Busanjin bar for spicy kimchi chicken stew: Yuumangju

Drinks at Yuumangju in Seomyeon’s lively atmosphere

I had kimchi daedoritang at Yuumangju, which had such a bustling, hot atmosphere. Places like this tend to drain my energy a bit, but once I had a drink, I really liked it.

Yuumangju Seomyeon Branch location and hours

Yuumangju was on the second floor above Thursday’s second branch, over by the restaurant alley. There is alternative parking nearby, but they do not provide parking support. It is open daily from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. the next day, and until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

I could already feel the hot atmosphere, so I hurried up the stairs and went in. The staff member even opened the door for us right away—such a thoughtful touch. It was a really nice place.

The Seomyeon bar atmosphere got more exciting

When we arrived, there were a decent number of people, but the place gradually filled up and became completely bustling. It was a little exhausting because my energy was getting drained, but even someone like me who is not used to this kind of atmosphere got excited, so the drinks went down easily.

There were tables for four and tables for two, but there were also group tables further inside. I liked that they had seating suitable for a birthday party or company dinner.

Ordering kimchi daedoritang

The menu included stews, chicken feet, mixed dishes, and scorched rice, plus sides such as pancakes, pasta, rice balls, pot rice, and shaved ice. Out of all that, we ordered the kimchi daedoritang.

Before ordering, we were served garlic bread snacks! They were full of garlic flavor, and I got hooked on their crispy crunch, happily munching away when—ta-da!—our food arrived!!

At first it took so long that I wondered whether our order had gone through, but I guess they had a backlog, haha. And at first I thought the yellow part was cheese, but it turned out to be an egg-yolk omelet. This is the kind of kimchi daedoritang younger diners would probably love.

Plenty of beef intestine and boneless chicken

There was a generous amount of beef intestine and chicken. The beef intestine burst with rich oil in my mouth, while the boneless chicken was so tender. I really enjoyed it.

Beef intestine can usually feel too rich after just one bite, but because it was in the spicy broth, it was not greasy at all, which was great. The chicken was chicken breast, which can be dry and makes me reluctant to eat it, but it was boneless, so I liked it.

Whole kimchi and egg-yolk omelet together

The kimchi daedoritang came with one whole piece of kimchi. The kimchi was wonderfully sweet and tangy, cutting through all the richness! Kimchi—one of the things Koreans love most—was absolutely the truth.

The egg-yolk omelet was so soft, almost like cheese, and it became even tastier as it soaked up the broth. It was such an addictive omelet that I kept eating it—so good, haha.

The broth had a really pleasing spicy kick, exactly the kind of flavor that makes you think of a shot of soju. So we had some soju and chatted, and perhaps because it was someone’s birthday on one side of the room, the staff turned the atmosphere up even more. I think we drank in an even more excited mood.

We enjoyed the appealing kimchi daedoritang and a shot of soju in that bustling atmosphere. The staff here were all truly so kind that Yuumangju is a bar I want to visit again, and it ended up being such a happy dinner.