Bongcheon Station restaurant, late kodari team dinner: Sangdo Neulbori

Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch: hours, parking and event

Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch (상도늘보리 봉천역점) is at 932-5 Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, a 132 m walk from Bongcheon Station Exit 5. It's open daily 10:45–21:30 (last order 21:00), and there's no break time, 365 days a year!

• Parking tip: parking is available (be sure to call the restaurant before you go!)
• Event tip: enter the Naver receipt review or SNS hashtag event and get your pick of a drink, soju, buckwheat rolls or barley bibimbap!

Eoheung's one-line review: more than just a restaurant, it's a place that feels like warm comfort! I fell for the sweet-spicy, chewy texture. The best kodari spot near Bongcheon Station, roar! 🐯

What's the atmosphere like at Sangdo Neulbori?

Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch is a kodari restaurant with a homey, countryside feel. Roar! Today I went to this popular Bongcheon Station spot for a late dinner with my coworkers.

The moment I arrived, I got this cozy countryside feeling out of nowhere, and my tired everyday mind just relaxed.

Near the entrance there's a banner reading "Today is the youngest day of your life," and it felt like I was being repaid for working hard all day.

Then I saw the big lettering saying "We'll try to be a place that 1 person visits 100 times, rather than a place 100 people visit once," and I could tell right away how sincere the owner is about customers and the restaurant. The Naver Place intro also says they want to "serve a comfortable, tasty meal like eating at home and give warm comfort to your day," and you can feel that philosophy and care all over the place. A real Bongcheon Station kodari spot.

What's at the Sangdo Neulbori self-bar? Nurungji tea and bibimbap fixings

The self-bar at Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch has a rice cooker full of sungnyung (scorched rice tea) and bibimbap fixings like bean sprouts, seasoned radish and young radish kimchi. I sat down, scanned the big menu on the wall, and ordered our pick, the siraegi kodari braise (시래기 코다리조림).

While waiting for the food I checked out the self-bar, and there was a whole rice cooker full of nutty sungnyung.

I scooped out a hot bowl and it tasted exactly like the deep, nutty kind my grandmother used to make in the countryside. It really settled my stomach.

On one side, healthy, neat bibimbap fixings like bean sprouts, seasoned radish and young radish kimchi are set out super generously, so you can add as much rice and sauce as you like and mix it all up. I was already touched by the generosity of this Bongcheon Station restaurant before the main dish even arrived.

Is the siraegi kodari braise good even if you dislike braised fish?

The siraegi kodari braise at Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch won over even the writer, who doesn't like braised fish. And here comes the main dish at last, the siraegi kodari braise! Thick, chunky kodari with big pieces of radish and potato and a mountain of well-cooked siraegi. What a sight.

Confession time: I really don't usually like braised fish, okay? But a coworker insisted this place is different, so I took a bite on faith... and wow! A bitter regret hit me: why haven't I been eating this delicious stuff all this time?! It was braised so perfectly. "Deep flavor without being harsh" and "chewy texture with sweet-spicy sauce" are 100% the right words for it.

How to eat kodari braise: wrap it in dried seaweed

Put rice on the dried seaweed (gim) that comes with it, pile on thick pieces of kodari, siraegi soaked in sauce and crunchy bean sprouts, then pop it all in your mouth in one bite. Pure heaven. It's a true rice thief (a dish so good you keep eating rice), and this Bongcheon Station kodari quality made me throw up my hands.

Free steamed egg in a stone pot

While we were eating the kodari braise at Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch, the staff brought out a stone pot of steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) for free. It's soft and goes well with the spicy kodari sauce.

I was totally lost in the deep flavor of the kodari braise when they served us a fluffy steamed egg puffed up above the pot, for free! One spoonful and it melted in my mouth like pudding, and it's the perfect partner, cooling down the spicy kodari sauce.

Overall verdict on Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch

Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch makes a deep, rich flavor with fresh ingredients and honest cooking. It completely won over my taste buds, even though I never touched braised fish before.

I also heard Sangdo Neulbori is hugely famous as a jjukkumi (baby octopus) spot near Bongcheon Station, so next time I'll have to come for the octopus. With the kind, attentive service and homey atmosphere, I feel like I dropped all my daily stress and got a real rest. If you want a proper sweet-spicy rice thief, don't hesitate and run to Sangdo Neulbori near Bongcheon Station! No regrets, the best Bongcheon Station kodari trip! Roar~~~ 🐾