Myeongdong solo-dining Korean restaurant with bossam: Yangjaeok

Where is Yangjaeok? B1 of Lotte Department Store's Myeongdong main branch

Trying to figure out what to eat on my way home from work, I headed to Yangjaeok at Lotte Department Store's main branch — close to the office and a place I could get a proper, comfortable Korean meal. It's on the basement floor.

Anyone who works around Myeongdong or Euljiro 1-ga will relate: eating alone in a packed restaurant row or in a noisy spot right after work is oddly uncomfortable. The food court at Lotte's main branch is nearly impossible to find a seat in, not just at lunch but pretty much all day, but Yangjaeok has spacious, comfortable seating.

Solo seats at Yangjaeok for eating alone after work

This isn't a food court stall in the department store basement — it's a proper standalone restaurant space with plenty of room. The tables are spaced generously, and there are solo seats that don't feel awkward at all if you're dining by yourself. I thought it was a perfect spot for after-work solo diners or office workers wanting a filling meal.

What to order at Yangjaeok: spicy pork gomtang, the rice set and bossam

After sitting down and looking over the menu, I ordered spicy pork gomtang, the spicy pork gomtang rice set, and a small bossam.

How spicy is Yangjaeok's spicy pork gomtang?

The basic side dishes that arrived first with the spicy pork gomtang were clean and well put together from the start. There was crunchy gungchae namul (aster greens), refreshing kimchi that no soup meal should be without, and salted octopus for extra savoriness. Even the basic banchan felt neat and well-made.

Since it's called 'spicy,' I was a little worried about how hot it would be, but it wasn't sharply spicy — more of a deep, tangy, clean heat. With bean sprouts and napa cabbage in the broth, it was refreshing and clean, an easy spiciness to eat, one even an elementary schooler could handle. People who can't handle spicy food much could enjoy this without any trouble — it was clean, tasty, and just the right amount of kick.

What comes with the spicy pork gomtang rice set: jeyuk bokkeum and tofu

I was genuinely surprised at how generous the spicy pork gomtang rice set was! The set comes with a few extra side dishes. On top of the single-order spicy pork gomtang, you get side dishes plus jeyuk bokkeum (stir-fried spicy pork) and tofu added in, and the portion was really substantial. The main soup alone is already filling, but adding in the sweet-and-spicy jeyuk bokkeum and clean-tasting tofu made for a spread rich enough to rival a royal table.

The jeyuk bokkeum tasted great too. It comes as a side dish, but there was plenty of it, so I got to enjoy a bit of everything. Isn't jeyuk bokkeum basically a main dish rather than a side? 🤩 At Yangjaeok, it comes as a side.

Napa cabbage, bean sprouts and pork packed into the gomtang bowl

The taste of the spicy pork gomtang itself, the most important part, exceeded my expectations! These days a lot of gomtang places serve bowls that are mostly broth with barely any fillings, which is always disappointing. But Yangjaeok packed the bowl full of napa cabbage, bean sprouts, and pork. Every time I dipped my spoon in, it came up loaded with meat and vegetables.

How much pork comes with the small bossam?

The bossam (small) I ordered alongside it also exceeded expectations. Often when you order a small bossam for lunch, you just get thin slices to fill the count, but here the pork was cut into thick, generous pieces, so the portion felt plentiful and satisfying. Yangjaeok might have the thickest, most generously sliced bossam I've had at any bossam restaurant I've been to.

The taste was great too — no gamey smell, just tender, well-boiled pork. Piled with salted octopus or radish kimchi and wrapped up in one big bite, it was really good. Alternating a spoonful of gomtang broth with a bite of bossam was a genuinely good combo!

Is Yangjaeok worth it for a solo meal in Myeongdong?

I'd recommend Yangjaeok to anyone shopping at Lotte Department Store's main branch, visiting Myeongdong and looking for a proper Korean meal, or office workers nearby wanting a comfortable, filling meal. Clean interior, neat side dishes, and generous, unstinting fillings — this meal had all three, and it was satisfying.