Baby-friendly hanjeongsik in Nowon with private rooms: Sutgarak Masil

I went to Sutgarak Bansang Masil, a Korean restaurant (hanjeongsik, a course-style Korean set meal) in Nowon, with my 9-month-old baby Kangnaeng and my mom. We ordered the Masil Set for Two (₩27,000 per person), and parking was free. Let me walk through the menu, the parking, and how each dish tasted.

I brought our 9-month-old Kangnaeng and my mom out for a delicious hanjeongsik meal at this Nowon favorite, Sutgarak Bansang Masil! Haha.

My mom is basically a full vegetarian and really doesn't like strong flavors or artificial seasoning, so when I heard this place serves food that's healthy and neat, I didn't even hesitate to come. And since she doesn't eat meat, all the meat ended up being mine — jackpot!

Where is Sutgarak Bansang Masil? Parking and the dining room

Sutgarak Bansang Masil is located at 318-1 Sanggye 2-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, and it's open daily from 11:30 to 21:30. First off, not having to worry about parking was such a relief!

Parking is free and there's staff on-site, so even a nervous driver can park easily. I had no idea Nowon had such a big, clean hanjeongsik restaurant — as soon as I walked in, it was cleaner and more spacious than I expected.

Head up the stairs and you find a pleasant space; the window seats by the floor-to-ceiling glass let in nice sunlight and had a really pretty atmosphere.

Besides sofa seating, there are well-equipped private rooms too, so it looked like a great spot for a Nowon meeting-the-in-laws lunch or a big family gathering.

The most important thing when going out with a baby — a baby chair — was fully ready, so our Kangnaeng got settled in comfortably!

Sutgarak Bansang Masil menu and prices

The menu at Sutgarak Bansang Masil is split into a weekday lunch menu, a standard set menu, and a lunchbox menu. First, the weekday lunch menu.

The standard set menu.

And the lunchbox menu too!

Masil Set for Two review (27,000 won per person)

We ordered the Masil Set for Two. This Nowon favorite, Sutgarak Bansang Masil, doesn't use artificial seasoning and features seasonal spreads that change with the season. On top of that, food made today is only served today — an honest kitchen.

The dishes come out one by one, course-style — each looks pretty and portions are generous, enough that you're already getting full just from the appetizers.

First courses: salad, japchae and bossam

A refreshing salad with a bright dressing to cleanse the palate, then perfectly seasoned soft japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and tender boiled bossam (pork belly wraps) — so many good things already, and we haven't even hit the main course.

Crispy fried bites and jeon pancakes

Crispy shrimp fritters that brought to mind yellow spring forsythia, along with savory jeon (Korean pancakes), both light and clean without any greasiness — I kept reaching for more.

They even brought out a little brazier so we could warm the food up.

The main meat courses: braised short ribs and tteokgalbi

Tender, well-seasoned braised short rib and juicy tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties)! Since my mom mostly eats vegetarian, all the meat was mine — and it wasn't that artificial seasoned taste at all, but a clean, healthy sweet-and-savory flavor that clicked with every bite. Standout dishes from this Nowon hanjeongsik spot.

The rice course: pot rice, doenjang stew and side dishes

Now for the meal course! There was hot-pot rice made with a reddish rice,

A savory doenjang (fermented soybean paste) stew, plus namul (seasoned greens), stir-fried anchovies, and kimchi — every single one of the clean side dishes tasted just as neat as it looked. The stir-fried anchovies especially were so good I wanted to ask for seconds.

To finish, a cheonggyul (green citron) tea that was so good I wanted to take some home.

Why my seasoning-averse mother liked Sutgarak Bansang Masil

Overall, it was a neat, well-composed spread that wasn't heavy-handed and let the natural flavor of the ingredients shine — so even my mom, who normally dislikes artificial seasoning, said it was easy on the stomach and really delicious. Such a satisfying meal at this Nowon favorite, Sutgarak Bansang Masil! I'd love to come back with family whenever I'm craving a healthy, heartfelt hanjeongsik meal.