Three kalguksu noodle soups and rice wine in Gangnam: Kkeutjang

Today I headed to Yeoksam to meet some old coworkers I hadn't seen in a while~ Since it had been almost half a year, we were craving good Korean food. And meeting up after so long, there was no way we could skip the drinks.

It happened to be raining and a bit chilly, so we went straight for a place that serves the makgeolli-pajeon combo along with kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup). Cool, spicy jang kalguksu, crispy potato pancake, and makgeolli on top of that. Eating something delicious together after so long made me so happy haha. Let me introduce it right away!

Kkeutjang Yeoksam

Kkeutjang Yeoksam, a kalguksu restaurant near Yeoksam and Eonju stations — starting with the exterior

This is the exterior of Kkeutjang Yeoksam, a spot known for kalguksu, Korean pancakes and makgeolli. The red brick and the very Korean-style signboard matched so well.

There's a menu board out front with prices listed, so it was great for deciding what to order before even going in! The photos placed here and there also worked well as decoration, making the exterior even nicer!

The mood inside, seating, and how to order

The interior overall felt calm and warm. It was a little chilly outside from the rain, but the warm atmosphere inside made me crave makgeolli even more. What, you're saying I'd crave it anyway? Well, yes.

There's also this bar table space, which looked great for office workers around Yeoksam or Eonju station. That said, ordering isn't done via tablet here — you have to call staff directly, which was a bit of a letdown ㅠ

The table seats do have tablets for ordering, and Kkeutjang Yeoksam has its own perk too, as it turns out.

Free barley rice

That perk is free barley rice. Mix it with the radish salad, gochujang, and sesame oil and — hooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What we ordered and the prices

I'll let the menu board from earlier stand in for the full menu! Here's what we ordered!

• Perilla jang kalguksu x1 / ₩12,500
• Clam kalguksu x1 / ₩12,000
• Clear pollack kalguksu x1 / ₩12,000
• Potato pancake x1 / ₩13,500
• Gabrisal boiled pork, one plate / ₩15,000
• + makgeolli

Comparing the three kalguksu: jang kalguksu, clam, and pollack

Each bowl of delicious kalguksu arriving one after another... ah, just looking at these photos again makes my mouth water. What all three had in common was a genuinely thick broth. Because it was so rich, the character of each menu item really came through!

Being made with a pollack broth base, it had a clean flavor that I really liked. The jang kalguksu especially had a strong soybean-paste flavor that paired beautifully with the nutty perilla seed taste! So delicious. The pollack version's clean flavor was truly a standout, and the clam kalguksu had that refreshing, savory taste that was excellent as always.

How was the gabrisal boiled pork?

While we were eating, a plate of gabrisal boiled pork arrived! Regular boiled pork is good too, but gabrisal has this texture that pulls apart along the grain that was just so delicious.

Since the meat itself is thinly sliced, you could really feel the softness of the fat too, which made it even more enjoyable. Eaten together with the kalguksu, it's just hooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They said Kkeutjang means

"the ultimate," and it really is the ultimate. Yes, indeed.

Ice makgeolli and potato pancake

The makgeolli with ice floating in it was also hooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Drinking makgeolli together with everyone was truly the best.......... this is...exactly...what happiness is...

And what goes with makgeolli??? Pancakes, of course. We tossed the ordering job to a coworker who'd just gotten off work, and got the potato pancake. It's truly crispy-outside, soft-inside perfection. Genuinely crispy and delicious.

And the pickled onions that came as a bonus... ah.... eating pickled onions together with the potato pancake is truly the best. Pure textural bliss. The makgeolli just keeps going down. It went perfectly with the soy sauce dip too, so delicious.

On a rainy day when we were craving pancakes, craving makgeolli, and with the cool weather also craving kalguksu — it was great that each dish had its own character and was delicious in its own right. All the Korean dishes came out well-balanced, so I'd say this was the best Korean meal I've had recently around Yeoksam or Eonju station!

Wrap-up — is this the kalguksu and pancake spot for Yeoksam/Eonju?

I'd heard there was a great kalguksu and pancake spot near Yeoksam and Eonju stations, so I visited "Kkeutjang Yeoksam." True to its name, meaning "the ultimate," the kalguksu, the pancake, and the boiled pork were all satisfyingly delicious.

With so many dishes that pair well with makgeolli, they even have their own ice makgeolli, and none of the menu items go over ₩20,000, which gave us plenty of room to choose freely — that made it even more satisfying. If you're looking for a great kalguksu or pancake spot around Yeoksam or Eonju station, I'd highly recommend it!

Location and business hours

Kkeutjang Yeoksam is located at 12 Nonhyeon-ro 98-gil, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Hours are 11:00–21:30, closed on weekends. The end.