Mild bibim makguksu set at Yukjeon Gukbap, a Seogyo-dong restaurant

Yukjeon Gukbap is a place I go to pretty often. There are plenty of spots in Hongdae for solo dining, but not many stay open late — and among those, even fewer serve actual cooked food instead of fast food, the kind of meal that really fills you up. That's why Yukjeon Gukbap works so well for me: spacious seating and open 24 hours.

Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch: what the restaurant and seating are like

The place is fairly spacious. There's a variety of seat types, and solo seats are set apart, so eating alone doesn't feel awkward.

Plus, the menu items all turn over quickly, so seats open up fast and there's little wait.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar at Yukjeon Gukbap

The side dishes are basically three kinds: pickled onion, diced radish kimchi (kkakdugi), and napa cabbage kimchi.

They set the basic sides for you, but if you run out while eating, you can just refill from the self-serve corner. Since the place is big, there are self-serve bars scattered around, so you can just help yourself.

Menu and how to order at the tabletop kiosk

The menu at Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch is really varied. True to the name, gukbap (rice and soup) is the base, but there's also makguksu (buckwheat noodles) and jeon (savory pancakes). If I'd come with friends I would've wanted to try the pajeon (scallion pancake) too, but eating solo, I couldn't — a bit of a shame.

You order through the kiosk at each table and can pay upfront right there. For cash payment, you go to the counter.

Is the bibim makguksu set too spicy for someone who can't take heat?

🏷️ order — Bibim makguksu set (yukjeon + makguksu for one)

I can't handle spicy food well, but every once in a while I crave something spicy, and for me that's tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) or bibim-style noodles like this.

I hesitated, worried the bibim makguksu might be too spicy, and wondered whether to just get gukbap since this is Yukjeon Gukbap after all. But when I asked the staff what was popular, they strongly recommended the bibim makguksu. So bibim makguksu it was.

The bibim makguksu comes topped with a tangy sauce, along with pickled radish (ssamnu), cucumber, seaweed flakes, and sesame seeds.

Natural fruit sauce: no vinegar or mustard needed

The sauce on the yukjeon makguksu is a natural fruit sauce, so you don't need to add vinegar or mustard on your own. I'm someone who always has to add vinegar or mustard when eating cold noodles like naengmyeon or milmyeon, but I didn't need to here.

As noted in the restaurant, Yukjeon Gukbap's makguksu is buckwheat noodles, and it's even better if you eat the noodles without cutting them, for the texture.

Five large yukjeon, and why the restaurant is named after them

What I ordered wasn't yukjeon makguksu but the bibim makguksu set, so the yukjeon (beef pancake) comes as a separate side — and you get 5 large pieces.

The thin, tender meat is seriously no joke. After trying the yukjeon and wanja (meatballs) here, I think I understand why they put yukjeon right in the restaurant's name. Everyone should order the yukjeon.

The tangy sauce on the bibim makguksu had less heat than I expected, even for me, who can't handle spice, and it was genuinely the perfect balance of sour, spicy, and sweet.

Ordering the bibim makguksu also gets you a tangy mul-makguksu (cold noodle soup) broth on the side. The broth was well-seasoned and tangy too, and tasted great poured lightly over the bibim makguksu.

Would I go back to Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch?

Honestly, aside from Lotteria, it's hard to find a restaurant open 24 hours, so a proper sit-down place in Hongdae that's open around the clock already has a lot going for it. On top of that, the makguksu at Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch is tangy and delicious! I'd been avoiding the bibim makguksu out of fear it'd be too spicy, but having tried it, even a spice wimp like me can handle it, so I think I'll keep coming back here for solo meals.