24-hour gukbap restaurant near Gwangju Champions Field: Gujeon Gukbap

Today I had a really filling meal at Gujeon Gukbap, a Yongbong-dong favorite that's open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Where is Gujeon Gukbap Yongbong Main Branch?

Gujeon Gukbap Yongbong Main Branch is a 24-hour haejangguk (hangover soup) spot at 69 Yongbongtaekji-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, near the Jeoncheolwoo intersection. It's an easy walk from Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, so I filled up on gukbap before the game, walked it off on the way to the stadium, and then watched some baseball!

They have a wide variety here — Jeolla-style gukbap (zucchini gukbap, bracken gukbap) and bone-broth gukbap (meat gukbap, sundae gukbap, mixed gukbap) — so there's something for every taste.

Inside Gujeon Gukbap: partitioned seats for solo diners

The center of Gujeon Gukbap Yongbong Main Branch has private partitions on the wall, so I'd definitely recommend it as a solo-dining spot in Yongbong-dong. There were actually a lot of solo diners there. The seats were comfortable, and the AC was blasting so hard I felt a little chilly at first haha 🥶

The review event perks were also pretty generous, so it's worth taking part if you can — definitely give it a try!

Every table had salt, pepper, and perilla seed powder neatly set out, so you can season your soup exactly to your taste!!!

The menu at Gujeon Gukbap, from mala gukbap to a baby meal set

There's also a baby meal set for kids under 48 months, so it seems like a good spot to eat out with a little one. Surprisingly, they also have mala gukbap — if you're into mala flavors, give it a try! There were plenty of side dishes too, like ureong ganjang (river snail soybean paste) and eorigulit (salted baby oysters), which made the whole thing very satisfying.

Jar-served kimchi and the self-serve side bar

The basic table setting comes like this, and having the kimchi served in a jar was such a fun touch. Kimchi and gukbap are an inseparable combo, and being able to eat plenty of it was great.

Having it all set out like this made the meal feel that much more special. The sweet rice was amazing wrapped in seaweed too!

At the self-serve bar you'll find even more side items like chives, chili, seasoning sauce, and seokbakji (radish kimchi), so I definitely recommend checking it out before your soup arrives.

Beef bone-broth gomguk: meat you cut with scissors

The bone-broth gomguk, made seolleongtang-style by simmering beef cheek and brisket for ages, had a milky broth that was easy on the stomach but still filling.

The first sip immediately told me it was a rich bone broth, and it was flavorful enough even without adding salt or pepper! Adding a touch of salt made it even better though.

The gomguk came with a whole big chunk of meat, so they gave me scissors on the side. Meat so big you need scissors to cut it — need I say more? Haha.

The meat was super tender, and it was twice as good with kimchi on top. It filled me right up, and even after watching a whole baseball game, I still felt full from this one dish.

Jeolla-style mixed pork gukbap, packed with head meat and offal

After grabbing extra sides from the self-serve bar, my table looked even more loaded ✨ I ordered the Jeolla-style mixed pork gukbap, packed with head meat and offal!

Just like before, the broth was so milky it proved it was bone broth by looks alone! I didn't add salt or pepper to the mixed pork gukbap, just stirred in a bit of the seasoning sauce from the self-serve bar. If you like it spicy, I highly recommend the seasoning sauce, haha.

The rice came packed tight into a pretty bowl too — I've been disappointed plenty of times at gukbap places that skimp on the rice bowl, but not at all here at Gujeon Gukbap in Yongbong-dong!!!! The portion was so generous, very satisfying.

Even though the AC was blasting so hard I felt a bit cold at first, just a few spoonfuls of the broth warmed me right up, and since it came in an earthenware bowl, I could enjoy it warm to the very last bite even sitting right under the AC vent.

You can see just how loaded the toppings were !!! It was packed generously with offal and head meat.

The head meat was mostly lean cuts, so there wasn't a speck of grease floating in the broth — clean and light. The offal had that perfect chewy texture, super satisfying to eat. Overall, it had a clean flavor with no gamey smell at all.

Stir in plenty of seasoning sauce for a spicy kick — twice as good that way, so make sure to load it up ••• ♥ Add plenty of chives too, and don't skip the kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and kimchi. It gets three times better.

Meat mandu: how many people should share an order?

Why is it that you always end up ordering a side dish at a gukbap place — haha. The meat mandu (dumplings) was the perfect side for gukbap!! It came out looking so nice, which made it even more satisfying.

These were king-mandu style — even just looking at them was filling given their size. Honestly, since gukbap itself is already a filling dish, one per person is plenty, so I'd recommend this for groups of 3-4 rather than solo diners!

The mandu were stuffed full of meat, and dipping them in soy sauce was on another level !!!! The portion is big, but they're too good to skip — highly recommend, and that wraps it up.