Gangneung hanjeongsik with a 9,000-won kids' add-on: Saimdang Bueok

Ever want a really solid, filling meal while traveling? Here's a great Gangneung hanjeongsik (Korean set meal) spot for that — Saimdang Bueok (사임당부엌), near Ojukheon.

Order the 19,000 won per-person Saimdang Han-sang and you get a generous spread of 12 side dishes plus stir-fried pork, butter-grilled scallops, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), and grilled fish. There's genuinely not a single side dish worth skipping — a true Gangneung hanjeongsik gem. Let me introduce Saimdang Bueok, a great place to eat well while traveling in Gangneung.

Saimdang Bueok Address: 6 Jukheongil85beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea Hours: 10:30–15:00 / 17:00–20:00 (reservation only) Last order: 19:15

Where is Saimdang Bueok, and is there parking?

Saimdang Bueok sits on Jukheon-gil near Ojukheon in Gangneung. Ojukheon tends to be more of an older-generation course than a young-crowd spot, right? So I found a Gangneung hanjeongsik place that older visitors would love!

It's a huge restaurant. It's in the same building as 'Matdeurin.' There's also a dedicated parking lot, so parking is easy!

Facing the building, Saimdang Bueok — a home-style Korean set meal specialist — is on the right.

Saimdang Bueok menu and prices

At the entrance there's a photo menu banner set up, so you can check the menu at a glance. Ojukheon Han-sang is 14,000 won, Saimdang Han-sang is 19,000 won, Yulgok Han-sang is 35,000 won. You can feel the generosity just from the photos, right?

I came for an opening-time visit, and since reservations were apparently busy, the side dishes were already set out.

Overall the vibe is cozy yet clean.

There's no separate paper menu, but you can order at the kiosk.

Bringing a child: a 9,000-won extra setting

I ordered the 19,000 won per-person Saimdang Han-sang plus one child add-on portion. When visiting with a young child, there's always that moment of hesitation over whether to order another full menu item — but with a child add-on at just 9,000 won, I added it without a second thought.

What comes with the Saimdang Han-sang's 12 side dishes?

First, the basic side dishes were served. There's a lineup of 12 different dishes. (Honestly, not a single one is a miss!)

I started with a cuttlefish-style boiled seafood dish. Very chewy with zero fishy taste — good as a light drinking snack too.

You also get to try braised kodari (dried pollack), deodeok (mountain root) namul, japchae, and wild greens — quite a variety.

Among them, the japchae was especially chewy — probably the best japchae I've had at a restaurant recently.

It's a generous full-table spread, and the side dishes are all mild and approachable — the kind of flavors older generations would love!

Choose miyeok-guk (seaweed soup) instead of sundubu

My child doesn't like sundubu (soft tofu stew), so we chose miyeok-guk (seaweed soup) instead. If you're not a sundubu fan, I'd recommend the miyeok-guk — it has a thick, rich flavor with real body to it.

First I tried steamed cabbage wraps topped with gang-doenjang (thick soybean paste). It's a flavor older generations would love. (Honestly, I kind of wanted to take the gang-doenjang home with me...)

Grilled flounder, stir-fried pork and butter-grilled scallops

For the grilled flounder, I deboned the flesh and dipped it in soy sauce.

The refreshing soy sauce brought out the flounder's flavor even more.

I thought the single piece of grilled fish would be mackerel, but it turned out to be a much lighter, milder fish. I'm not sure exactly what it was.

The stir-fried pork also tasted homemade and delicious. The cut of pork wasn't a cheap one either — chewy without being tough.

The butter-grilled scallops also came out, and they were nice and light to eat.

I also tried a spoonful of the sundubu I'd ordered. It was soft and cloud-like, gentle on the stomach — easy to eat without any heaviness.

I both mixed soy sauce into the sundubu and dipped it separately. No soybean off-flavor at all, which I liked even more — instead you could really taste the depth of flavor, if that makes sense.

Is Saimdang Bueok worth it? Final verdict

It would be easy for a place like this to pad out the side dish count with filler dishes, but there's none of that here — every single side dish is genuinely good.

By the time we finished and left, the place was nearly full with group and reservation customers — a proper Gangneung hanjeongsik favorite.

Being near Ojukheon, it's also well-positioned for access to downtown Gangneung and Gyeongpo Lake. Recommending Saimdang Bueok in Gangneung, where every single side dish is delicious.