Meaty pork soup rice in Changwon: Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap

A pork soup rice spot in the Lotte Apartment complex in Yongho-dong

I’ve been here several, several, several times—it’s a real favorite that I recommend to people I know, too.

Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap (용호돼지국밥) was easy to find on the first floor of the Lotte Apartment shopping complex in Yongho-dong. Cross the street and you’re at Garosu-gil! It is near government offices, so lots of people working there came in for lunch as well. It is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., so you can have gukbap (rice in soup) whenever the craving hits.

I was able to take these because I visited outside the lunch rush.

Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap’s interior was spacious and neat. It was mainly set up with tables for four, and the restaurant was roomy enough that dining alone did not feel awkward. (Gukbap is solo-dining food, right? Haha.) Reservations are available, so make one if you are coming as a group or need a booking! There is also a separate private-room area beyond the main dining room.

Private rooms, an open kitchen, and a self-service corner

If you are looking for a restaurant with private rooms in Yongho-dong, Changwon, or along Changwon Garosu-gil, it is Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap. Every dish at Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap is prepared with clean, purified water.

The open kitchen was visible through a glass wall and looked very clean. The kitchen is such an important space—you can tell so much just by looking at it. In front of it was a self-service corner where you could help yourself to extra side dishes. (The basic sides are set out for you.) You order at the tablet on each table; if you are paying with Zero Pay, select cash, then pay with Zero Pay at the counter after your meal.

Ordering suyuk baekban and pork soup rice

Here is the menu at Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap. Pork soup rice was ₩9,000, spicy sundae soup rice was ₩11,000, suyuk baekban was ₩13,000, and mixed soup rice was ₩10,000. Soju and beer were ₩5,000 each. (There is a Naver review event, too, so join in.) We ordered one suyuk baekban and two pork soup rice.

A quick shot of that day’s order!

These were the basic sides served with an order at Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap: chives, onion, chili peppers, ssamjang (savory soybean dipping paste), kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), kimchi, salted shrimp, and spicy seasoning. Everything you need for gukbap came out together. First up, the suyuk baekban.

The suyuk baekban set included a plate of suyuk (boiled pork), garlic, napa cabbage for wraps, pickled onions, and a bowl of rice and broth.

Moist suyuk baekban served with broth

Here is the suyuk from the suyuk baekban. It was sprinkled all over with sesame salt, making the plating per-fect. There was broth beneath the pork, so it stayed moist as I ate it. Since the set also comes with gukbap broth, I could enjoy both suyuk and pork soup rice. There were even a few pieces of meat in the broth served with the set.

Pork soup rice loaded with meat

The next dish was pork soup rice. Prices are so high these days that ₩9,000 is the price of one expensive coffee... but a meal this plentiful for ₩9,000! The pork soup rice was really packed with meat. Half broth, half meat.

The meat had no off smell and was neither too dry nor so fatty that it became greasy—just delicious meat that brought the gukbap to life. Before I eat pork soup rice, I always taste the broth first without seasoning it at all.

Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap had a wonderfully deep flavor. It was not overpowering or artificial, and I could tell it was made with good ingredients. After a sip of broth, I added chives, spicy seasoning, and salted shrimp to my taste and had a filling bowl of pork soup rice. I recommend it as a great-value meal and a good gukbap spot in Changwon, Yongho-dong, and along Changwon Garosu-gil.