Seongsu Musinsa 4F spicy gomtang and mandu: Dwaeji Gomtang House

Seongsu again after a long while! It feels like every hip new spot in Korea has landed here these days. Exotic and unusual restaurants are always tempting in Seongsu, but today I'm introducing Dwaeji Gomtang House at the Musinsa branch — a pork gomtang (pork bone soup) specialist that gives traditional Korean food a modern twist. The weather was chilly and I was craving something hot and spicy, and the reviews were good, so I checked it out.

Where is Dwaeji Gomtang House in Musinsa Mega Store, Seongsu?

Dwaeji Gomtang House, already famous as a Seongsu-dong go-to spot, has opened in the food court of Musinsa Mega Store. Walk about 500m from Exit 3 of Seongsu Station and you'll hit this massive Musinsa building — today's restaurant sits on the 4th floor food court inside.

Inside the restaurant and the solo-dining seats

A husband-and-wife team runs the place, and both were extremely friendly. My mood lifted before I'd even taken a bite.

There are table seats and solo-dining seats too, so eating alone here isn't awkward at all. I visited late in the evening when it was fairly empty, but apparently lunchtime brings enough of a crowd for waiting.

I had no idea this kind of food court existed inside the Musinsa building. It's a convenient stop if you happen to be shopping there.

Something about the layout reminded me of a Costco food court.

Dwaeji Gomtang House menu and prices

True to a specialist restaurant, the menu isn't huge — clear gomtang, spicy gomtang, mandu, and cold jeyuk (pork slices). The main branch apparently sells alcohol too, but here at the Musinsa branch it's soft drinks only. Craving something spicy, I ordered the spicy gomtang, mandu, and a Sprite. You might think, isn't that pricey for a pork gomtang? But—

Ordering the spicy gomtang and minari king mandu

The visual on this pork gomtang is insane. It's a genuine meat bomb, with the meat piled on without any restraint. I ordered the regular size, not the large, and it still came stacked like this.

I ordered the mandu on the side in case the spicy gomtang turned out too fiery — these are king mandu filled with minari (water celery) and tot (seaweed). True to the name, the size is impressive, about 2.5 times a regular dumpling. I knew this place for its soup, but the dumplings turned out to be seriously good too.

Gochu-ji (pickled chili) comes on the side, and wrapping it around the meat from the gomtang is absolute heaven.

Even the mu-mallaengi (dried radish) side dish isn't a plain one — it's studded with herring roe, giving it a fun popping texture.

The amount of meat is genuinely staggering. ₩16,000 felt like a great deal for what you get.

Toryeom barley rice and how spicy the spicy gomtang is

A nice touch: the rice isn't served separately but comes toryeom-style, pre-warmed by pouring broth over it. Totally my style! And it's barley rice, not white rice, so the soup soaks in beautifully. The spice level sits somewhere between Shin Ramyun and Buldak Bokkeum-myeon, which honestly makes it tough for spice-shy eaters. If I hadn't ordered the mandu, I might have struggled myself. Still, the broth itself is bursting with savory depth and genuinely delicious.

The way the broth soaks into this barley rice so perfectly makes me think using barley instead of white rice was a genuinely great idea.

The meat topping the soup is sliced thin and comes out quite tender. Apparently the proper way to eat it is with gochu-ji on top, but since I ordered the spicy version, that combo was a touch too much heat for me. It would probably pair really well with the regular pork gomtang instead.

Is the 16,000 won spicy gomtang worth it?

This is a great spot for a filling meal in Seongsu, currently the hippest neighborhood in Korea right now. Exotic options like tacos or pizza are tempting too, but if you're craving a hot bowl of soup while in Seongsu-dong, I'd recommend this place. It fully lives up to its reputation as a Seongsu-dong soup restaurant worth the hype.