Sharing hambak gomtang and gukbap in Hongdae: Yukjeon Gukbap

When the weather gets this chilly, I keep craving warm soup dishes haha. While hunting for good restaurants in Hongdae, I went to Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch for some hot gukbap (rice soup). The name itself has 'yukjeon gukbap' in it, so I'd been curious about this place for a while, and this time I tried both the yukjeon gukbap and the hambak gomtang.

I ordered one spicy gukbap and one mild gomtang, so it was great for sharing between two people. Here's my honestly satisfied review!!

How close is Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch to Hongik University Station?

Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch isn't far from Hongik University Station, so it was easy to reach by public transit. It's also a good spot to stop by for a warm meal while shopping or on a date in Hongdae. Since the restaurant is on the first floor, it wasn't hard to find either.

Inside, the space felt spacious and clean. Overall it had that comfortable atmosphere typical of a Korean restaurant, making it easy to eat without pressure. I saw people dining alone as well as tables of groups, so it seemed like a good fit for anything from a solo meal in Hongdae to a gathering with friends.

The menu at this Seogyo-dong restaurant was really varied too. Along with yukjeon gukbap, there were various soup dishes like beef gukbap, miso gomtang, and hambak gomtang, plus makguksu (buckwheat noodles), yukjeon, and other pancake dishes, so you could choose from several kinds of Korean food beyond just gukbap. If you're visiting with a group, ordering pancakes or hot pot dishes to share seemed like a good idea too.

We ordered the yukjeon gukbap and the hambak gomtang — one gukbap, one gomtang, to share between the two of us. It was also nice that Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch is open 24 hours, so you're not too restricted by time when you want to eat here.

I thought this would also be a good place to come to late at night in Hongdae when you're craving warm gukbap. The basic side dishes came out neatly, and after ordering and waiting a bit, the side dishes arrived first.

Kimchi, kkakdugi, and pickled onion came out together, a good lineup to eat alongside the gukbap. Gukbap without kimchi or kkakdugi would feel a little lacking, right haha.

A spoonful of hot broth followed by a piece of kkakdugi turned out to pair really well together. If the side dishes ran low, there was a self-bar where I could help myself to more, which was convenient.

Yukjeon gukbap: how spicy is the broth and how does the beef pancake taste?

I started with the yukjeon gukbap I'd ordered. It came out piping hot in a ttukbaegi (earthenware pot), so just seeing it made me feel warm inside haha. The broth's color already looked a bit spicy, and inside were yukjeon (beef pancake) and various other ingredients.

Taking a spoonful, the broth was rich and spicy. That said, it wasn't overwhelmingly hot — more of a warm, comfortably spicy flavor that went well with rice. And true to its name, it had yukjeon in it.

The yukjeon was softer than I expected, and eating it with the broth let the savory flavor from the meat naturally blend into the soup. Yukjeon on its own is delicious too, but scooping up the yukjeon inside the gukbap along with rice made each spoonful pretty filling.

Hambak gomtang: mild broth with meat and thin somyeon noodles

If the yukjeon gukbap was spicy and rich, the hambak gomtang was much milder and softer in comparison. It had that clean, savory taste characteristic of gomtang broth, with meat and thin wheat noodles (somyeon) inside.

On the first bite, I could feel the moist texture of the meat, and eating it with the gomtang broth felt mild yet savory. The noodles were nice to slurp up with the broth too. It felt different from mixing rice into gukbap, so I was glad we'd ordered the yukjeon gukbap and hambak gomtang together.

The gomtang's broth wasn't overpowering at all, so it was easy to eat comfortably, and with the meat and noodles together the portion turned out to be more filling than expected. Personally I prefer spicy broths so the yukjeon gukbap suited my taste more, but if you like mild broths, the hambak gomtang would probably suit you well too.

Is sharing yukjeon gukbap and hambak gomtang worth it for two?

The yukjeon gukbap had rich, spicy broth with soft yukjeon inside, making it great to eat with rice, while the hambak gomtang had mild broth with soft meatball-style meat and noodles, making it easy and comfortable to eat. It's especially worth remembering since it's open 24 hours, for whenever you need somewhere to eat late at night.