Step-free gamjatang restaurant in Nowon, Seoul: Somunnan Gamjatang

Hey everyone! I had some errands in Nowon today and ended up having a proper hot bowl of soup while I was there, haha. This is Somunnan Gamjatang, the Junggye main branch, just 5 minutes from Exit 2 of Sangye Station. I already knew the name — it shows up every time you search for good eats in Nowon — but seeing the place packed with locals at 2pm on a Saturday really drove it home. I visited as part of a Superchart campaign this time, so here's everything, the good and the not-so-good, exactly as it was. ✨

Somunnan Gamjatang in one line

• One-line take: This place doesn't skimp on the perilla powder. It's a gamjatang that wins on savory depth, not spice.
• What we ordered: Gamjatang, small (for 2), ₩36,000 — 2 adults
• Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) — the perilla and ground white bean savoriness completely dominates; there's almost no heat
• Atmosphere: a loud, old-school dining hall mixing neighborhood elders and families. Being 24 hours means no worrying about timing
• Amenities: no step at the entrance and an indoor ramp mean wheelchairs and strollers can roll straight in, plus parking behind the building and unlimited banchan refills at the self-serve bar 🚗

Where is Somunnan Gamjatang, and what about parking and hours?

• Name: Somunnan Gamjatang · Bone Soup, Junggye main branch
• Address: 694 Deongneung-ro, 1st floor, Nowon-gu, Seoul (Jungye-dong 152-9, Cheongwoo Building), South Korea
• Transit: about 5 minutes on foot (~256m) from Line 4 Sangye Station Exit 2
• Parking: available behind the building (spots aren't super plentiful)
• Hours: open 24 hours per the signage and in-store info — some map apps show a 10pm closing, so call ahead for a late-night visit
• Takeout: all menu items packed uncooked/half-cooked by default; mention in advance if you want it cooked, container fee extra
• Important note!: no step at the entrance, so you can walk straight in, and there's a ramp for the indoor level change. Tables seat 4 as standard, but there are long tables too so groups are fine — plenty of people drink soju or beer with their meal here, so it's not a quiet spot. There's also a second branch in Sangye (behind Byeoksan Apartment), so don't mix them up!

Finding the red sign on Deongneung-ro

Being right on the main Deongneung-ro road makes it really easy to find. Red signage with white brush lettering, plus banners for '24-hour service' and 'house-made samgyetang' — you spot it instantly and think, this is the place. Once you see a sign like that, how could you not walk in?

Inside the dining room: wheelchair and stroller access

Once you're inside, the hall is bigger than you'd expect. Rows of 4-top tables plus a long wooden table on one side, so groups would have no trouble here. Each table has a built-in gas burner, and when we walked in at 2pm on a Saturday, only a few seats were left. Seeing it full of locals rather than tourists made me think, this place is the real deal.

The floor near the entrance is a wooden deck, and where it connects to the indoor space there's a ramp, so a wheelchair could roll straight in. No step at the door is one of the reasons I'd come back to this place.

Banchan (side dishes) come from a self-serve bar you help yourself to. Cabbage kimchi, kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi), pickled onion, chili peppers, and sauces are all there, with takeout containers stacked nearby.

There's a poster on the wall with info about the main branch and the second location. It says the owner and the operations manager take turns staffing the floor, and sure enough, someone was constantly circling the room checking on tables.

Menu and how ordering works at Somunnan Gamjatang

• Ordering rule: gamjatang is priced by headcount (small = 2, medium = 3, large = 4); rice is ordered separately
• Note: sundaeguk and seonjihaejangguk can be upgraded to (special). Takeout is packed half-cooked, so mention in advance if you want it cooked.
• Check the menu board photo for the full lineup!

Self-serve banchan bar with unlimited refills

The kimchi here really pulls its weight. The cabbage kimchi has that freshly-made geotjeori crunch, and the kkakdugi is slightly fermented with deep, rich flavor. The pickled onion isn't sweet, just tangy — perfect for resetting your palate between picking meat off the bone.

Small gamjatang for 36,000 won: a mountain of perilla powder

Picking the meat off the pork bones