Bucheon Chinese restaurant Constitution Day date: Glory Works

A Constitution Day date: why Glory Works?

On Constitution Day morning, my husband and I went on a little date to Glory Works (글로리웍스), a Chinese restaurant near Sangdong Station in Bucheon. Our second kid was at cram school and our third was off at a taekwondo gym camp, so it was just us two! Let's eat first, he said, craving Chinese food, and we agreed on Glory Works, a well-known Sangdong spot.

Where is Glory Works, and how is parking?

Glory Works has a parking lot on basement level 1, so no parking worries, and it is only 130 m from Exit 8 of Sangdong Station on Line 7, so public transport is easy too. We parked in B1 and headed up to the first floor. This building is full of restaurants I know well. Being so close to Sangdong Station, I figured getting here would never be a problem.

The name is not what you'd expect from a Chinese restaurant, and a sign at the door explains it means spending dazzlingly beautiful time.

Glory Works hours and break time

• Address: 115 Gilju-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi (1st floor; 130 m from Exit 8 of Sangdong Station, Line 7)
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:00
• Last order: 14:30 / 20:30
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Closed: every Sunday
• Parking: 3 hours available

Summer Chinese cold noodles, plus student and boknal events

It's summer, so Glory Works has launched Chinese-style cold noodles to match the season. There are lots of cram schools nearby, and they run a student event too: show your student ID and get fried dumplings. The menu stood on a sign out front, and I walked in wondering what to eat.

On boknal (the hottest days of summer), seafood jjamppong is ₩2,000 off!

Glory Works atmosphere and cleanliness

From the entrance to the inside, Glory Works is bright and clean, with more of a salad-shop vibe than a Chinese restaurant. Chinese places can feel a bit dark, but this one was totally different.

The wood tables and the lighting give it a calm mood, and vinegar, chili flakes and soy sauce sat neatly on each table. And of course, we couldn't skip the receipt event!

Side-dish refill self-serve bar and what to bring for kids

Glory Works has a self-serve bar for side-dish refills, and it was gleaming clean, which I loved.

Small plates, scissors, tongs and kids' tableware are laid out neatly, and there are disposable aprons and high chairs too. (It was packed, so I couldn't just snap photos freely.)

Glory Works menu

The Glory Works menu has set menus plus a wide range of à la carte dishes. The Algonyi Jjamppong (roe and milt jjamppong) looked unusual.

The Chinese-food sidekicks: danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and jjasai (pickled mustard stem). The jjasai was crunchy and not too salty, so good.

Here they come! Gorgeous. The brisket and seafood are piled like a mountain. The jjajang had big chunks of vegetables and meat too.

How does the Glory Jjamppong at Glory Works taste?

The Glory Jjamppong at Glory Works is the signature spicy noodle soup, with brisket, milt, shrimp, roe and plenty of vegetables, and chewy noodles. I was torn between the seafood jjamppong and the Glory Jjamppong, but since it carries the restaurant's name it seemed like the signature, so I went with Glory.

They were so generous that the brisket and seafood covered the noodles and I couldn't even see them. I tasted a spoonful of broth first, then the brisket, roe and milt, then the noodles, which were so chewy I wondered if they were hand-pulled. My husband, a picky eater (?), kept saying the noodles were really good. The noodles were seasoned and a bit salty, and the seafood tasted fresh.

Since we eat light these days, the broth felt a little salty, so I fetched rice from the self-serve bar and mixed it in, and the seasoning was just right. (This is me making excuses for eating so much.)

My husband loves jjamppong and was thrilled. He kept telling me to try it... I'm eating, I'm eating! haha

A jjamppong place where I fell for the jjajangmyeon

The jjajangmyeon at Glory Works is like a gan-jjajang (stir-fried black bean noodles) topped with a runny egg, and it was among the best jjajangmyeon I've had lately. Wait... I heard this was a jjamppong place, and I came home smitten with the jjajangmyeon!

The freshly stir-fried vegetables were still fresh, the meat had no smell, and the seasoning was spot on. It wasn't too oily or heavy, and the sweet and salty balanced nicely, so so good. That makes me look forward to the fried rice too. Next visit, I'm reserving a large jjajangmyeon.

This time I was the one telling him to try the jjajangmyeon because it was so good, so we were busy again haha

Review-event condensed milk buns, worth the wait

At Glory Works we got condensed milk buns (kkotppang, steamed flower buns) as a review event. They came out late, but they were hot and delicious, like freshly made. With deliveries and a full dining hall... a popular place is always busy.

We'd finished our jjamppong and jjajangmyeon and even mixed in rice, and wanted to give up our seats quickly to the people waiting, but the buns didn't come... sob. Then the buns we'd waited for finally arrived! They seem to have been made on the spot. They came late, but the staff kindly told us how long it would take, and they were so tasty that we perked up again. We ate them piping hot. Glad we did the review event!

Next time, with all the kids

Today's feast from a couple who are always on a diet. Eat well, then work out, right? haha I found another new good place near home.

I was so sad we couldn't try the garlic tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) and the seafood jjamppong. If the kids had come, we could have ordered everything. Next time we'll come as the whole family and properly taste the tangsuyuk, shrimp fried rice and fried dumplings.

Glory Works near Sangdong Station in Bucheon: easy parking, a nice, clean atmosphere and kind service, so I recommend it for a family meal out. We love jjamppong and jjajang, so we'll be back again and again.