Nowon gamjatang lunch for two with a peanut topping: Somunnan

A Nowon restaurant locals love, a Korean restaurant in Nowon: Somunnan Gamjatang, main branch in Junggye-dong

🧭 Location: 694 Deokneung-ro, 1st floor, Nowon-gu, Seoul, Somunnan Gamjatang / ⏰ Hours: open 24 hours

My husband and I went to Sangye Station for lunch today. I'd been to this Korean restaurant in Nowon before, and since my husband loves gamjatang (pork bone stew), we hadn't been in a while — so I wanted to introduce this local favorite!

How to get to Somunnan Gamjatang from Sangye Station Exit 2, and where to park free for 2 hours

Somunnan Gamjatang Haejangguk is close to Exit 2 of Sangye Station. Since it's near Bulamsan Mountain, a lot of people stop in after hiking.

For parking, head through the barricade at the lot next to the Hyundai Motors Junggye dealership beside the restaurant — it's free for 2 hours, so keep that in mind if you're driving!

I always go to the main branch, but after more than 30 years of love from customers, a new company-run second location, the Sangye branch, opened nearby too — the taste is the same, so just visit whichever is closer!

Inside the Junggye main branch of Somunnan Gamjatang, plus takeout rules

The inside is spacious and great for group visits, so a lot of families come for gatherings, and plenty of hikers stop by after climbing Bulamsan too.

Note that all takeout orders are sold uncooked/half-cooked, and the container fee is charged separately! Customers kept streaming in, and there were tons of takeout and Baemin delivery orders too. (Delivery riders kept showing up, haha 😳)

Menu prices, three side dishes and the free sujebi dough

Somunnan Gamjatang Haejangguk serves a variety of dishes — gamjatang, ppyeojjim (steamed pork bones), samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), ppyeo haejangguk, sundaeguk (blood sausage soup), kongnamul hwangtae guk, and more.

The side dishes were pickled onions, kimchi, and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) — three kinds — and all three were so good I kept reaching for refills!

And here's the surprising part — ordering gamjatang comes with sujebi included as standard! The sujebi dough arrives in a plastic bag, and you tear it in yourself into the gamjatang!

Small gamjatang, 36,000 won: perilla seeds and peanuts piled on top

🍽️ Ordered 🍽️ Gamjatang (small) ₩36,000

Somunnan Gamjatang Haejangguk piles perilla seeds on top like a bomb, plus peanuts, making this such a hearty gamjatang that even the small size fills you up completely.

The longer it boiled, the richer the broth got, and the seasoning sauce turned more savory and delicious. There was no trace of the usual gamjatang gaminess, the meat pieces were big, and the other ingredients were packed in generously — hearty and great.

Tearing the sujebi dough into the gamjatang broth

Once the gamjatang had boiled a bit, you tear in the sujebi dough that comes served separately! I could already tell it'd be good just from touching the dough — it felt so soft — and once I tasted it, it was truly chewy and springy.

Why one small pot fills two people with no extra bones or rice

The meat was piled on generously too, big pieces with a lot of lean meat attached, and it separated easily from the bone, making it both easy and delicious to eat. Normally when I order a small size it's not enough, so I end up adding extra bones, noodles, rice, or fried rice at the end — but whenever I come here, ordering just the small size alone leaves me completely stuffed..!

No gaminess to the meat at all — from the very first bite you could taste how moist and savory it was, and I thought, yep, this place is still delicious. This might be the ultimate drinking food for anyone who loves a drink. The broth looks spicy, but it's more savory than spicy thanks to all the ground perilla seeds!

Packed with ugeoji (napa cabbage leaves) and perilla leaves, generous with every ingredient, and the meat so tender — if you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Nowon, I recommend Somunnan Gamjatang Haejangguk!