Rainy weeknight dinner at a Bucheon Korean restaurant: Gim Myeongju

My husband took a weekday off and we went for dinner at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch. It was drizzling that day, so warm rice and a spread of banchan sounded perfect. Among the restaurants near Gachiul Station, this set-menu Korean restaurant stands out for freshly cooked pot rice, cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew), and a wide variety of side dishes. Since the mains come in several options too, we figured it was time for a proper Korean full-course meal.

Parking at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang on a rainy evening

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch has a generously sized parking area right in front of the restaurant. Since it kept raining that day, we drove.

On rainy days, a long walk from the parking lot to the restaurant is always a bit of a hassle, so it was nice to park right outside and walk straight in. It would work well for families arriving by car, or when bringing parents along.

How big is the dining room for a family meal?

Even on a weekday evening, there were more diners than I expected at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch. There's a separate waiting area near the entrance, and seeing how busy it was on a weekday, I imagine there could be a wait on weekends or during peak meal times.

We arrived a bit later in the evening, so guests started clearing out as we ate. I took this photo after everyone had left, and the interior turned out to be much bigger than I expected. The tables are spaced generously, with some large enough for bigger groups. Overall it felt like a comfortable spot for a proper Korean meal — good for bringing parents along, and a solid choice for family gatherings in Bucheon.

On one side there's a self-bar where you can help yourself to extra banchan. You can take as much rice, side dishes, and water as you need, and cheonggukjang is also refillable.

Near the entrance there are also simple snacks for sale, like tofu crackers and nurungji (scorched rice).

What does the Tteuranchae Bapsang for two plus cockle salad cost?

We ordered the Tteuranchae Bapsang for two and added cockle salad à la carte. The Tteuranchae Bapsang is ₩13,000 per person, and the cockle salad was ₩16,000.

Looking at the menu, ordering the Tteuranchae Bapsang means picking at least one à la carte dish per 4-person table, while the base set is charged according to the number of seated diners. Borigulbi (dried yellow corvina), soy-marinated crab, and charcoal-grilled pork were each ₩18,000, while cockle salad and grilled mackerel were each ₩16,000. There were also full set meals that pair a main dish with the base spread, making it easy to choose depending on group size or what you're craving.

After ordering, the banchan came out first and filled the table — my first thought was just how many side dishes there were.

Kimchi, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), namul (seasoned vegetables), pickles, fried eggplant, and more — a great variety of dishes to go with rice.

What I liked most was being able to refill these banchan myself from the self-bar. At Korean set-menu restaurants, I sometimes feel awkward asking staff for more of a dish I like, but here I could just grab more myself, which made it easy to go back for seconds without hesitation.

From cockle salad to cheonggukjang and stone-pot rice

While we were working through the banchan, the cheonggukjang, cockle salad, and freshly cooked pot rice arrived one after another.

The menu noted that pot rice takes about 15 minutes since it's cooked to order after you order. When we lifted the lid, the rice inside was piping hot — proof that freshly cooked rice really is essential for a good Korean meal.

After scooping out the rice, they poured water into the pot, so by the end of the meal we got warm nurungji too.

The cockle salad we added was also served generously. The seasoned cockles were topped with plenty of seaweed flakes, and the savory sauce went great with rice. A bite of cockle with warm pot rice made for a combination that kept the rice disappearing.

The cheonggukjang also came in a hearty earthenware pot with tofu and vegetables, pairing nicely with rice. Between the banchan, cockle salad, and cheonggukjang, I thought at first there was way too much food. But bite by bite, we ended up finishing almost everything, haha.

Fried eggplant from the self-bar, refilled twice

What really suited both our tastes was the fried eggplant. Crisp on the outside and soft inside, we went back to the self-bar for more right after the first serving. Then we ended up wanting it again and grabbed a third round — we refilled the fried eggplant twice in total, haha.

Is Gim Myeongju near Gachiul Station worth it for a family dinner?

Picking through each banchan and freely grabbing more when we ran out made for a satisfying, proper Korean meal at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch. By the time we stepped outside, the rain had stopped. After filling up on warm pot rice, cheonggukjang, cockle salad, and a wide range of banchan, it felt like the perfect match for a rainy evening.

Overall, the generous portions and freely refillable banchan made for a satisfying meal, though it's worth keeping in mind that there can be a wait on weekends or during peak meal times. With easy parking, a spacious interior, and a variety of hearty Korean dishes all in one sitting, it's a solid choice for a meal with parents or a family outing near Gachiul.