Balsan Station bar for beef intestine nakgopsae and drinks: Gungmin

Why we picked Gungmin Nakgopsae Gangseo Branch as our Balsan Station bar

If you've got a dinner plan near Balsan Station, wondering what to eat, right? Meat is good, raw fish is good, but if you want something spicy that goes with rice and also pairs well with a drink, nakgopsae (octopus, shrimp and tripe stew) isn't a bad choice at all. My boyfriend and I were walking around near Balsan Station looking for dinner and ended up at Gungmin Nakgopsae Gangseo Branch.

We ordered the beef intestine nakgopsae, which has octopus, shrimp, and savory Korean beef intestine all in one pot. Bottom line first: it goes great with rice and also makes a fine drinking snack, so I wanted to recommend this place to anyone looking for both a Balsan Station bar and a dinner spot at once. Especially the combo of nakgopsae on a perilla leaf with a little mayonnaise — you have to try that one.

📍 Gungmin Nakgopsae Gangseo Branch, 330 Gangseo-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul (1st floor, Donga Building). We didn't bring a car this time and walked over from Balsan Station. It's an easy walking distance from the station, so if you're planning to drink in the evening, taking the subway like we did is convenient.

There are so many restaurants and bars around Balsan Station, but it's still hard to decide when it comes time to actually eat dinner. Especially on days like ours, when we wanted a proper meal and a drink, picking a menu gets even trickier — nakgopsae turned out to be a pretty good option in that respect.

You get to simmer it as you eat, so it feels hearty for dinner, and picking out the octopus, shrimp, and beef intestine one by one naturally turns it into a drinking snack. Personally, I felt this place would suit people looking for a Balsan Station bar even more than people just looking for a meal. It also didn't seem like it would be a hassle for people who drive.

We walked, but there's quite a lot of parking space near the building, which looked convenient for anyone coming to eat dinner by car.

Inside Gungmin Nakgopsae: cleanliness, disposable aprons and restrooms

Overall, Gungmin Nakgopsae Gangseo Branch felt well maintained. When you walk into a restaurant, cleanliness matters almost as much as taste, quietly.

With food like nakgopsae that has red sauce, you tend to worry about it splattering on your clothes, but the store had disposable aprons on hand, so we could use one comfortably when needed.

Even on a date wearing nice clothes, little things like this matter more than you'd think. And here's one more thing women tend to care about quite a bit when visiting a restaurant!

The restroom. Sometimes the food is great but a dirty restroom drags down the whole impression of a place — here, the restroom was kept clean too, which I liked. If you're someone like me who quietly cares about restroom cleanliness when choosing a restaurant, you'll probably be satisfied with this part too. It felt like a comfortable atmosphere to visit for a date or a dinner with friends near Balsan Station.

Hanwoo beef intestine nakgopsae, medium size, with rice and drinks

What we ordered was the beef intestine nakgopsae, medium size! Since my boyfriend and I came to have nakgopsae, we picked the option that let us enjoy octopus, shrimp, and beef intestine all at once.

We also ordered rice and drinks alongside it. Since we planned to have dinner and a drink, this was exactly the combination we wanted. While we waited, the basic side dishes came out along with a warm seaweed soup.

It was dinnertime and we were a little hungry, so having a warm spoonful of seaweed soup before the main dish made our stomachs feel warm right away — it was nice. Sometimes one warm soup before the main dish arrives is more welcome than a flashy spread of side dishes. Especially since nakgopsae has a strong, seasoned flavor, having soft seaweed soup in between felt like it reset our palate.

How the octopus, shrimp and hanwoo beef intestine tasted

Finally, the beef intestine nakgopsae we'd been waiting for arrived!

True to its name, nakgopsae has octopus, shrimp, and intestine, and what we ordered used Korean beef intestine. As the sauce and ingredients started bubbling, the smell alone stirred up our appetite. The octopus had a nice springy texture, and with shrimp in there too, it was more fun to pick and choose than eating just one ingredient over and over.

Adding the savory flavor of Korean beef intestine made the sauce itself taste richer and heavier. If you like tripe, you'll probably enjoy picking through the beef intestine too. Above all, this sauce makes it hard not to order rice.

After one spoonful, you naturally want a spoonful of rice, and after a few more bites, you start craving a drink.

We ended up eating rice and drinking together, properly enjoying our evening. So I think this dish is great for anyone looking for a Balsan Station dinner spot, but also well suited for anyone looking for a Balsan Station bar where you can eat and drink at the same time. Sitting across from each other eating bubbling nakgopsae with a drink — our dinner choice that night was a success!

Perilla leaf wraps with a touch of mayonnaise

There was one way of eating it that I enjoyed most that day — the perilla leaf + mayonnaise + nakgopsae combo.

I spread out a perilla leaf, placed a good amount of well-cooked octopus, shrimp, and intestine on it, added a little mayonnaise, and ate it in one bite — wow, that combination was really good. The mayonnaise softened and rounded out the spicy, rich nakgopsae sauce, and the perilla leaf's aroma came through at the end, giving a totally different taste from just eating it over rice. Especially if you're not great with spicy food, I'd recommend pairing it with mayonnaise. But rather than adding a lot, just a light touch was the perfect amount.

I started out eating it with rice, but partway through I got hooked on wrapping it in perilla leaf and kept eating it that way. One piece of octopus, one shrimp, a bit of intestine on top, and a dab of mayonnaise! Eat a full mouthful and take a sip of your drink, and you'll understand right away why nakgopsae makes such a good choice for dinner plans. Since it's a dish where two people share one simmering pot, it's great for dates, and it also seemed like a good fit for a group of friends out drinking.

Is Gungmin Nakgopsae a good dinner-and-drinks spot near Balsan Station?

We visited Gungmin Nakgopsae Gangseo Branch for dinner as a couple. We ordered the beef intestine nakgopsae medium size along with rice and drinks, and it was satisfying to handle both dinner and drinks in one sitting. From the warm seaweed soup before the main dish, to the bubbling beef intestine nakgopsae, to the perilla-leaf-and-mayonnaise combo I liked best — this is the kind of place that'll come to mind on days I want a hearty dinner with a drink on the side.

The store has disposable aprons ready and the restroom is kept clean, which I wanted to point out for women choosing a date spot. We came on foot planning to drink, but the parking space looked generous too, so anyone just coming for a meal could conveniently drive.

And as we left after the meal, they gave us a small, cute mint candy at the end! It's not a big deal, but after eating spicy nakgopsae until full, it was nice to have something to freshen up the mouth, and the cute size made me look at it twice. Little touches like that rounded off our dinner on a good note.

If you're trying to decide which Balsan Station bar to go to, or on those days when just a meal isn't quite enough but you're too hungry to just drink, Gungmin Nakgopsae Gangseo Branch — where you can enjoy octopus, shrimp, and savory Korean beef intestine all in one generous pot — is worth a try for dinner and a drink. Especially if you're looking for a date spot near Balsan Station, sit across from each other and simmer up a pot of nakgopsae for a delicious Balsan Station dinner. Next time I come, I'm pretty sure I'll be putting nakgopsae on perilla leaf with a dab of mayonnaise again. :)