Goyang ramen restaurant for motsu ramen: Gyedan Ramen

A ramen spot in Bamgasi with a constant wait

Among Bamgasi's many great places to eat, Gyedan Ramen Ilsan Main Branch (계단라멘 일산본점) is almost the only ramen spot. I have been coming here whenever the craving strikes—not constantly, but on and off—for a few years now. There is always a long wait whenever I come, so it is best to go assuming you will definitely be waiting, haha. The spaces in front of the restaurant are almost always full, so finding parking is the one downside in Bamgasiㅠㅠ If they are full, you will need to look for the nearby public lot or an empty spot down the side streets.

I arrived at 1 p.m. on a weekend. There were 14 parties ahead of me, and the actual wait was about 40 minutes. Even though the weather had gotten much cooler, the midday sun was blazing, so if you parked nearby, it was more comfortable to wait in your car until you were second or third in line.

A small restaurant with quick turnover

Gyedan Ramen seats about... 16 people? It is quite compact, which probably creates more of a wait, but the turnover seems pretty good. The staff are incredibly kind too, and once you get the text saying it is your turn to enter, they take your order right away. The food comes out quickly, so the meal itself does not take long.

After ordering, check the tablet for tips on enjoying the ramen even more. If this is your first time at Gyedan Ramen, give it a read and enjoy it even better!!

Gyedan Ramen menu and order

The proof of a truly great restaurant: a simple menu. There are two mains, Gyedan Ramen and motsu ramen, plus small rice bowls that can be ordered on the side.

• Gyedan Ramen ₩11,000
• Motsu Ramen ₩12,000
• Tamago Rice ₩3,000
• Total ₩26,000

Maybe because the kitchen keeps making food nonstop, the dishes really do arrive quickly after you order.

Gyedan Ramen ₩11,000

I heard all of Gyedan Ramen's broths are simmered intensely for over 14 hours with pork bones and chicken. It has incredible depth and so much umami. They make it every day with care and effort, and you can taste it. The long strips of wood ear mushroom are such an inventive touch; they have an interesting texture and are great to pick up with the noodles.

Motsu ramen with fried beef intestines

Motsu Ramen ₩12,000

This motsu ramen is my absolute favorite!!!! It is Gyedan Ramen with fried beef intestines added. You can choose regular or rich broth, and I prefer rich. There is no gaminess or distinctive intestine smell at all; the pieces are fried to an easy-to-eat doneness, soak up the broth well, and work beautifully with the ramen in both texture and flavor. It is fun finding and eating them one by one. For ₩12,000, this amount and quality is an incredible value.

How to enjoy it with spicy sauce

Oh, and here is one way to enjoy Gyedan Ramen even more. There is spicy sauce on every table. Mixing it into the broth from the start might not be for everyone, so I recommend putting some noodles on a small plate and drizzling on the secret spicy sauce. It turns into a spicy karai ramen with a whole new kind of charm, haha. The standard noodle firmness is just right, but if you like them softer, ask for the noodles to be cooked longer when you order.

Tamago Rice ₩3,000

Tamago rice is guaranteed to be delicious with ramen!!

The kimchi and danmuji (pickled yellow radish) are such a delicious finishing touch. Have them alongside the ramen and tamago rice.

Mix the rice well with the fluffy egg topping, then eat it with kimchi—it is seriously heavenly. As you eat, there ends up being more rice than egg, and that is when you soak it in the ramen broth and eat it almost like rice mixed into noodle soup (seriously the best). For Koreans, mixing rice into ramen is basically a given, right~!

Takeout and delivery when the wait is difficult

Gyedan Ramen has stayed popular for a long time with its simple menu. Rather than the intense, deeply rich style of Japanese ramen you would have in Japan, it feels interpreted in a more Korean way—maybe that is why people keep coming back for so long. Takeout and delivery are available too, so if waiting is difficult, I recommend trying it one of those ways. And if you are looking for a great place to eat on Bamlidan-gil, make sure to visit Gyedan Ramen at least once~!