Gwangjin Japanese restaurant for family set meals: Hekbap Main

Every weekend, I happily find myself wondering where to take my endlessly energetic child. The weather was lovely this weekend, so we had a full day of activities at Children’s Grand Park’s Sangsang Nara and then made a round of the zoo, playing to our hearts’ content. Seeing my child bouncing around and laughing made me happy too. After all that fun, we headed over to Konkuk University and took a leisurely walk along Ilgam Lake, where the blue sky reflected on the water. We got hungry after walking for a while, so while looking for somewhere comfortable to eat with my child, we found Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch, a popular Konkuk University Station spot known for its neatly prepared rice bowls and ramen, and went in.

Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch: location and information

• Address: Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch, 2F, 127 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Public transit: A 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Konkuk University Station on Lines 2 and 7
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00 (open year-round)
• Break time: 15:00–16:30
• Last order: 20:30
• Parking: Download the Lotte Department Store Konkuk Star City app for a 2-hour free parking coupon, or use Konkuk University Hospital parking, free for 30 minutes and then ₩500 per 10 minutes.

It is on the second floor.

A spacious interior that is great with children

As soon as we entered the second-floor restaurant, a bright interior and a spacious 80-seat dining room welcomed us. Along the windows are solo-dining bar tables where you can enjoy an open view, while roomy four-person tables fill the center, making it a great choice for a family meal or a get-together with friends.

A restaurant that protects the essence of rice—my expectations were already high before eating.

Chicken mayo and zaru soba pork cutlet sets

Hekbap offers a variety of menu items as sets, so it was easy to choose something that suited our tastes. You can add sides, too. To share with our child, we ordered the Chicken Mayo Rice Bowl Set and the Zaru Soba Pork Cutlet Set.

The Chicken Mayo Rice Bowl Set came generously arranged with mini udon, two pieces of karaage (Japanese fried chicken), salad, and two chewy cheese rice cakes glazed with sweet honey, all alongside the large bowl of rice. Fluffy rice, soft egg, and crisp chicken came together with rich mayonnaise and a sweet-savory sauce in a perfect sweet-and-salty balance. My child kept saying it was delicious and ate really well, and the warm mini udon and sweet honey cheese rice cakes for dessert completed the meal. What stood out was that I expected the rice bowl to come with chicken cutlet, but it came with karaage instead. It was even tastier that way. Please do try the large, non-greasy karaage.

Dipping the springy, chewy buckwheat noodles of the Zaru Soba Pork Cutlet Set into the umami-rich tsuyu (Japanese noodle dipping sauce) with tiny ice crystals floating in it completely chased away the heat. There was so much soba that it seemed never to disappear, no matter how much I ate. It paired beautifully with the thick pork cutlet served alongside it, so I never got tired of it. Fried in clean oil, the pork cutlet was crisp outside and moist inside, with its juices intact—I immediately understood why this is such a talked-about place near Konkuk University Station.

What I liked about Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch

With neatly prepared Japanese home-style dishes that appeal to just about everyone and a spacious dining room, Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch was a Konkuk University Station restaurant the whole family enjoyed.

• Generous set meals: The sweet-savory chicken mayo and honey cheese rice cakes, plus the pairing of crisp pork cutlet and chewy zaru soba.
• Comfortable convenience: Spacious 80-seat dining, handy solo seats, and excellent access just three minutes on foot from Konkuk University Station.
• Thoughtful, pleasant kindness: From the baby spoon and fork they proactively brought us to the warm service throughout our visit, the staff were wonderfully considerate.

If you want a hearty meal after a trip to Children’s Grand Park or Konkuk University Lake, I definitely recommend stopping by!