Gimhae Korean restaurant for spicy clam noodles: Seosan Dongjuk Kalguksu

Seosan Dongjuk Kalguksu in Gimhae: location and parking

It’s located at 19 Deokjeong-ro 201beon-gil, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do. It operates daily from 10:00 to 21:00, with last orders at 20:00, and is open year-round.

Seosan Dongjuk Kalguksu (서산동죽칼국수), a great kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) spot in Gimhae, had lots of parking! You can park in front of the restaurant, and there’s a dedicated lot behind it too, so it was so nice to visit without worrying about parking haha.

As soon as Yerang got off work, we rushed from Changwon to Gimhae and arrived by the skin of our teeth at 7:57!! Even though we came late, there were still customers there!? And then another surprise: it was right near my sister’s house, so I was shocked when we visited,, 🤢🤢

Just so you know, they’re open as usual over the Chuseok holiday too haha.

A spacious, clean restaurant—and meeting dongjuk clams

The restaurant was super spacious and clean! It would be perfect for a group visit too haha. I don’t know why, but when the weather starts getting cooler, I crave warm brothy foods so much 🥹

Dongjuk are clams! I’d always had kalguksu with Manila clams, but this was my first time learning there was a clam called dongjuk. They’re live clams delivered directly from Seosan every dawn, so I was really looking forward to how fresh they’d be! They also make their kimchi every day with their own seasoning,, I got so excited,, 🤍

Ordering clam kalguksu and Onaksae seafood pajeon

Here’s the menu at Seosan Dongjuk Kalguksu, a Gimhae kalguksu spot :) There are just three menu items! We ordered clam kalguksu for two and Onaksae seafood pajeon!

Each table has a tablet, so ordering is easy! And I think their makgeolli (Korean rice wine) must be good too!? They had lots of different kinds haha. The basic sides were kimchi, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and pajeon dipping sauce, plus a container for dongjuk shells, small plates, and a ladle!

There’s also a self-service bar for any sides you need more of, so help yourself whenever you run out! Kalguksu just wouldn’t be the same without kimchi!! 🥹

I was wearing white and looking for an apron, and there were aprons prepared beside the self-service bar, so Yerang quickly brought one over for me! 👏🏻

Refreshing, spicy kalguksu packed with dongjuk clams

As we sat chatting, the kalguksu and seafood pajeon came out in no time! For two people, it was seriously generous to begin with. At first I almost felt sad because it looked like there weren’t many dongjuk, but there were lots hiding inside—happy,, 💝

We separated all the dongjuk shells as we ate, and they just kept coming out hahaha. I loved it so much!!! 😝

It was my first time seeing dongjuk. I took one bite and it was plumper than a Manila clam; it burst in my mouth like sea squirts? Omandi? and a salty flavor spread through my mouth. Dongjuk on its own might be salty, but with the kalguksu noodles it wasn’t salty at all—the seasoning was just right. I even wondered if they had seasoned it with that in mind,, haha. The broth was refreshing and spicy,, seriously so delicious 👍🏻 The kimchi was spicy for me, so I ate the kkakdugi instead, but Yerang said the kimchi was tastier.

Onaksae seafood pajeon piled high with seafood

The pajeon (Korean scallion pancake) looked incredible, right,,,!? It was absolutely loaded with seafood on top!!!!! True to its name, the Onaksae seafood pajeon had heaps of seafood toppings, which I loved 👍🏻💝💝

I love how crispy pajeon is,, so good ㅜ🥹 It was delicious dipped in chojang (sweet-and-tangy red chili sauce), which made me go, oh!? haha. Still, I’m a soy-sauce person! And since there were red peppers on top, I worried it would be too spicy, but it was just pleasantly spicy, so even spice-wimp me ate it well haha.

Restroom and family dining conveniences

The restroom is inside the restaurant, and I liked how clean it was! I stopped by after we ate, and they were doing a thorough cleaning, so I thought, ah, that’s why it was so clean,, 👍🏻

They have high chairs too, so I think it would be great for a family meal!

And on the staff uniforms, I saw benefits of dongjuk listed as relieving fatigue, helping with dieting, preventing anemia, and curing hangovers. Yerang and I joked, “Does eating only dongjuk mean we’re dieting? It still counts if we eat it with the broth, right?” and kept eating hahaha—then there were no dongjuk left,,, 🤤

Having eaten at Seosan Dongjuk Kalguksu, a Gimhae kalguksu spot, I think I’ll go again! I’ll revisit whenever I crave spicy kalguksu. The seafood-loaded pajeon was delicious too, and the spicy kalguksu was exactly to my taste haha. Also, although we came late and they must have been tired, the staff welcomed us with smiles, and I’m so thankful for that 👍🏻🤎 Now that the weather is cooling down, I recommend Seosan Dongjuk Kalguksu in Gimhae if you’re craving a warm bowl of kalguksu!