24-hour pork soup in Gangnam, Seoul: Sinju Okmi

After work, when I was craving a hearty soupy dish with drinks

On the way home from work, I met up with a friend near Gangnam Station thinking we'd have a light dinner and a drink! The wind felt especially chilly that day, and work exhaustion had hit me all at once, so instead of the usual barbecue place, I was desperately craving something substantial—rich broth and a hearty dish to fill me up, haha.

We went to Sinju Okmi (신주옥미), which my friend had been praising nonstop as a seriously hot gukbap (rice soup) spot in Gangnam these days. To give you the conclusion first: the quality of both the gukbap and sundae was honestly next-level, and I can't even remember how many bottles of soju the two of us emptied... Seriously, an insanely delicious all-time favorite ㅠㅠ!

A great spot for gukbap late at night near Gangnam Station

It's near Gangnam Station, so it was super convenient for meeting up. Better yet, it is open 24 hours, making it great as a filling first stop for dinner and drinks after work—and absolutely ideal for late-night or early-morning second or third rounds, or a hangover-curing drink after the last train!

Once inside, I loved that the tables were clean rather than sticky, and that the space felt roomy!! There was also a neat self-service bar on one side, so it was really convenient to freely grab more basic sides like kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), fresh kimchi, chives, and Cheongyang chili peppers without feeling self-conscious, haha.

Ordering bracken scorched-rice pork gukbap and master sundae

The menu caught my eye because, beyond regular sundae-guk, it had lots of distinctive restorative dishes! On my friend's strong recommendation, we ordered their most popular signature combination.

• Spicy restorative bracken glutinous-rice scorched-rice pork gukbap
• Handmade assorted master sundae platter
• One bottle of soju

While we were ordering, picking at a piece of kimchi, and filling our soju glasses, the main dishes arrived one after another!!

Spicy bracken glutinous-rice scorched-rice pork gukbap

The look of the Spicy Restorative Bracken Glutinous-Rice Scorched-Rice Pork Gukbap that arrived first was overwhelming... The red broth was practically overflowing with tender pork and fragrant bracken fern, topped with crisp, nutty glutinous-rice nurungji (scorched rice)!

I started with a spoonful of broth. Wow... This wasn't a dull kind of heat; the deep savory flavor of richly simmered meat broth blended beautifully with bracken's distinctive nutty flavor, and the moment I took a bite, a spontaneous “ahhh” came out, haha. The glutinous-rice scorched rice soaked up the broth and had a soft, chewy bite, while tender pork plus springy bracken texture made it feel like a complete restorative meal in my mouth. It was magical broth that made the soju go down like water ㅠㅠ.

Add the handmade assorted master sundae platter

And the Handmade Assorted Master Sundae Platter we ordered alongside it is an unmissable specialty too! With zero off smell, the filling was packed to bursting with vegetables, glass noodles, and meat. The casing was not tough at all while the inside was incredibly moist; with a little salted shrimp on top, the nuttiness exploded. Add the moist, springy boiled pork head meat that comes with it, and it was absolutely perfect as drinking food.

Recommended for after-work drinks near Gangnam Station

Thanks to the hot, spicy gukbap, nutty handmade sundae, and tasty side dishes we could easily refill, my friend and I kept exclaiming over it and scraped the bowls clean, haha. If you're looking for a hearty, deeply flavored 24-hour sundae-guk and gukbap spot near Gangnam Station, or want to raise a glass of soju with spicy broth after work, definitely visit Sinju Okmi. The bracken scorched-rice gukbap and sundae combination gets my absolute recommendation 👍