Myeongdong Korean restaurant with clear pork gomtang: Yangjaeok

Yangjaeok Lotte Department Store Main Branch is a Korean restaurant where the broth is the star of a pork gomtang (pork bone soup) piled high with generous meat.

Today I went to Yangjaeok inside the Myeongdong Lotte Department Store main branch for pork gomtang and boiled pork. The weather was so nice I walked from Seoul Station to Myeongdong, and there were so many foreign tourists — walking through Namdaemun and Myeongdong after a long time genuinely felt like being on a trip abroad. Here's my review, straight from that 'eating Korean food overseas' feeling!

Where is Yangjaeok in Lotte Department Store Myeongdong?

You can find Yangjaeok Lotte Department Store Main Branch as soon as you head toward the food court on basement level 1 of Lotte Department Store. Pass through the food court and go further in, and you'll see the big Yangjaeok sign.

True to a Korean-food specialty restaurant, the interior gives off a Korean atmosphere too.

Inside Yangjaeok: atmosphere and seating

Yangjaeok isn't a doenjang-style pork bone soup place — it specializes in pork gomtang.

Every table had water cups and cutlery neatly arranged, and the staff greeted us so kindly — I really appreciated that!

The tables were spaced well apart, so it felt comfortable inside, with a mix of a bar table, group tables, and four-person tables.

The interior has a Korean tile-roof house (hanok) feel that gives it real charm, and the chairs and every dish on the table are pure traditional Korea! 🇰🇷

Yangjaeok's menu and what the couple ordered

Yangjaeok's main dish is pork gomtang, and you know boiled pork is a must, right? They also just introduced sundae-guk (blood sausage soup), which is apparently their bestseller. I ordered pork gomtang, spicy pork gomtang rice set, and boiled pork (small).

They say Yangjaeok's pork gomtang uses only chilled Korean pork (handon), giving it a clear, mild broth and tender meat. Let's see for myself 😳

How does the clear pork gomtang taste?

My husband's plain pork gomtang arrived. On an elegant wooden tray with gold-toned dishware, it looked so upscale. The side dishes — kimchi, pickled gungchae (aster stem), fresh chive salad, and chili paste — kept the soup as the clean, understated star of the meal.

The clean pork gomtang broth had large pieces of meat in it. The broth was so clear you could see all the ingredients inside!

When I tasted the broth, it wasn't the milky white broth from boiled bones like pork bone soup — it was a clear broth made from boiled lean meat. The flavor was really clean, deep, and full of savor.

The meat was thinly sliced, and there was more than I expected — around eight slices.

The meat had no gamy smell, and with just the right amount of fat mixed in, it was soft and chewy — really nutty and clean-tasting when eaten with the broth.

Spicy pork gomtang rice set with tofu and stir-fried pork

Next up is the spicy pork gomtang I ordered. I got the full rice set instead of the plain dish, so tofu and stir-fried pork (jeyuk-bokkeum) came along too, making for a generous spread.

The spicy pork gomtang had a red broth and came in a hot stone bowl, bubbling away and extremely hot.

The side dishes matched the plain pork gomtang set, meant to be eaten little by little alongside the soup and rice.

The tofu was thick and steamed soft, with a mild, nutty soybean flavor. Since I've been trying to eat less salty food lately, the clean-tasting tofu was really enjoyable.

The stir-fried pork came on a small plate, but the portion was bigger than expected, with a sweet-and-spicy flavor.

The meat pieces were chunky and delicious on their own, but wrapping them in the lettuce that came with the boiled pork made it feel like eating a pork-wrap rice bowl — filling and satisfying.

The spicy pork soup was packed with bean sprouts and napa cabbage, with quite a lot of meat inside too.

The broth was deep and had an excellent spicy kick — rather than a thick hangover-soup consistency, it was clean and spicy like beef radish soup, which I liked. The meat was the same cut as in the pork gomtang.

The meat had no gamy smell, and with radish, napa cabbage, and bean sprouts all mixed into the clean, spicy broth, it was so refreshing and addictive that I kept eating spoonful after spoonful. With so many hearty ingredients, eating it with rice was really filling, and the whole set is well put together — I recommend it!

Boiled pork (small) with salted shrimp and radish kimchi

Next is the boiled pork (small) we ordered separately, served with thick-cut meat, radish kimchi, salted shrimp, garlic, chili peppers, ssamjang (dipping sauce), and lettuce.

The meat was boiled well and soft, with absolutely no gamy smell, so you could really taste the pork itself.

The boiled pork was clean and delicious even with just salted shrimp on top, and the seasoning was spot on when eaten with the radish kimchi.

Piling chili and garlic onto the lettuce and taking a big bite was especially satisfying and delicious. It also paired well with the fresh chive salad, so you can customize a hearty wrap to your own taste.

Final verdict: who should eat at Yangjaeok?

After a long time, I stopped by Myeongdong and had a hearty, satisfying meal of carefully simmered, clean-tasting pork gomtang with deep flavor at Yangjaeok inside Lotte Department Store. Unlike pork bone soup or other hangover soups, it really has a deep flavor but stays clean, so it's not too heavy — great for an easy lunch. If you're at Lotte Department Store's main branch or in Myeongdong, be sure to try Yangjaeok's spicy, deep broth for yourself!

• Anyone eating Korean food near Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station
• Korean-food fans who love clean, deep-flavored broths
• Anyone wanting a good meal after shopping at Lotte Department Store