Seongsu Korean soup restaurant, rice served in the broth: Dwaeji

I was trying to figure out lunch in Seongsu and went looking for a good gomtang (pork bone soup) restaurant in the area, which led me to House! House has its main branch near Seongsu Station, but the one I visited is a special pop-up on the top floor of Musinsa Mega Store, in Musinsa Food Garden A. This spot used to sell gimbap, so I was curious when I heard House had taken it over and had to try it myself 🫶

Where is Dwaeji Gomtang House and what are its hours?

• 📌 Location: Food Garden, 4F Musinsa Mega Store, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00 ~ 21:00
• ☕ Break time: None

House is located in Food Garden A, on the top floor of Musinsa Mega Store.

Walk into the Musinsa store and take the escalators all the way up, and you'll reach the food garden!

Once you're up in the food garden, look for section A and you'll find House pretty easily. If you're looking for lunch in Seongsu, the accessibility is decent, and since it's inside a food garden, it's also convenient if you're eating with people who want different food.

No wait at Dwaeji Gomtang House during weekend lunch peak

True to a food garden vibe, the whole space felt lush and clean.

We visited during weekend lunch peak hours, and it was nice that there weren't as many people as I expected.

Search for gomtang restaurants in Seongsu and you'll find plenty with a wait, but this place lets you eat comfortably without one — that's the advantage!

There are solo dining seats too, so it's totally doable to visit alone. It also felt like a fine spot to stop by with friends or on a date.

How to order at the Musinsa Mega Store Food Garden

Before eating at House, check the food garden rules first!

• ✔️ Cashless store
• ✔️ Order after securing a seat
• ✔️ Keep close watch on personal belongings
• ✔️ No outside food allowed
• ✔️ Return dishes after eating

In particular, keep in mind that you need to grab a seat before ordering! The store isn't responsible for lost personal items, so keep an eye on your bag or phone.

Dwaeji Gomtang House menu and prices

Here's what House had on the menu.

• Meals — Clear gomtang set ₩15,000
• Spicy gomtang set ₩16,000
• House seaweed soup set ₩17,000
• Sides — Minari tot giant mandu ₩9,000
• Cold jeyuk (half plate) ₩16,000
• Herring roe radish ₩5,000
• Rice ₩1,000

• Drinks — Coke / Zero Coke / Sprite ₩3,000

We ordered two clear gomtang sets plus the minari tot giant mandu!

The self-service station at Food Garden A

On one side of the store there's a self-service station where you can grab whatever you need!

Water, paper cups to go with it, tissues, wet wipes, and even a trash bin were all neatly set up in one spot, so you can just grab whatever you need while you eat. We grabbed water and everything else before sitting down and ate comfortably!

Clear gomtang set, 15,000 won: rice served in the broth

The clear gomtang looked quite filling from the visuals alone! Unlike a regular gukbap (soup with rice) where the rice comes on the side, this one comes with the rice already mixed into the broth.

Spoons, salt, and pepper were set on the side so you can season it to taste. For side dishes, there was

kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi)

mumallaengi (dried radish)

saeujeot (salted shrimp)

minced chili seasoning

and even an orange came out 🍊 It was surprisingly nice to get fruit after the meal.

How the clear pork broth tastes: light, with no gamey smell

The broth overall was clean and light.

With pork gomtang you might worry about that distinct gamey pork smell, but when I ate it there was none at all.

There was quite a lot of meat too, and it was tender, so it went well with the broth.

I added chili on top, and eating it with the chili made it a bit spicy and even more delicious. There was a lot of rice too, so I dug in enthusiastically at first, but ended up leaving a little 😂 A bowl of this really fills you up! It's a clean, approachable flavor even for someone trying pork gomtang for the first time, so it should suit anyone looking for a good gomtang restaurant in Seongsu.

Minari and hijiki giant mandu, 9,000 won: worth the price?

And then there was the minari tot giant mandu, which was better than I expected!

At first I thought, isn't ₩9,000 for mandu (dumplings) a bit pricey? But after trying it my mind changed. For one, the size is big, and the filling is really packed in.

Most of all, the wrapper was moist and the filling generous, definitely a different feel from regular frozen mandu! Dipping it in the sauce that came with it was a real treat. With minari and tot (hijiki seaweed) inside, it also felt different from a typical meat mandu, and it paired well with the gomtang. I hesitated a bit at ₩9,000 at first, but after eating it, ₩9,000 made total sense! I'd definitely order the mandu again next time 🥟

Is Dwaeji Gomtang House in Seongsu worth a visit?

House's pork gomtang, with its clean, light broth and plenty of tender meat, made for a filling meal. We could eat comfortably without a wait even at weekend lunch, and the minari tot giant mandu was satisfying with its generous filling. A good spot to stop by if you're looking for solo dining or a filling lunch in Seongsu 🫶