Seocho gimbap restaurant with nurungji tteokbokki for kids: Halls

Wandering near Gyodae Station wondering "what should I eat today?" — that's how I found Halls Gimbap Main Branch! It was a solid spot for a light meal near Gyodae, so let me share it :)

Where is Halls Gimbap Main Branch, and when is the break time?

As soon as you arrive, the sign reading HORSE catches your eye. There are tables outside too, so on a nice day it looked like it'd be pleasant to eat outdoors. The inside also has a relaxed, easy-to-enter vibe, so it seemed good for eating solo too.

Just a heads up — break time runs from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM! If you're planning to visit at an odd hour, be sure to check first.

Self-serve bonito broth at Halls Gimbap Main Branch

On one side of the store there was warm bonito broth (gasibushi broth) ready to drink. At a bunsik place, a warm cup of broth like this might seem like nothing, but it's actually kind of nice, right? Plus the sign said it had no added seasoning, which caught my eye even more. Drinking the warm broth before the food arrived felt like it reset my palate.

Eating with my kid, there were moments she said it was spicy, and having warm broth on hand in between helped with that too. Even if you just came for simple gimbap, pairing it with warm broth like this made the meal feel a bit more filling. It's a small detail, but that kind of service just makes you like a place more.

Spam gimbap: the familiar flavor kids eat happily

What I ate that day was spam gimbap, wasabi gimbap, and Seocho nurungji tteokbokki. Starting with the spam gimbap!

Pick up a slice of gimbap (seaweed rice roll) and you immediately think, "oh, this is packed full." The egg is thick, the cucumber is crunchy, and with spam thrown in, it's hard for this combo not to taste good. The salty spam and the soft egg went really well together, making it an easygoing gimbap anyone could enjoy.

I went with my kid that day, and she liked it way more than I expected. The spam gimbap especially, probably because the flavor is familiar, she ate it right up!!

Wasabi gimbap: clean, sharp and refreshing

And the one I was personally more curious about — wasabi gimbap! At first I thought, "wasabi in gimbap?" but it worked better than I expected. It's loaded with vegetables so overall it tastes fresh, and every so often that distinctive sharp wasabi kick pops up.

It's not so spicy that it stings your nose, more like it perks up your palate right before things get greasy. If spam gimbap is hearty and familiar, wasabi gimbap was fresher and more distinctive.

Seocho nurungji tteokbokki: the dish the child liked best

And surprisingly, the most fun menu item that day was the Seocho nurungji (scorched rice) tteokbokki. Tteokbokki topped with nurungji — at first the combo seemed a little odd, right? But it works surprisingly well. The rice cakes are chewy and the sauce is spicy-sweet, and adding the crispy texture of the nurungji kept me reaching for more.

At first the nurungji is nice and crunchy, but dip it lightly in the tteokbokki sauce and it feels completely different. The nurungji soaks up the sauce, softens slightly, and the spicy flavor seeps in — honestly, I liked it even more that way :)

My kid's reaction to the Seocho nurungji tteokbokki was the best of the day too. It wasn't just plain spicy, so she could eat it without much trouble, and when your kid says it's tasty and eats well, it just makes a mom happy, you know :) Menu pick success that day! Next time we come together, I think I'll order the Seocho nurungji tteokbokki again.

Is Halls Gimbap Main Branch worth it for a lunch or solo meal in Seocho?

Overall, Halls Gimbap Main Branch didn't feel like a plain, average gimbap shop — each menu item had its own character, so there was fun in picking and choosing.

• If you like hearty gimbap, go with spam gimbap
• If you like something a bit different and fresh, go with wasabi gimbap
• If you like tteokbokki, add the Seocho nurungji tteokbokki too

If you're looking for a place to eat solo or grab a simple lunch near Gyodae Station, this was a Gyodae gimbap spot worth stopping by :)