Sundae hotpot gamjatang with soybean cream add-on, Itaewon

Parking and weekend wait at Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch

Parking info: there's no parking support, but I parked at the Yongsan-gu Office parking lot and it was a fine walk!

Weekend wait: we went during Sunday lunchtime and there was no wait.

Nuri Maeul Gamjatang in Itaewon is truly right in front of Itaewon Station, making it one of the go-to Itaewon gamjatang (pork bone soup) restaurants. My husband and I were around Itaewon on a Sunday and decided we hadn't had gamjatang in a while, so we picked this place for lunch! Since it's newly opened, the space was clean and spacious!

Right by Itaewon Station Exit 4, up to the 2nd floor

This Itaewon gamjatang restaurant sits right in front of Itaewon Station Exit 4, so it's easy to find.

Nuri Maeul Gamjatang is on the 2nd floor. A short walk up and you arrive!

The menu goes beyond gamjatang, with haejangguk and grilled bones too

True to a strong Yongsan gamjatang restaurant, Nuri Maeul Gamjatang had a wide menu. Besides gamjatang, they also serve haejangguk (hangover soup) and grilled bones — we had gamjatang today, but I'm curious about the grilled bones next time!

The atmosphere and table spacing

The interior overall was clean and spacious, so we could eat comfortably without feeling cramped. The tables were spaced generously too, making it good for groups, and the whole place was kept tidy without the cluttered feel some gamjatang restaurants have.

This Itaewon gamjatang restaurant lets you order easily via tablet, which made ordering faster. The staff were also really kind! That made the meal even more pleasant.

The spacing between tables at this Itaewon gamjatang restaurant was nice and wide, which felt comfortable!

There's a drawer beside each table with a utensil holder, napkins, and wet wipes, all handy to grab. Since gamjatang involves eating bones with your hands, you often need napkins, so having wipes and napkins right there in the drawer was convenient.

Self-bar and serving robot

What I liked most was the self-bar! You could freely grab whatever side dishes or extras you wanted. The kimchi especially was well-seasoned, perfect alongside the gamjatang. 🥬

At this Itaewon gamjatang restaurant, a serving robot brings out the simple items, which I found pretty neat haha. It brought us ramen noodle add-ins, side dishes, and drinks. So cool! Once you move what the robot delivers onto your table and press the confirm button, it heads back to its spot on its own.

Gamjatang served in a big cauldron-like pot

I liked that Nuri Maeul Gamjatang's signature dish comes out in a big cauldron-like pot haha. It keeps the heat in well and the food seems to taste even better for it. This is the small size gamjatang I ordered. Even though it's the small size, the portion was so generous that the two of us ate until we were stuffed. This was the dish my husband and I really feasted on!

The bones at this Itaewon gamjatang restaurant come already boiled, so you just simmer briefly and scoop it up once the vegetables are cooked — really convenient.

The result of adding ₩5,000 soybean cream to the sundae hotpot gamjatang

We ordered the sundae (blood sausage) hotpot gamjatang and added the ₩5,000 soybean cream on top. Bottom line... adding the soybean cream was such a good call! With the soybean cream mixed in, the broth turned nuttier and smoother, and it paired really well with gamjatang's rich flavor. Honestly, I liked it even more with the soybean cream than plain.

It felt a shame to let the soybean cream collapse right away, so I scooped up a few spoonfuls on its own before mixing it in. The soybean cream has a texture a bit denser than bean curd dregs, I'd say? You can either add it on or there's actually a soybean cream gamjatang menu item from the start haha, I recommend trying it. If you'd rather not have curds mixed into your broth, the original gamjatang is delicious too.

Noodle add-ins and rice sold separately, a hearty spread

Such a generous spread! Noodle add-ins and rice were separate, so we ordered those on the side. Being weekend lunchtime, there were plenty of people there for gamjatang, and quite a few solo diners having haejangguk too!

Can you see how much meat is on this bone? At Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch, the bones come with plenty of meat still attached, so it was so easy to pick it off! I highly recommend adding the ramen noodles too. And dipping the picked meat into the provided sauce was so good.

What about the restroom?

For those of you, especially women, curious whether the restroom is clean, Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch's restroom was quite clean with two stalls each, for reference! Just note the restroom is in the shared building, not inside the restaurant itself.

I recommend Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch as an Itaewon gamjatang restaurant! Thanks to them, I had a delicious weekend lunch.