Rainy-day gukbap with beef pancake near Hongdae, Yukjeon Gukbap

:: Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch :: A 24-hour gukbap spot near Hongik University Station — my review

On a day when the rain made everything feel suddenly colder, I got a sudden craving for something hot and hearty, so I went with a friend to Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch, a well-known spot near Hongik University Station.

How to get there from Hongik University Station

It's located right near Hongik University Station, so it's a great option when you're looking for a place to eat around Hongdae. From Exit 1, walk straight to the Hongik University Station intersection, turn right around the Line Friends store, and walk about 50m — you'll find it right on the corner of the intersection.

• Address: 9-1 Worldcup-buk-ro, 1F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea • Hours: Daily 00:00–24:00 / open 24 hours • Parking: Free parking available • Other: Group-friendly / takeout available

Open 24 hours — great for a late-night or early-morning hangover cure

This place runs 24 hours a day, except on major holidays, so it's perfect for those late-night gukbap cravings. It's also ideal for haejangguk (hangover soup) in the early morning or at dawn! If you're driving, there's parking space for about 4 cars right in front — good to know.

What's on the menu?

Looking at the menu, there's a wide variety beyond just gukbap — hot pot dishes and freshly pan-fried jeon (Korean savory pancakes) too.

For the main soup dishes, there was the spicy yukjeon gukbap and a milder gomtang (bone broth soup), plus beef pancake cold noodles in broth, spicy cold noodles, perilla oil cold noodles, and a hot pot beef bulgogi in a stone bowl.

Beyond the main dishes, there were also stir-fry and hot pot dishes on offer, which seemed great for a group meal with a few drinks.

And the freshly pan-fried jeon menu was really varied too — the crispy pancakes looked like the perfect pairing with makgeolli (rice wine), haha.

Atmosphere and seating

Walking in, the place was bigger than I expected. The tables were spaced comfortably apart, and there was group seating available too, so it seemed like a good spot for a group dinner or gathering.

There were also single seats set apart, so eating alone wouldn't feel awkward at all. It seemed like a comfortable space for solo diners too.

Overall, the interior was clean but had a warm feel, making it a comfortable place to sit down and eat.

Yukjeon gukbap — perfect for a rainy day

What we ordered today was the yukjeon gukbap! Both of us wanted something spicy, so we ordered it without a second thought.

With the rain and the chilly weather, I was really craving something hot and spicy. And a gukbap topped with beef pancake? That sounded amazing already!

The portion was genuinely generous, right? Just looking at it felt filling and warming, like it would clear out the cold instantly. It had been so long since I'd had gukbap that the moment I took a spoonful of the hot broth, my chilled body just melted!

Freshly pan-fried beef pancake

Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch reportedly cooks the soup fresh with fresh ingredients every day, and fries the beef pancake fresh the moment you order. That's why the pancake was warm and soft, and it was fantastic together with the hot soup.

With gukbap, mixing rice into it is really the way to go! I love the radish that goes into gukbap, and there was plenty of it, plus more solid ingredients than I expected.

It wasn't just beef pancake on top — there was plenty of meat mixed in too, and once you add rice into that, it's incredibly filling! Since it had been a while since my last gukbap, I ate it in a total trance, haha.

The dish I regretted not ordering

I also saw the handmade beef meatballs on the menu, which looked so good — I went back and forth on adding them, but figured the gukbap alone would be filling enough, so I skipped it. But once I got home after eating, I couldn't stop thinking about it, haha. I noticed quite a few other tables ordering the handmade beef meatballs too, which made me even more curious! Next time, I'll come back with friends and try the jeon or hot pot dishes with some makgeolli :)

To sum up

I visited on a rainy day with a sudden craving for hot gukbap, and the yukjeon gukbap really hit the spot and left me full. I especially loved that it's open 24 hours, so you can visit no matter the time. If you're looking for a warm, hearty meal near Hongik University Station, or a comfortable place to eat late at night, I recommend the 24-hour Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch! With generous beef pancake and meat piled into the soup, it's a great choice whenever you want a truly filling meal, haha.