Itaewon gamjatang with six pork bones at weekday lunch: Nuri Maeul

I was craving something hot and filling in Itaewon, so I went out for gamjatang.

Where is Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch, and what are its hours?

• 📍2nd floor, 176 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
• 🕒 Every day 00:00–24:00, open year-round
• Parking not available, public transit recommended
• ☑️ Groups, reservations, takeout
• 💰 Nuri Gamjatang small ₩34,000 / medium ₩41,000 / large ₩48,000

This is a review of Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch, a place I found on a weekday lunch when I suddenly wanted something with broth. Gamjatang (pork bone stew) works well for two, and finishing off with fried rice at the end makes you feel like you've had a proper meal. Since we were going for it anyway, we added sujebi (hand-torn dough noodles) too and ate really well.

It's right in front of Itaewon Station Exit 4, so there's no long walk once you come out of the station.

There's no parking, so it's more convenient to take the subway than drive ^^. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor of the building, and overall it felt clean.

Inside the restaurant and the self-serve side dish bar

Stepping inside, the space was bigger than I expected with quite a lot of tables, so it seemed good for two people as well as for larger groups.

The tables weren't crammed together, and the place was kept clean.

It seems like it would suit anyone looking for a place for a family meal, lunch with coworkers, or a dinner get-together in Itaewon.

You can help yourself to as many side dishes as you want from the self-serve bar, which was convenient.

Nuri Maeul Gamjatang's menu and what we ordered

The signature dishes are gamjatang and bone-steam (ppyeojjim). Besides gamjatang, there are other menu items that work as a full meal, so it looks easy to pick depending on the number of people or the reason for visiting.

• ✔️Small Nuri Gamjatang
• ✔️Added potato sujebi noodles
• ✔️Two servings of self-fried rice

With two of us there, I wondered if the small size would be enough, but once it arrived that worry turned out to be pointless. The portion was very generous!!

Is the small Nuri Gamjatang enough for two people?

Once the gamjatang arrived, the first thing that caught my eye was, of course, the big chunky bones. On the day I visited, there were six meat bones total, which was plenty for two people to share.

There was a decent amount of meat on the bones, and it was cooked so soft that it fell off easily. It wasn't chewy at all, so it was easy to eat.

Rather than eating it right when it arrived, letting the gamjatang simmer a bit more at the table made the broth and ingredients come together better and taste even nicer. Eating the hot broth together with the meat made it pretty filling for a weekday lunch.

If you're looking for a good gamjatang spot in Itaewon, I think it's worth trying the basic gamjatang menu first.

How much do you get with the potato sujebi add-on?

I figured the sujebi add-on would just be a light extra, but once I actually added it in, the amount was substantial. Simmered fully in the gamjatang, it soaks up the broth and gets a nice chewy texture.

Between a bite of meat, a piece of sujebi, and a spoonful of broth, my chopsticks kept going back for more. It has a chewy texture that's different from noodle sari, so if you like sujebi in your gamjatang, I'd recommend adding it.

The portion was generous, so with sujebi added to the small gamjatang, it was way more than plenty for two people!!

Making two servings of self-serve fried rice

After we'd mostly finished the meat and sujebi, we finally added two servings of self-fried rice. Here you make the fried rice yourself, which I actually liked because you can adjust it to your own taste.

You scoop out the leftover gamjatang, leave a bit of the broth, mix it well and fry it up. The gamjatang broth itself is already seasoned, so it's best to add a little at a time and adjust.

Frying it while pressing it lightly against the pan, I kept eating more and more even though I was already full from the meat and sujebi, haha.

If you want a proper full meal at a gamjatang restaurant in Itaewon, I'd personally recommend not stopping at just the gamjatang — go for the fried rice too!

There's also a Naver receipt review event going on, so check it out if that's something you're interested in!

A hearty pork bone stew right outside Itaewon Station

The meat was on the tender side and the portion of potato sujebi was generous, so the two of us ate quite full.

Adding the fried rice at the end on top of that made it feel like a proper full meal.

The staff were also friendly, so there was nothing uncomfortable during the meal and we left feeling good.

Final verdict on Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch

Itaewon has so many restaurant options, but sometimes what you crave isn't a trendy dish but hot, familiar Korean food.

Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch was first of all convenient for being close to Itaewon Station, and the restaurant being spacious and clean made it a good option for visiting with several people too.

If you're visiting with two people, I'd recommend the combo of small Nuri Gamjatang plus added potato sujebi, and finishing with fried rice if you still have room.

It's a place that works well for a hearty lunch, but also fits well for having a drink over gamjatang in the evening, so it's worth stopping by when you're looking for a good gamjatang spot in Itaewon ^^!