Gimhae Korean restaurant near Costco, family meal with unlimited ramen: Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk

A famous Juchon, Gimhae restaurant I visited after my son suddenly announced on a weekday afternoon that he wanted gamjatang (pork bone and potato soup): Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch.

I'd heard before that "there's no one who's been once, only people who've never been" — so I was curious, and once I visited myself, I understood why it's word-of-mouth famous.

It's popular with people shopping at Costco Gimhae, so it's also known as a Costco-adjacent favorite. The wide parking lot and comfortable dining room made it a satisfying spot for a family meal too.

Spacious parking and a clean dining room

The first thing I noticed the moment we arrived was the large parking lot. Most of the Juchon area sees heavy car traffic, so being able to visit without worrying about parking was really nice.

The interior was spacious too, with generous spacing between tables, which made dining with a kid easy. The hall was big and well kept, easily large enough for group gatherings or family meals.

What we ordered

For this visit we ordered the three-person gamjatang set, a bowl of rice, soju, and beer.

Looking at the menu, there was a good variety of haejangguk (hangover soup), including boneless haejangguk, dried pollack haejangguk, and boiled pork dishes. What stood out was that ordering gamjatang comes with unlimited ramen noodle refills. A tip ramen lovers should not miss!

Satisfying from the basic side dishes onward

After ordering, the basic side dishes came out first — cubed radish kimchi, kimchi, peppers, and onion, along with a few slices of boiled pork. I didn't expect much, but the pork turned out to be a real standout.

Chewy texture, no gamey smell, and nutty in flavor — good as a drinking snack and gentle enough for kids to enjoy without hesitation. My son said it was delicious and polished it off in no time. I thought next time we should also order the house-made pork skin platter that so many people recommend.

A gamjatang that's visually overwhelming from the start

The gamjatang arrived a little while later. My first reaction, in one word: "Wow!" Huge bones were stacked up like a tower, piled generously with ugeoji (napa cabbage leaves), overwhelming just to look at.

Best of all, the meat came already mostly cooked, so we didn't have to wait long. We could start boiling and eating right away, which was convenient with a kid along.

Tender meat my son really enjoyed

What matters most in gamjatang is the meat, of course. Here, the meat on the bone came off really tenderly — just a light touch of the chopsticks and it fell right away, easy enough for a child to eat without trouble.

I pulled off a piece for my son and he kept eating, saying it was delicious. He's usually picky about meat, but that day he really ate well, which was satisfying from a parent's point of view.

The broth wasn't too spicy or overpowering either. It's savory and rich, with just the right amount of heat — the kind of flavor that keeps your spoon moving.

Mixing rice into the broth is the tastiest part

That's what my son said as he nearly finished his whole bowl of rice.

The deep flavor unique to gamjatang broth blended well with the savory ugeoji, a taste that people of any age would enjoy.

Finishing with unlimited ramen refills

Even with our stomachs fairly full, we couldn't just stop there — because of the unlimited ramen noodle refills.

With the broth fully infused with flavor, we added a serving of ramen noodles and boiled it down thoroughly — truly a special treat.

My son, who loves ramen, ate a whole bowl of rice and still finished off the ramen neatly. Ramen boiled in gamjatang broth really does seem like a combination that never fails.

Visit tips

• A good spot to eat before or after shopping at Costco Gimhae
• Has a large dedicated parking lot
• Unlimited ramen refills with gamjatang orders
• Spacious, comfortable interior good for visiting with kids
• Boiled pork comes free as a side, great as a drinking snack too
• Open from early morning, good for a hangover cure as well

Shop information

• Name: Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk Juchon Branch
• Address: 297 Seobu-ro 1637beon-gil, Juchon-myeon, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, 1st floor
• Hours: Daily 06:00–21:00

Ppyeodae Itneun Haejangguk, a famous Juchon, Gimhae restaurant I visited thanks to my son's craving for gamjatang. With its spacious parking, clean interior, hearty gamjatang, and tender meat my kid ate happily, it was a family meal I was very satisfied with.

If you're planning a trip to Costco Gimhae or craving a hearty meal, I'd recommend this as a spot near Costco. Next time I plan to come back and be sure to try the house-made pork skin platter too.