24-hour hangover soup with sundubu yukgaejang set in Wonju

On the way home while wrapping up a Gangwon trip, I heard Wonju had a yukgaejang (spicy beef and vegetable soup) place so good that Wonju City Hall employees swear by it. So I went to Yukdaejang Dangye Musil-jeom. It's open 24 hours.

Parking and the atmosphere

There's a really wide self-parking area on both the 1st and 2nd floors. No need to worry about parking.

There are plenty of tables inside. The spacing between tables was comfortable, so eating never felt cramped. With that many tables, including some big ones, it looked like it could handle group visits without any trouble.

Reading the menu — what to pick

Each table has its own menu, so ordering was easy. There are many kinds of yukgaejang. But beyond yukgaejang, there's also braised beef short ribs, bossam (boiled pork wraps), grilled bulgogi, hot pots and more — it was actually hard to choose.

• All yukgaejang can add cha-dol brisket, yangji brisket, sausage-ham, or dried/fresh noodles
• Extra rice with yukgaejang is free
• Kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and mandu-guk (dumpling soup) come with a smaller portion of rice
• Yukkal-myeon uses dried noodles for a chewy bite, while saeng-yukkal-myeon uses thick, soft fresh noodles — order according to your preference

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It's loaded with green onion, ginger and garlic, plus a generous amount of beef, so one bowl makes for a hearty, restorative meal.

There's a sign noting that in summer, green onions get firmer and more fibrous, which can make the texture tougher. Apparently that's how green onions are from May to October, so if you're visiting during those months, keep that in mind.

I read the sign on the side wall while waiting for the food. Garlic chives help blood circulation and warm the stomach, and boost immunity and vitality (just toss them into the yukgaejang!). Green onion is said to help prevent colds, relieve fatigue, aid digestion and detoxify the body. This is basically a full-on health tonic dish.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar

They bring out the side dishes right away, quickly. The owner and all the staff were kind and attentive.

Every seat comes with a water cup, pepper, salt and tissues. Check the side of the table for utensils and wet wipes. Everything was fully stocked — so comfortable.

The basic side dishes are stir-fried fish cake, garlic chives and seokbakji (young radish kimchi), and with the bossam you get lettuce wraps, garlic, doenjang (soybean paste) and salted shrimp.

They serve the basic side dishes automatically, but if you want more of the good ones, you can grab them from the self-serve bar. It was kept clean.

Grab an apron for yourself if you need one.

Our set — yukkal-myeon, sundubu yukgaejang, hanbang bossam

Yukkal-myeon 12,000 won / sundubu yukgaejang 11,000 won / hanbang bossam full plate 16,000 won. The table was practically groaning under all the food.

Sundubu yukgaejang

This is yukgaejang packed with soft, fluffy sundubu (soft tofu) in a spicy broth.

I worried the red broth might be too spicy, but it wasn't overly hot. It had a sharp kick that made me let out an instinctive 'ahhh~' groan after the first spoonful. The base wasn't artificial-tasting at all — it was a deep, rich beef-bone broth loaded with green onion, so I could really taste that sweet, refreshing green onion flavor. One bowl of this yukgaejang felt like it could cure any hangover completely!

There's not just sundubu but also egg in there, and sweet green onion piling up generously with every spoonful — green onion lovers, this is heaven.

There's plenty of glass noodles too. You can eat until you're stuffed.

Add the garlic chives in while the soup is still hot so they wilt quickly.

Yukkal-myeon

This is yukgaejang-style kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup). The deep, rich yukgaejang broth soaks fully into the chewy noodles, making it a dish that hits the spot for noodle lovers.

It comes topped generously with green onion and beef. The noodles soak up that cool broth perfectly — ideal for slurping!

Both the yukgaejang and yukkal-myeon come with rice, but noodle dishes get a smaller portion. Compare the sizes and keep that in mind!

Hanbang bossam (full plate)

This bossam is boiled long and slow with medicinal herbs (hanbang), leaving it tender with no off-putting smell whatsoever.

It's tender enough to put dedicated bossam specialty shops to shame. It actually has a shine to it (I'm serious — it glistens). The fat-to-meat ratio is spot on. This is a genuinely well-boiled bossam.

The dried radish strips and kimchi are insanely good. Seriously delicious. You really have to try the bossam. If there are two of you, one full plate is plenty.

The stir-fried fish cake is a total rice thief.

In summary

Yukdaejang Dangye Musil-jeom, a yukgaejang specialty spot near Wonju City Hall open 24 hours, is where you go for a hearty, hot, filling meal. It's perfect for office workers' quick, satisfying lunches, late-night drinking sessions, or a pre-dawn hangover fix. The food was delicious and the staff were so kind that I want to go back again.

See you next time~ Bye Wonju.