangguk really tastes best when it's hot!

Spoonful after spoonful of hot broth warmed me up from the inside and filled me up nicely. This seems like a great spot for anyone looking for a hearty Nowon bone soup lunch. There's really nothing quite like bone soup when you want a filling meal in the middle of the day.

Dongdong and I chatted as we ate slowly, and since we were both enjoying it so much, the food disappeared fast. At first the portion looked so big I wondered if we could really finish it all, but that worry turned out to be unnecessary, haha. Picking off the meat piece by piece, spooning up the broth, and eating rice alongside it, the pots were nearly empty before we knew it.

Even on this second visit, I enjoyed the meal just as much as the first time. If anything, knowing what to expect made me feel even more relaxed eating it from the start.

Finishing the large bone soup to the last drop

And of course, it ended up like this. We both cleaned our plates completely, haha. Even though the special size gave us a generous portion, we finished it all down to the last bite before leaving.

You can always tell when a meal was good by the photo after it's finished. This time too, we left the pots completely empty inside, feeling both full and satisfied.

I came back because of how much I enjoyed my first visit, and this second visit was just as satisfying. I personally love bone soup, so if I come again, I'll probably order the exact same thing. Unlike the first visit, when Dongdong and I each ordered something different, this time we both settled on the special bone soup — and in the end, it was a great choice. This is a place I'd want to return to whenever I'm craving hot, rich broth and a hearty meal.

They're also running a Naver review event, so if you write a receipt review, you get a free drink~~ Really enjoyed the meal. Next time, I'm planning to order the jeongol (hot pot) version. 😊