Gunja Station Korean bar, free mukjuk and ₩29,900 stew: Saechamjip

Today I want to introduce a great spot in Gunja for a drink with some really good food on the side. While looking around for where to go, I found Saechamjip's Gunja branch, which serves a wide variety of Korean bar food. Looking at the menu, there were a lot of dishes you don't usually see at a typical bar, so out of curiosity I went straight there. Spoiler: from the basic side dishes to the main dish, everything was genuinely delicious, and I left very satisfied.

Where is Saechamjip near Gunja Station? Menu posted at the 2nd-floor entrance

Saechamjip sits on the 2nd floor of a building at 16 Neungdong-ro 36-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. You can spot the Saechamjip sign from outside the building, and there's a photo board of the signature dishes plus a menu right by the entrance.

I liked being able to check out the menu before even stepping inside. When visiting somewhere new, it can be a bit stressful not knowing the menu or prices going in, but at Saechamjip you can check everything from outside. In particular, dishes like pollock roe cheese potato pancake, whole shrimp minari pancake, and octopus shrimp kimchi pancake were pictured, so I was already trying to decide what to order before I even walked in~

Apparently there's a wait on weekends!! Guess Gunja Station really has become a hot spot.

Inside Saechamjip: a wide hall that fits group dinners

Walking into Saechamjip, the inside was bigger than I expected. The tables were spaced generously, so it looked great for couples or friends, and also convenient as a spot for larger group gatherings.

If you're looking for a bar near Gunja Station for a group, this seems like a good pick. It had that classic Korean-bar vibe without feeling too dark or cramped, so we could enjoy drinks and food comfortably. We took a seat and slowly went through the menu, and there were so many good-looking dishes that we had a hard time deciding what to order.

Saechamjip menu and prices: Jirisan hanwoo daechang chicken stew, ₩29,900

Saechamjip had a wide range of dishes made to go well with Korean drinks. The signature items included baekmuk-eunji stone plate bone grill boiled for 48 hours, giant egg roll topped with pollock roe mayo, pollock roe cheese potato pancake, whole shrimp minari pancake, and octopus shrimp kimchi pancake.

There were also plenty of drinks that go well with Korean bar food, including a house-made 1L jar of smoothie makgeolli and highballs made with an Andong soju base. Out of all the options, what we chose was Saechamjip's signature dish, the Jirisan hanwoo daechang dakbokkeumtang (beef large intestine chicken stew). It cost ₩29,900. The portion size was huge, which was very satisfying~

Free starters at Saechamjip: mukjuk and one hutgae stick per person

After ordering, it wasn't long before the basic side dishes arrived: mukjuk and crackers. Usually a bar's basic side dishes are something you just pick at a few times, but at Saechamjip even the basics were tasty.

The mukjuk (acorn jelly in cold broth) was cool and tangy, great for waking up the appetite before the main dish. I also kept reaching for the crackers while waiting for the drinks. Even before the main dish arrived, the basic side dishes were already satisfying, which naturally raised our expectations for the food to come~

What I thought was especially thoughtful was that they gave each person their own hutgae stick (hangover-prevention candy). It was the first time I'd seen a bar hand out one hutgae stick per person, and even though it's a small thing, it made me feel like they really cared about the guests. Like they were thinking about us from before we even started drinking through to the next day. That kind of thoughtfulness made the whole night feel good from the very start.

How the Jirisan hanwoo daechang chicken stew tastes: bean sprouts with beef intestine

Saechamjip's Jirisan hanwoo daechang dakbokkeumtang lived up to its name, with bean sprouts piled up like a mountain, surrounded by generous amounts of boneless chicken thigh and hanwoo (Korean beef) large intestine. The moment it hit the table, the look of it alone caught our eye.

Unlike a typical dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken stew), this one combined chicken with hanwoo daechang, which made it even more exciting. As the sprouts wilted and the broth started boiling, the delicious smell really came through. Once the sprouts were cooked through, we mixed the chicken thigh and daechang well into the broth and tried it.

Since it used boneless chicken thigh, there was no need to pick out bones, and it was easy to eat and kept its juicy, tender texture. Add in the rich, savory flavor of the hanwoo daechang, and the broth tasted far richer than a regular dakbokkeumtang. The distinctive savoriness of the daechang paired surprisingly well with the spicy seasoning of the stew. The sprouts also added a crunchy texture and cut through the richness of the broth. Piling the chicken thigh, daechang, and sprouts together on one bite, I understood exactly why this is the signature dish. It was our own order, but I felt like we'd chosen very well~

Is Saechamjip near Gunja Station worth a second visit?

Gunja's Saechamjip was a Korean bar where everything from the basic side dishes to the main dish was satisfying. The cool mukjuk and the crackers I kept reaching for were both tasty, and the thoughtfulness of giving each person their own hutgae stick was impressive. The Jirisan hanwoo daechang dakbokkeumtang we ordered had a great combination of boneless chicken thigh, savory hanwoo daechang, and crunchy sprouts. The seasoning and broth were so good that we ended up adding udon noodles and finishing every last bit.

The inside was also spacious enough for a casual drink with friends, and it looked convenient for group gatherings or work dinners too. Being able to check the menu and prices from outside beforehand was another plus. If you're looking for a bar in Gunja that serves great Korean side dishes, or want to try something a bit different from a regular dakbokkeumtang, Saechamjip's Gunja branch is worth a visit. We ended up there by chance, but we ate really well from the basic side dishes through the main dish and the added udon noodles. Next time I'd like to go back and try the baekmuk-eunji stone plate bone grill and some of the other pancakes~