Weekday dinner for two at a Jak-dong Korean restaurant: Gim Myeongju

Why we eat at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang in Jak-dong three or four times a month

I think we visit Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang in Jak-dong, Bucheon three or four times a month. We already went last week, and the week before that. It's the place to go when you're craving warm home-style Korean food — honestly, it's better than home cooking! 👍

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang

Whether it's coworkers, family, or friends, nobody's ever unhappy here. A trusted favorite, my all-time Korean restaurant pick that gets nothing but praise — let me introduce Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang ♡

Hours and location near Gachiul Station

• 59 Giljullo560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• ⏰ Open daily 10:30–21:00
• 🅿️ Parking available

We agreed to meet right after work, and I arrived 10 minutes early while my husband was 10 minutes late because of traffic. The heat had finally broken, so I enjoyed the breeze outside and looked at the big jars in the yard. The owner was out working in the field the whole time — I guess the vegetables on our table come straight from there.

Is parking easy at Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang?

Every time I've come to Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang, even when it's packed, parking has never been a hassle. That's a huge plus if you're driving.

The stone pot rice is made with their own milled hwangmi rice, rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals — it tastes that good.

Waiting seats and cleanliness

This place always has a wait, so there's proper waiting seating set up. They're Blue Cesco Members, meaning regular hygiene management, so it feels trustworthy — and they also sell borigulbi gift sets.

The hall is spacious, with semi-private table sections — totally fine for group visits.

Basic Tteuranchae table plus one à la carte dish: the best-value order

At Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang, you can order borigulbi, soy crab, charcoal-grilled pork, cockle salad, or grilled mackerel as full set meals, or go with the basic Tteuranchae table plus an à la carte dish. We usually go for the cost-effective combo of the basic table with one extra dish, since the banchan spread is already so good that ordering a big main means you get too full to enjoy them.

There's a self-serve refill bar, but honestly, just the basic banchan fills you up so much that you only end up refilling one or two things you really love. I think that's everyone's experience — the fullness issue!

The yeolmu dongchimi (young radish greens in cold, tangy-sweet broth) isn't part of the standard banchan lineup — it's sweet and tangy and something I can never make well at home, so I really love it.

Our most frequent order: grilled mackerel

We usually go for charcoal-grilled pork and grilled mackerel. I'm not great with soy crab, and we have another go-to spot for cockle salad, so grilled mackerel ends up being our most frequent order here — it's exactly to my taste.

What banchan comes with the basic table, and how it tastes

The basic banchan includes soy-marinated perilla leaves, doraji salad, braised potatoes, marinated garlic scapes, dried radish greens, seasoned gochujang pickles, fried eggplant, gungchae leaf namul, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), seasoned green chili, kimchi, lettuce, ssamjang, cheonggukjang stew, and stone pot rice. I gushed about it endlessly in last month's review, so this time I'll just sum it up in three words: it. tastes. good.

The stone pot rice and the cheonggukjang stew — I love them so much.

Why doesn't mackerel ever come out this good when I grill it at home... maybe it's the heat source, or I can't get the temperature right — here it's crispy outside, tender inside. My husband was busy carefully deboning it, eating some himself and piling the rest onto my rice.

The nurungji sungnyung (scorched rice tea) was bubbling away nicely in the pot.

They refill the cheonggukjang stew — actually re-cook a whole fresh batch for you. From the basic banchan to the stew to the rice, two thumbs up 👍

Banchan packs and dessert snacks to take home

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang also sells banchan in take-home packs at a fair price with generous portions — worth grabbing occasionally. There's also a dessert snack stand right by the counter.

Today's visit was a weekday dinner date with my husband. Whenever you need a warm Korean meal with family, parents, kids, or close friends, remember this place and pay a visit ♡ You won't be disappointed.