Bupyeong bar with aged kimchi stew and yeon-maek beer: Malmaek

I went to Malmaek, a kimchi stew bar on Bupyeong's Theme Street.

Where Malmaek is and when it opens

Malmaek 📍 Location: 3F, 5 Gyeongwondae-ro 1403beon-gil, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon ⏰ Hours: Mon-Thu 18:00 ~ 2:00 AM, Fri-Sat ~ 3:00 AM Closed every Sunday 🚗 Parking: Nearby public parking lots ✔️ Groups welcome, reservations accepted

Today I visited Malmaek, a great-value bar in Bupyeong. It's on the 3rd floor of the building right next to Olive Young on Bupyeong's Theme Street, so it's easy to find.

Head up to the 3rd floor and you're greeted by a super vibey entrance :) There's a full-length mirror right by the door, so grab a mirror selfie on your way in~

Inside Malmaek: seating and atmosphere

Malmaek's interior was clean but full of hip vibes — you could really feel the owner's personal touch!

The space was pretty spacious and comfortable. The window seats have big windows, giving off a bit of that outdoor pojangmacha (street tent bar) feel. It's not too loud either, so it's fine for a quiet date or a chat, and also works well for group gatherings.

Good news for smokers — there's an indoor smoking room. Even though it's inside, there was no cigarette smell at all.

You always end up spilling stuff on your clothes while drinking, so I was relieved to see disposable aprons — something you rarely find at a bar~

What's on the menu at Malmaek

🔽Menu🔽

There were anju (drinking snacks) like kimchi jjim, budae jjigae, egg soup, soup dak-bal, fish cake soup, jeon, naengmyeon, samgyeopsal jjolmyeon, and more, along with a wide variety of drinks.

Aged kimchi stew ₩25,000 Yeon-maek ₩6,500 Soju ₩5,500

We ordered the aged kimchi stew, yeon-maek — not something you usually see at a regular bar — and soju.

Malmaek's basic side snack was, of all things, Pringles — and my favorite flavor too 💕 Salty and great to munch on with drinks.

Aged kimchi stew, 25,000 won with tofu and ramyeon noodles

The dish came out faster than expected! Look how hearty and good it looks.

Aged kimchi stew — packed with kimchi and meat.

Besides the meat and kimchi, there were also various vegetables like onion and green onion mixed in. Maybe because of all the vegetables and the good kimchi, the broth had a really deep, rich flavor. It was on par with dedicated kimchi jjim restaurants!

Malmaek's aged kimchi stew also comes with tofu and ramyeon noodles, and they gave us almost a whole block of tofu,,, seriously good value. It was enough to enjoy as a proper meal with drinks if you're hungry.

Well-aged kimchi and plenty of meat! The meat was generous, tender, and had no gamey smell, so it was easy to keep picking at.

Yeon-maek for 6,500 won at an ordinary Korean bar

You know how good yeon-maek is, right? It's usually found at lamb skewer places, so it was nice to be able to enjoy it at a regular bar! And they poured a generous amount of yeontae soju too, haha.

They add tofu on top too. Soak it in the broth and it tastes even better.

The finishing touch was the ramyeon noodles! Amazing how much variety you can get from one dish, right? The noodles were nice and moist..😊

I finished off the deep, rich broth with the ramyeon noodles and enjoyed every bit of it~ Since this was our second stop of the night we didn't get to try many other anju, but just from the aged kimchi stew alone, I bet everything else at Malmaek is delicious too!!!

Free ice cream on the way out

Once you've eaten well, grab an ice cream before you leave. A thoughtful gift from the owner! (It's not just melona — there are several flavors to choose from.)

With its great vibe and tasty anju, Malmaek is worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a good bar near Bupyeong Station😊