Gunja Station Korean bar for nakgopsae hot pot: Saechamjip

Why Saechamjip works for meeting friends near Gunja Station

Saechamjip is a Korean bar on the 2nd floor of a building at 16 Neungdong-ro 36-gil, about a 5-minute walk from Gunja Station. It has curtained rooms and room-style seating, so people also come here looking for a private-room bar.

I was meeting up with friends I hadn't seen in ages — people I used to work with a while back. Gunja Station happened to be right in the middle for all of us, so while looking for a good spot I found Saechamjip, a Korean bar with private rooms near Gunja Station!!! We got there a little after 7, but the curtained rooms were already full, so we got seated at a hall table. (A bit disappointing, ugh! Next time I'll book ahead or come earlier!)

The menu is set up beside or behind each table, and everything on it looked so good it was hard to choose.

What we ordered at Saechamjip, and how much soju costs

After much deliberation we landed on the nakgopsae stew, the diced gabri-sal dubu kimchi, and a bottle of Chamisul Fresh haha. Soju was only ₩5,000, which is great — next time I definitely want to try their house-made makgeolli too!!! So curious about it!!

What free side dishes come with drinks at Saechamjip?

The complimentary banchan (side dishes) were a really delicious mukbap (acorn jelly salad) and bottomless V-corn snacks, plus thoughtfully included heotgae sticks (hangover-relief snacks)!! A Korean bar with private rooms near Gunja Station that even looks out for your hangover — thank you, Saechamjip haha.

💡And apparently there are the touching '5 commandments of Saechamjip's unlimited service'

• A ₩16,900 minimum food order gets you both value and quality.
• Cool, tangy mukbap comes as a bottomless free side.
• Free broth refills so you can enjoy your soup dish hot till the last bite.
• Rice available for ₩500 for anyone still hungry.
• Various noodle add-ins (glass noodle, ramyeon, udon, mung bean sprouts) for ₩500, whatever you like.

🎁And there are various promotions running too

• Add their KakaoTalk channel for ₩3,000 off
• Leave a Naver review and get a ₩8,000 canned peach dessert! (one per table)
• Free polaroid photo if it's your birthday!

Before the food even arrived they had us sip heotgae sticks to prep our livers hahaha (maybe thanks to that I barely had a hangover the next day haha)

The posters on the wall all look... so mouthwatering, ugh. There's a guide on how to eat the bone grill properly haha, and the whole shrimp and minari (water dropwort) pancake definitely looked good too, so I'll have to try that next time haha.

Nakgopsae hot pot: simmer it another 15 minutes

And finally, the nakgopsae showed up!!! They told us to stir it while it cooks and let it simmer about 15 more minutes.

A little while later......

Bubbling away, the nakgopsae was ready!! Look, look at that big fat shrimp!!! Hahahaha, the shrimp was huge, the octopus was meaty, the beef intestine (daechang) was rich and nutty, there was even chadolbagi (thin-sliced beef brisket) in there, and above all, the sauce was insane. A qualifier for both the best rice pairing and the best drinking food. Here's your (award) medal, boss haha.

Diced gabri-sal tofu kimchi, hot on the stone plate to the last bite

Next up, the diced gabri-sal dubu kimchi (tofu with grilled pork jowl and stir-fried kimchi)!! This is a real gem. It sits on a stone plate so the dubu kimchi stays hot the whole time!! Warm tofu, topped with deliciously stir-fried kimchi, topped again with gabri-sal — this is easily one of the best drinking foods there is!! The food at this Gunja Station bar Saechamjip is so good it barely feels like a bar — it felt like it could hold its own as a proper restaurant. (I wish they delivered to my house, ugh.)

Floor-to-ceiling windows, curtain rooms and hidden dolls: the Saechamjip mood

The windows are floor-to-ceiling, so people-watching seemed like it'd be fun, and I kept feeling like someone was watching us, so I looked over hahahahaha. Do any of you ever feel like someone's watching you from somewhere...? The culprit was~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A super cute cat staring right at us hahahahaha. There are little figurines scattered around too, so it's fun to go hunting for them haha.

There's a panda, and a (probably) sloth too haha. There's also this room-style seating area

There's plenty more seating further inside too, so it's great for group visits!!

The restroom is split into men's and women's and is located inside the store. (I never actually used it, so I don't know what it's like... I'll be sure to share if I stop by again)

Hahaha, since it's called Saechamjip (which sounds like 'bird's snack'), there's an adorable poster of a bird having its snack too, hahaha.

Near the entrance there's candy, Febreze, and toothpicks set out for guests.

Half a floor down there are stairs where you can sit and wait if there's a line

By the elevator there's a Table Waiting kiosk for the queue. There's also a full-length mirror right next to it that's great for mirror selfies haha. Being just about a 5-minute walk from Gunja Station makes it easy to get to, so I'd recommend Saechamjip — this Gunja Station bar for group gatherings — as a great spot for food that goes with drinks!!!

Saechamjip location, hours and how to get there from Gunja Station

• 📍 Address: 16 Neungdong-ro 36-gil, 2F, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea (jibun: Neungdong 223-2, Gwangjin-gu)
• ⏰ Hours: Every day 17:30–02:00
• 📞 Reservations & inquiries: Naver Reservations (groups of 5–16)
• 🚗 Parking: 1–2 spots right in front of the building (call ahead)
• 🚻 Restroom: Separate for men/women, located inside the store