Kintex gukbap restaurant in Goyang that beats Busan's: Roman Gukbap

I went for lunch at Roman Gukbap (로만국밥), a Kintex-area restaurant that has become my life-changing meal because it's even better than Busan pork gukbap (pork and rice soup). Honestly, there are plenty of great gukbap places in Seoul and Gyeonggi, but I'd stake my blog on it (?) that Roman Gukbap is genuinely, truly delicious even among them!!!

Where is Roman Gukbap, and what are the parking and opening hours?

Roman Gukbap is at 1F, 7-4 Hosu-ro 838beon-gil, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi. It's open daily 10:00–22:00 (last order 21:30) and closed on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month. Parking is reportedly free, so it's worth asking before you visit.

• Address: 7-4 Hosu-ro 838beon-gil, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi
• Parking: free parking available (ask them!)
• Hours: daily 10:00–22:00 (closed 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month)
• Last order: daily 21:30
• Other info: indoor restroom / private room / group seating / takeout / delivery

Is Roman Gukbap good for groups and company dinners?

The inside of Roman Gukbap is cozy and clean.

The tables and tableware were spotless, which made me trust the hygiene.

You can push tables together, so a big group is no problem.

There's even a private room, so it looks great for company dinners or family gatherings too.

I was wondering why it's called Roman Gukbap, and the reason was written up on the wall, haha. The name sounds kind of Italian, and I thought it was clever.

They say Roman Gukbap uses no scrap bones at all: the broth is made in-house from 100% pork bones and meat plus good herbal ingredients.

Roman Gukbap menu and side dishes

The menu has gukbap dishes, drinking snacks (anju) and suyuk (boiled pork slices). I was surprised that a gukbap restaurant also sells things like squid sundae and webfoot octopus (jjukkumi). The owner said he wanted to make a restaurant that also serves gukbap, not one that only serves gukbap.

The owner was super kind and clearly proud of his cooking, which I thought was cool!

The basic table setting has kimchi, kkakdugi, chili peppers, onion, ssamjang, salt, pepper, sliced chili, salted shrimp and daedagi. The onions and peppers were so fresh that I could tell they take good care of things. Extra side dishes are self-service, so you can grab as much as you like!

What comes in the Roman Gukbap set?

The Roman Gukbap set is pork gukbap served with tasting portions of suyuk, sundae (Korean blood sausage) and liver. Dongdong and I ordered it, and since we wanted to try a bit of everything, the set was perfect!

Is Roman Gukbap's clear pork gukbap too bland?

The pork gukbap here isn't the usual milky-white broth but a clear one, and it's really, truly delicious!! Just from the broth alone I thought, yep, this is the Kintex place to eat!

You might think clear means bland, but not at all: the flavor is deep and rich, and the savory umami is crazy. How good is it? I really love pepper, but I didn't want to change the taste of the broth, so I ate it plain from start to finish, haha. It's seasoned just right without adding anything, and it feels like eating a proper health-boosting meal!

It's packed with meat too, and it's tender and delicious without a hint of gamey smell.

Even the parts with fat attached weren't greasy at all, just delicious!

Seriously, it felt like eating a proper dish, not ordinary gukbap, hahaha, really!

When to add pepper, chili and dadaegi to pork gukbap

The pork gukbap at Roman Gukbap is best plain, but adding pepper, chili, salted shrimp and daedagi in order is also tasty. Dongdong was curious about the taste with pepper and cheongyang chili (spicy green chili) and added them; with such a good base, of course that was delicious too. If you like a kick, you can't dislike it.

And with daedagi added too? Spicy and zingy, it's a hangover cure in no time, haha.

The plain one is best, but the versions with pepper, chili, salted shrimp and daedagi are good too, so try adding them in order. But never add them from the start! Definitely eat it plain at first! Haha.

How do the suyuk, sundae and liver in the Roman Gukbap set taste?

If you order the Roman Gukbap set, suyuk, sundae and liver come together.

Wait, what are we supposed to do when even the sundae at Roman Gukbap is delicious?

It isn't glass-noodle sundae but soft, chewy, tasty glutinous-rice sundae, so next time I'd like to order the sundae on its own too.

And the suyuk at Roman Gukbap! It's better than most suyuk specialty shops. It's the softest suyuk I've ever had, with great umami too, the kind of taste you keep thinking about.

Seriously, it'd get famous just selling suyuk, T_T. They seem to have opened not long ago, and I think it'll soon be famous as a Kintex favorite.

The liver was nutty and delicious too, so I finished every bit! I had a Fanta to finish, and it was clean and just right!

I'd never tasted this kind of refined flavor at a gukbap place, and it turns out the owner is a well-known chef who comes up when you search on Naver. No wonder it tasted like something that could go on Culinary Class Wars!

Is Roman Gukbap better than Busan pork gukbap?

I've tried plenty of gukbap in Seoul and Gyeonggi, but Busan pork gukbap always held the biggest spot in my heart. This time Roman Gukbap seriously stole that spot, hahahaha. It's gone beyond a Kintex favorite to become a meal of my life.

The broth is a work of art and feels restorative, so on Boknal (the hottest days of summer) you could eat this instead of samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). I'll definitely come back!!! If you want to meet the pork gukbap of your life, go!