Weeknight hwangtae kalguksu and king dumplings in Gangnam: Kkeutjang

Today I went for dinner with my husband, who loves kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), at Kkeutjang Yeoksam — a place I've dropped by pretty often during my office lunch break. 😊 I'd been a few times for lunch, but this was actually my first evening visit! Let me walk through the weekday evening atmosphere, the menu and prices, and of course my thoughts on the jang kalguksu. :)

📍 Where is Kkeutjang Yeoksam, and what are its hours?

Kkeutjang Yeoksam is located at 12 Nonhyeon-ro 98-gil, 1F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, about a 5-minute walk from Exit 7 of Yeoksam Station. It's a bit easier to find if you come out through the GS Tower building. Lunch hours run from 11:00 to 15:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00. Dinner service starts at 17:00 and last order is at 21:00, so keep that in mind if you're planning an evening visit. :)

🏠 What is Kkeutjang Yeoksam like on a weekday evening?

Since it's near my office, I'd been for lunch several times, but this was my first evening visit. There happened to be a group dinner party going on that night, so the place felt pretty lively.

The restaurant isn't exactly small, but there were enough group tables that a short wait built up in the evening. Unlike lunch, dinner opens up a wider pancake menu, so I saw quite a few tables enjoying makgeolli or beer alongside their food. It's great for a noodle meal, but if you're near Yeoksam Station looking for a casual spot to pair pancakes with makgeolli, this could work well too!

📋 Kkeutjang Yeoksam menu and prices

Kalguksu and savory pancakes seem to be the main draws at Kkeutjang. At lunch, you can order a lunch-special kalguksu set that comes with 1 wang mandu. Among the single kalguksu dishes, jang kalguksu is the cheapest at ₩11,000, while nakji (octopus) kalguksu is the priciest — note that it's only available starting from 2 servings. For sides, there's wang mandu (4 pieces, ₩7,000) and galbi mandu (6 pieces, ₩6,000). There's also a good variety of pancakes to pair with drinks in the evening, mostly priced from the ₩10,000s to the low ₩20,000s.

Checking the country-of-origin labels, I could see that a lot of the main ingredients were domestically sourced, which was nice to confirm before ordering.

Jang kalguksu vs hwangtae kalguksu: which one to order?

I'd already tried the kalguksu a few times on my own during lunch, but this was the first time coming with my husband. So this time we ordered jang kalguksu, hwangtae kalguksu, and wang mandu as a side.

The first thing you notice with the kalguksu is just how generous the portions are. The hwangtae kalguksu had a clear broth that was still slightly thick, and with zucchini and bean sprouts in it, the soup had a nice refreshing quality. That said, since it's called hwangtae (dried pollack) kalguksu, I expected to actually see pollack pieces in there, but there weren't any visible — a little disappointing. 🥲 Still, thanks to the clean, refreshing broth, my husband actually liked the hwangtae kalguksu better of the two.

Second up, my favorite — jang kalguksu! Personally, I find Kkeutjang's jang kalguksu isn't too spicy and has a slightly sweet flavor that reminds me of tteokbokki sauce, which really suits my taste. My husband, on the other hand, said the deep, savory doenjang (fermented soybean paste) flavor wasn't as strong as he'd expected, which was a bit of a letdown for him. So the verdict: I preferred the jang kalguksu, and he preferred the hwangtae kalguksu, haha! Food preferences really do differ even between married couples. 😂

There's a sign on the table explaining a few ways to enjoy the kalguksu differently, so it might be worth trying based on your own taste. And there's something I love just as much as the kalguksu at Kkeutjang — the barley rice!

One reason I often come here for lunch from the office is that you get both rice and noodles in one meal, haha. The barley rice itself doesn't have many special ingredients, but once you mix in the mu-saengchae (seasoned radish salad) and drizzle on some sesame oil, you can't stop reaching for more. Especially in summer when you've got no appetite, mixing it with the tangy radish salad really perks things up!

🥢 King dumplings and barley rice on the side

For a side, we ordered the wang mandu. The dumplings leaned more toward a familiar, standard flavor rather than a distinctly handmade one. Still, they were a solid choice to share when the kalguksu alone felt like it needed a companion. Now that I've tried the wang mandu, next time I visit for dinner I'd like to try the suyuk (boiled pork slices) too, haha.

Is Kkeutjang Yeoksam worth a dinner in Gangnam?

Kkeutjang is a place I visit fairly often during my office lunch break. At lunch, waits can start building after 11:30, so I'd recommend arriving a bit early! In the evening, you can order from the full pancake menu, and I saw plenty of people pairing their meal with makgeolli or beer. With generous portions of kalguksu plus barley rice, this is a solid pick if you work near Yeoksam Station or are looking for a hearty lunch or dinner. :)