Weekend deodeok and shiitake set at Meokgol hanjeongsik Sanchaega

Every time I take a walk around the neighborhood, I see so many older folks going in and out of this place — 🌀that's gotta be a good restaurant🌀 🌀if I ever crave hanjeongsik I have to go🌀 — that's how I'd been eyeing Sanchaega, a Meokgol Station favorite. Finally tried it! It had been a while since I had hanjeongsik (Korean set meal), and it was so satisfying I wanted to bring my parents here.

Where Sanchaega is and when it opens

• Location: Line 7 Meokgol Station
• Hours: Daily 11:00 - 22:00
• Break time: 15:30 - 17:00
• Last order: 20:30

Is there a weekend wait at Sanchaega? Book on Naver

Definitely a Meokgol Station favorite; it's rare for a restaurant near Meokgol Station to have a wait, but when I visited on a weekend, quite a few people were waiting. (Naver Reservation is available, so if you book ahead you can sit right down to your cauldron rice with no waiting!)

There's even a waiting zone with seats so people can wait comfortably. Since there are a lot of older customers and families, it really shows the owner's thoughtfulness ••👍🏻

This Meokgol Station favorite is a hanjeongsik spot known for its healthy, nature-filled table.

Inside Sanchaega: seating and atmosphere

There are lots of big, wide tables good enough for group visits, and since I came with a Naver Reservation, the friendly owner led me straight to my seat 😀

Meokgol's Sanchaega started as a gimbap (seaweed rice roll) shop in 1999 and is still a hanjeongsik favorite with a steady stream of customers. They say they buy ingredients at dawn market auctions to keep things fresh 👍🏻 and even use perilla oil pressed at a local mill.

Deodeok and shiitake cauldron-rice set for two, 18,000 won per person

The regular set and the special set come with different side dishes. To really enjoy the full hanjeongsik experience, we ordered the special deodeok + shiitake cauldron rice set for two ~,~ I was so looking forward to the cauldron rice and the huge number of side dishes.

The table arrived so packed it practically groaned under the weight. Twelve kinds of side dishes plus jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), grilled flounder, grilled deodeok, grilled hwangtae (dried pollack), and lettuce wraps. All for ₩18,000 — the value is unreal.

The doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), simmered bubbling at the table, had just the right seasoning, and the longer it simmered the thicker and stronger the doenjang flavor got — I could finish a whole bowl of rice on that stew alone 🥹

The owner even scooped out the perfectly cooked deodeok + shiitake cauldron rice for us ^_^ It was generously packed with deodeok and shiitake, and the medicinal-herb flavor wasn't too strong, so it was genuinely delicious 🥹

The best side dish: jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork)

The seasoned vegetable dishes and stir-fried zucchini were genuinely delicious •• plus the grilled flounder served one per person — there wasn't a single miss ㅠ Tons of side dishes parents would love, even soft, moist squid 🦑 The jeyuk was sweet, made with a good cut with just the right ratio of lean meat to fat, so it was moist and tender. It was so good I wanted to order more jeyuk on its own. I get why this place has a wait, it's a genuine Meokgol Station favorite ㅋㅋㅋ I was satisfied enough that I'd bring my parents here for a meal any time.

Ending the meal with sungnyung (toasted rice tea)

Of course you pour water into the cauldron to make sungnyung (scorched rice tea)!

Finished off the sungnyung too ••• Since the cauldron rice had deodeok and mushrooms in it, the sungnyung was even tastier 💘

The whole meal felt like being served food and side dishes made with real care, which is what made Meokgol Station's Sanchaega so satisfying. The food was healthy and delicious, and I naturally found myself wanting to bring my parents here. If you're looking for a hanjeongsik restaurant in Jungnang, or just want a healthy meal after a while, be sure to visit Sanchaega near Meokgol Station!