Beef knee-cartilage soup with noodles at Mokpo restaurant Mujinjang

Today I want to introduce a legendary restaurant you absolutely cannot skip on a trip to Mokpo, or even just a local outing! It's "Mujinjang Hanwoo Kkori Gomtang," which first opened near the passenger ferry terminal back in 1976 and has kept its deep flavor going through three generations since ☺️

When the temperature swings are this big or your body just feels chilly, or when you're craving a truly hearty, proper meal, the first thing that comes to mind is a rich broth dish~! This place insists on using only 100% hanwoo (Korean native beef) female cattle for its deeply simmered broth, and it's such a word-of-mouth favorite that basically every local in Mokpo knows it.

To see for myself why it's been loved for so long, all the way from its old ferry-terminal days to now, I visited with quite a bit of excitement haha, so here's my review.

Location and hours

• 📍 Address: 4 Pyeonghwa-ro 43beon-gil, Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, South Korea
• 🕖 Hours: Daily 10:00–20:30
• 🚘 Parking: Limited parking space 🚗

What's the atmosphere like inside?

The first thing you notice when you walk in is just how clean and pleasant the interior is 👍🏻 Old-school Mokpo restaurants with a long history can sometimes feel cramped or a bit worn from the years, but this place is spotless and thoroughly managed for hygiene.

Menu board and what we ordered

What we ordered that day was two bowls of hanwoo suyuktang, which really shows off the clean richness of the broth, and one bowl of hanwoo doganitang for its appealing texture 🍚🍚

As soon as we sat down and ordered, the basic side dishes were set out right away.

The star side dish: chive salad

One of the most important things at a gomtang or gukbap place is the kimchi and side dishes!!! You get crisp, well-fermented kkakdugi, geotjeori that tastes freshly tossed every morning, savory seasoned bean sprouts, and fresh onion, peppers, and ssamjang as standard.

But the clear standout here is the chive salad, tossed to order right when you sit down, giving off that toasty sesame-oil smell 💚 The seasoning isn't heavy, and you can really taste the tangy-sweet, slightly pungent flavor of the chives themselves — the dish you keep reaching for while waiting for the main course 🤤

Hanwoo doganitang: slurping up the noodles first

The food arrived 🤍

The hanwoo doganitang, placed on the table first, was a sight to behold — a bubbling stone pot of milky-white bone broth that felt soothing just to look at haha.

True to its reputation as one of Mokpo's go-to spots for doganitang, the pot was generously loaded with chewy, tender beef knee-cartilage meat :)

And since there's a serving of thin noodles included in the soup by default, I made sure to slurp those up first before they got too soft 🤗

There was no gamey or off smell at all, and the springy, chewy texture unique to doganitang went really well with the deep, savory broth ☺️

And how was the hanwoo suyuktang?

The hanwoo suyuktang we tried next was also the real deal — milky-white and rich from long, careful simmering of the ox bones.

Give the soup a light stir with your spoon or chopsticks and you'll see generous, hearty chunks of tender, well-boiled hanwoo meat throughout 😗

That distinctive savory aroma of hanwoo female cattle came through, with soft meat that had none of the dryness you sometimes get — it just melts in your mouth.

A full spread of kkori gomtang, suyuktang, and doganitang, all simmered with care using only hanwoo female cattle, plus side dishes made with real attention to detail 💛🕊️

I think the secret behind how this place has kept the same flavor and dedication going for three generations since 1976 really comes down to the depth built into this one honest bowl of soup 😊 Not the sharp taste of artificial seasoning, but the deep, clean flavor of hanwoo bones slowly simmered over a long time!

Who should visit

• Anyone who wants to experience the real deal in kkori gomtang and gomtang made with rich broth from 100% hanwoo female cattle
• Food travelers hunting down old-school Mokpo restaurants with real history and depth, running since 1976 across three generations
• Anyone near Mokpo Peace Square looking for a clean, filling meal with family, a partner, or friends
• Anyone needing a boost of energy and comfort from tender hanwoo suyuk and chewy doganitang
• Anyone who wants to enjoy deep Korean flavors comfortably, with tidy side dishes and a clean dining space