Gunja Station bar: level-3 spicy bone jjim, short rib soup, Saechamjip

Today I'm writing up Saechamjip, a Korean pub with private-style rooms near Gunja Station.

Saechamjip near Gunja Station: location, hours and parking

Saechamjip (새참집) is a Korean pub on the 2nd floor of a building in Neungdong, Gwangjin, Seoul (16 Neungdong-ro 36-gil). It's open daily from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., parking is free, and corkage isn't allowed.

• Hours: daily 5:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
• Parking: yes (free)
• Corkage: no

Does Saechamjip have room seating?

Most seats at Saechamjip are semi-private rooms, so you can drink in privacy. There are rooms from 2 people up to 16, so it looks like a good spot for group gatherings too.

The pub is on the 2nd floor, and there's an elevator, so getting up was easy. I went around 7 p.m. on a weekend and the place was full, so I couldn't take photos of the interior 🥲

What we ordered at Saechamjip and the prices

We ordered the diced pork jowl tofu kimchi on a stone plate (₩19,900), extra pork jowl (₩6,000), yangpuni spicy boneless bone jjim (₩13,900; braised pork bones served in a big metal pot), and strawberry makgeolli (₩12,900).

There was also a review event: write a review and get an Andong soju highball. Unlike other places, it's available per person, so definitely join in when you visit!

What are the complimentary side snacks at Saechamjip?

The free starters were snacks like Nana Corn and muksabal (chilled acorn jelly soup). After we ordered, a staff member brought them out with water, and I was like, muksabal?! It was tangy and refreshing, perfect for getting the appetite going.

They also gave us hangover-relief hovenia sticks, one per person, haha 🤣 Thanks to the owner, I had no idea how much we were going to end up drinking~~

Strawberry makgeolli and diced pork jowl tofu kimchi

The strawberry makgeolli (rice wine) had almost no bitterness and was fresh and sweet. It came out first, and honestly this was my first time ever trying fruit makgeolli. It was delicious! I think women would especially like it.

Next came the diced pork jowl tofu kimchi~ It arrived on a gas burner, so it stayed warm the whole time we ate, which I liked.

Mild, nutty tofu, tangy and spicy stir-fried kimchi, and rich pork jowl: no words needed. One bite and my partner and I agreed the next drink was definitely soju 😋

Is the ₩5,900 stone plate fried rice worth ordering?

The stone plate fried rice is ₩5,900, and to cut to the chase, I'm glad we ordered it. Honestly, at almost ₩6,000 for fried rice I thought it was a bit pricey at first, but after tasting it, my partner and I couldn't help saying how glad we were to have ordered it.

The nurungji (scorched rice crust) stuck to the plate properly and it was so, so good 😭 You can order the fried rice even if you're having the bone grill or dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken), so I recommend trying it!

How spicy is the level-3 yangpuni spicy boneless bone jjim?

The yangpuni spicy boneless bone jjim lets you choose a spice level from 1 to 3, and level 3 was about as hot as Yeolramyeon (a spicy instant ramyeon). We went with level 3, and the sharp, spicy kick was really good.

I was surprised that the meat was so tender with no gamey smell at all, which is better than you'd expect from pub food 😮

Finishing with beef short rib soup for ₩8,900

We ordered the beef short rib soup (₩8,900) because even though this was our second round, we still felt like something was missing. We're definitely pigs, haha.

It felt similar to the trendy beef belly galbitang style, and the broth was clean and deep like galbitang (short rib soup), so we enjoyed it to the last spoonful.