Soy-braised bone stew for two, Itaewon: Nuri Maeul Gamjatang

I had errands in Itaewon and was looking for somewhere filling to eat when I found Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch! I assumed a gamjatang (pork bone soup) place would just serve gamjatang, but they actually have a whole range of bone stews — soy-braised, spicy, aged kimchi, and charcoal-grilled.

This time I ordered the medium soy-braised bone stew I'd been curious about, and it came loaded with back bones plus glass noodles, sujebi (hand-torn dough), and rice cakes — plenty for two people.

Location and info for Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch

• 📍 176 Itaewon-ro, 2nd floor, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Open 24 hours, no days off
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Group-friendly
• 📦 Takeout available
• 🚻 Gender-separated restrooms
• 🚗 No parking
• 💳 Zero Pay accepted

What stood out most was that it's open 24 hours, every day of the year, so you're not really limited by timing. If you're out late in Itaewon and suddenly crave hot soup or a hearty meal, this seems like a solid option.

Right in front of Itaewon Station Exit 4

The location was really easy to find. It's about a 1-minute walk from Itaewon Station Exit 4, right on Itaewon's main street, so accessibility is pretty great. It's on the 2nd floor with no elevator, so you'll need to take the stairs.

Still, being so close to the station makes it easy to stop by before or after meeting someone, or to grab a meal while wandering around Itaewon. Itaewon has so many good restaurants tucked into its alleys that it can be hard to choose — if you prefer somewhere close to the station, this one wins on location.

A spacious, clean dining room

The first thing I noticed walking in was how spacious the interior was! The tables have generous spacing, and there were plenty of seats even for group visits.

I came at an off-peak time, so it felt relaxed at first, but as I ate, customers kept streaming in and the place filled up fast. Timing really matters at a good restaurant, haha. The space was kept clean too, so it was comfortable to eat in.

Extra side dishes are self-serve from a corner station, and water plus disposable aprons are self-serve too. (Alcohol is brought to your table when ordered.)

Utensils, tissues, and wet wipes are in the table drawer, and cups and sauces are already set out on the table, so everything you need is right there. There's also a table-order system, making ordering and payment simple.

Menu and prices — what we ordered

Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch has quite a wide gamjatang lineup.

Gamjatang (pork bone soup)

• Nuri gamjatang: Small ₩34,000 / Medium ₩41,000 / Large ₩48,000
• Spicy gamjatang: Small ₩35,000 / Medium ₩42,000 / Large ₩49,000
• Aged kimchi gamjatang: Small ₩36,000 / Medium ₩43,000 / Large ₩50,000
• Sundae hot pot gamjatang: Small ₩36,000 / Medium ₩43,000 / Large ₩50,000
• Bean cream gamjatang: Small ₩36,000 / Medium ₩43,000 / Large ₩50,000
• Mala gamjatang: Small ₩38,000 / Medium ₩45,000 / Large ₩52,000

Bone stew (뼈찜)

• Soy-braised bone stew: Small ₩36,000 / Medium ₩44,000 / Large ₩52,000
• Spicy bone stew: Small ₩37,000 / Medium ₩45,000 / Large ₩53,000
• Aged kimchi bone stew: Small ₩38,000 / Medium ₩46,000 / Large ₩54,000
• Charcoal-grilled bone stew: Small ₩38,000 / Medium ₩46,000 / Large ₩54,000

Meal dishes

• Nuri bone hangover soup: ₩12,000
• Spicy bone hangover soup: ₩13,000
• Bone ramyeon hangover soup: ₩13,000
• Sundae bone hangover soup: ₩13,000
• Aged kimchi bone hangover soup: ₩13,000
• Sujebi bone hangover soup: ₩13,000
• Galbitang (short rib soup): ₩16,000

Besides gamjatang, there are hangover soup dishes good for solo dining too, so if you're visiting in a group, everyone can order to their own taste.

The soy-braised bone stew comes in regular or spicy, and as someone who can't handle spice, I went straight for regular without hesitation, haha. I was also told the bone stew takes about 15–20 minutes to cook after ordering. It's not an instant dish, so I'd recommend visiting with time to spare. While waiting, we started with the broth that comes as a default side.

The gamjatang broth that comes with bone stew orders

Side dishes arrived via robot server — diced radish kimchi and napa cabbage kimchi.

Ordering soy-braised bone stew gets you a broth on the side. Usually when a bone stew place gives you a broth, it's just plain soup — but here it's a proper gamjatang broth loaded with napa cabbage greens. This was a hidden gem.

The soup isn't bright red or aggressively spicy — it's savory, clean, and refreshing. The rich, deep flavor typical of gamjatang is there, but the aftertaste is clean, so spoonful after warm spoonful, I kept going back for more.

I generally prefer the savory, mild style of gamjatang over the fiery red kind, and personally this broth really hit the spot. Eating the napa greens with the broth warmed me right up. It was perfect as an appetizer while waiting for the bone stew. Before I knew it, the 15–20 minutes had flown by, haha.

Medium soy-braised bone stew — is it enough for two?

The medium soy-braised bone stew finally arrived! On a wide hot plate, back bones were piled high, surrounded by glass noodles, sujebi, rice cakes, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, and more. Pretty hearty just looking at it, right?

What I especially liked was that the base portion was generous even without adding extra sarichi (add-ins). You can add more glass noodles, sujebi, or rice cakes if you want, but for the two of us, the default serving was plenty.

The glass noodles were generous, and the rice cake and sujebi portions were plentiful too! The soy sauce seasoning has a salty-sweet base flavor, and it's soaked deep into the back bones, so the meat was well-seasoned even without dipping it in extra sauce. The soy seasoning soaking into the glass noodles especially was delicious. Soy-braised bone stew plus glass noodles is a combo that's hard to mess up 😋

The meat on the back bones was thicker than I expected, so there was fun in picking it off the bone with chopsticks. The tender meat with that sweet-salty soy seasoning made me want to fry up rice right away!

The cabbage and onion picked up a subtle sweetness from the seasoning, while the sujebi and rice cakes had a chewy texture that made them fun to pick out between bites. Pairing it with a spoonful of that juicy gamjatang broth now and then kept things from feeling greasy — I couldn't stop reaching for more.

Overall, this bone stew leans on sweet, deep soy seasoning rather than being aggressively spicy or salty, so even people who can't handle spice should be fine with the regular version.

Finishing with self-serve fried rice

There's one thing you can't skip after bone stew: the Korean after-meal fried rice, lol. Order self-serve fried rice for two and it comes with dried seaweed flakes, kimchi, and rice.

Move any leftover stew into an empty bowl, leave a bit of the seasoned broth pooled on the hot plate, then add the rice and stir-fry it yourself. At the end, spread the rice out flat and press down lightly! Making a crispy scorched-rice layer is basically the unwritten rule of fried rice, right? Haha.

Since the soy braise itself is sweet and deep, frying it into rice let that savory flavor really soak in. I thought I was already pretty full after the bone stew, but finishing off the fried rice too meant I was truly stuffed 😂

Restrooms and other amenities

The restrooms are outside the store, to the right. On my way out after the meal, I noticed fabric spray and toothpicks were also provided, letting me finish up neatly. Zero Pay is accepted too, for reference!

Final thoughts on Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch

I visited Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch while looking for somewhere to eat in Itaewon. I tried the soy-braised bone stew, and the base portion was more generous than I expected, with thick meat on the back bones — plenty for two. The savory, rich gamjatang broth that comes with the bone stew order was especially memorable.

The soy-braised bone stew's sweet-salty seasoning blends nicely with the back bones, glass noodles, rice cakes, and sujebi, so it should suit anyone looking for bone stew without the spice. Best of all, it's about a 1-minute walk from Itaewon Station Exit 4, so it's easy to get to, and the spacious dining room makes it a good pick for group meals with friends. Being open 24 hours, every day, is another plus!

Since I tried the bone stew this time, I'm planning to come back for the gamjatang next. If you're looking for somewhere in Itaewon to fill up on hot soup and hearty bone stew, give Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch a look! 😊