Uijeongbu sundaeguk open at 10am with room seats: Yetnal Gyeongseong

Uijeongbu's sundaeguk restaurants better watch out — I think I just found a real winner. I already love gukbap and often go hunting for sundaeguk spots around Uijeongbu, but this time, right after eating, my husband and I both just blurted out, "this place is actually really good."

Today I'm introducing Yetnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Nokyang Branch (옛날경성순대국 녹양점), located in Nokyang-dong. It's newly opened, and I went straight there as soon as it opened.

How many cars fit in the parking at Yetnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Nokyang Branch?

Excluding a dedicated 2nd-floor parking area, there's space for about 8 cars. Since I went right at opening time, there was still plenty of room, but honestly, with food this good, I have a feeling the lot will be packed before long.

After parking, I checked out the exterior first, and it was a bit different from what I expected of a sundaeguk restaurant. You usually picture an old-school, kind of rough-around-the-edges place, right? But this one was clean and had a surprisingly upscale feel from the outside, almost like a fusion hanok (traditional Korean house). A great first impression for a gukbap place.

A gukbap restaurant with baby chairs?

Right by the entrance, they had baby chairs ready. This is what quietly made me happy the moment I walked in. Gukbap restaurants tend to have that old-school vibe, so a lot of them don't have baby chairs — which is why my husband and I usually end up going just the two of us. But here, they had them, so my first thought was, "next time I have to bring our baby." That kind of thing matters when you're dining out with a kid.

"Wait, this is a gukbap place?" Inside Yetnal Gyeongseong

Then stepping inside, I was surprised all over again.

The overall vibe was very clean yet upscale. The space is spacious with generous gaps between tables, so you never feel crammed in next to the next table — it's comfortable to eat in. Honestly, walking in for the first time, I thought, "wait, this is a gukbap restaurant?"

You'd normally expect an old-school feel from a sundaeguk place, but here it felt more like eating at a clean, proper restaurant.

The private room for group gatherings

There's also a room space toward the back. It would work well for a family meal, but also for larger group gatherings or company dinners.

We went right around opening time, and not long after, a group of customers walked right in. Having space for a bigger party to eat comfortably really seems like an advantage here.

More than sundaeguk: what else is on the menu

Once seated, I looked over the menu first.

I assumed it would be mostly sundaeguk since that's the restaurant's name, but the menu was more varied than I expected — sundaeguk, pork gukbap, bone soup (ppyeohaejangguk), meoritgogi, and more.

Takeout is available too! And you get a ₩2,000 discount for takeout, so it seems like a good option to grab some when you're craving gukbap at home. After some deliberation, we ordered sundaeguk and the large pork gukbap.

I was curious how generous the large portion would be, and I happened to be especially hungry that day lol, so I figured let's just go all in and order large.

Side dishes and the free sticky sundae sample

After a short wait, the basic side dishes started coming out one by one.

And right now, as part of an opening event, they also serve a free taste of sticky sundae (chapsundae). It was perfect for snacking on while waiting for the gukbap.

Each table also had chili paste (dadaegi), salted shrimp (saeujeot), and salt so you could season to your own taste. Since everyone likes their gukbap seasoned differently, this was a nice touch.

Any extra side dishes, or things like chives, seasoned garlic, or chopped green onion, could be freely grabbed from a self-service corner — convenient to just take as much as you need.

Why is there sesame on every table?

One thing that was a bit unusual on the table at Gyeongseong Sundaeguk was the sesame.

At first I wondered, "what's this for?" — there's no sesame sundaeguk on the menu, but there was a sign labeled "sesame sundaeguk" anyway.

I actually ground the sesame myself and added it into the soup, and... oh!!! This turned out to be a real hidden gem. Once you grind in the sesame, the nutty flavor pops and the broth's whole flavor gets deeper. I'd honestly recommend everyone try this at least once.

Rich, nutty sundaeguk with no gamy off-taste

Finally, the sundaeguk arrived! I tasted the broth first, and what I liked most was that there was zero gamy off-taste.

Sundaeguk can sometimes be divisive because of that distinct pork off-taste, but here that unpleasant edge was barely there at all. Instead there was a strong nutty flavor with a deep bone-broth richness — really appealing.

I tried a few spoonfuls of the plain white broth first, before adding any dadaegi or saeujeot. And honestly, it was delicious just like that. So I enjoyed the plain flavor for a few spoonfuls, then gradually added in the dadaegi and saeujeot. If you're visiting for the first time, I'd definitely recommend trying the broth plain for the first few spoonfuls — it's good to taste the broth itself first.

The large pork gukbap: is one bowl really this big?

And then the large pork gukbap I ordered! Wow... the portion was genuinely generous. There was so much meat and filling that while eating I thought, "I probably would've been fine with a regular size," lol. Ordering large really got me a huge amount. The filling alone was almost enough to fill me up. Honestly I wondered if ordering large was me being greedy...

But I still finished it all lol. Even though I was so full, somehow it kept going down.

The best gukbap in Uijeongbu, personally

Honestly, after eating here, I felt like this is personally the number one gukbap I've had in Uijeongbu. What I especially liked was that it doesn't get tiring. Sometimes with gukbap, the flavor's fine but afterward you're weirdly thirsty, or it's so rich and greasy you keep reaching for water. There was none of that here.

It's rich but not heavy, nutty yet clean-tasting. So after the last spoonful, "ahh, that was a good meal" just came out naturally. There are a lot of gukbap spots that come up when you search for good ones in Uijeongbu these days, but Yetnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Nokyang Branch is, in my opinion, a pretty strong contender. If you're looking for a sundaeguk restaurant in Uijeongbu, it's worth a visit.

A small dessert to finish the meal

On the way out after eating, there were some light snacks available, plus a machine for making coffee. Having a hearty meal and then a cup of coffee on the way out felt extra satisfying. I liked that they thought of even these small details.

Looking for sundaeguk in Uijeongbu? Go here

I'd definitely come back. Next time, I want to bring our baby along too. With the baby chairs ready and the place being so clean overall, it should feel a lot less stressful to eat here with a child.

And if I ever get a craving for gukbap, I don't think I'll even need to go to the restaurant myself — I'll probably just say, "honey, grab some takeout from Yetnal Gyeongseong on your way" lol. It's that memorable a flavor.

If someone asked me, "which gukbap place in Uijeongbu is good?" — this time I'd say it confidently: Yetnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk in Nokyang-dong.

If you like sundaeguk, this is worth trying at least once. Uijeongbu's sundaeguk restaurants better watch out — a proper gukbap spot has arrived in Uijeongbu!

Yetnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Nokyang Branch: hours, address and parking

• Location: 778 Dongil-ro, 1st floor, Uijeongbu, South Korea
• Open 10:00 / Close 22:00
• Menu: sundaeguk / pork gukbap / bone soup (ppyeohaejangguk) / meoritgogi and more
• Takeout available, ₩2,000 discount for takeout
• Baby chairs available
• Room seating available
• Parking available