Itaewon lunch: spicy bone stew with kimchi dumplings, Nuri Maeul

I had somewhere to be in Itaewon and was trying to figure out what to eat for lunch.

There are so many different restaurants in Itaewon, but that day I wanted something hearty, so while searching I found Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch, right by the station!

They sell not just gamjatang but also bone stew, so I decided to try something a little different this time — spicy bone stew! I also happen to love gamjatang broth, so the fact that I could have both the bone stew and the broth together sealed the deal — let's go~

Where is Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch and how do you get there?

Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch is really close to Itaewon Station Exit 4. It's on the 2nd floor of the building right in front of the exit, so it took barely a minute to get there, and there's a nearby bus stop too, so it's easy to reach by public transit.

It's a great spot to visit when you're out in Itaewon and craving gamjatang or bone stew. Being right by the station makes it an easy, no-stress meeting spot too.

On the way up I spotted the menu banner and already started drooling.

They even have samgyetang (chicken and ginseng soup) for the dog days of summer! Nice to see seasonal menu items too.

Inside the restaurant and what 24-hour opening means here

Up on the 2nd floor, being a street-facing space, there was plenty of natural light and the whole place felt clean and tidy. There are window seats where you can eat while looking out at the Itaewon street, and further inside there's seating for larger groups.

Being a franchise location, everything felt well-organized and clean, and it seemed easy to use whether you're solo, in a group of 2-4, or with a bigger party. What really caught my eye was that Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch is open 24 hours.

You can grab warm soup early in the morning or eat late into the night, and it looks good for takeout too — that flexibility around time is a real plus. If you're out late in Itaewon and looking for somewhere to cure a hangover, this could work well too.

What is on the gamjatang and bone stew menu?

Looking over the menu, there was a wide range to choose from depending on your taste — basic gamjatang, spicy gamjatang, mala gamjatang, aged kimchi gamjatang, soybean cream gamjatang, and more. The bone stew also comes in several flavors like soy sauce, spicy, and aged kimchi, so even with the same bone dish you can pick the style you're in the mood for.

There's also a hangover soup that's good for solo visits, along with galbitang (short rib soup), handmade soybean noodle soup, and cold water bibim-naengmyeon, so even if a group comes together everyone could order according to their own taste.

They also have pork dumplings and kimchi dumplings as sides, which are great to pair with the meal.

Spicy bone stew, small, 37,000 won: what the table looked like

What I ordered that day was the spicy bone stew (small) for ₩37,000, kimchi dumplings (4pc) for ₩7,000, and rice for ₩1,000.

Spicy peppers, pickled onions, kimchi, and cubed radish kimchi come out as standard side dishes — a nice light bite while waiting for the bone stew!

And when you order the bone stew, a bowl of gamjatang broth comes along too, which was a nicer surprise than I expected.

The broth was spicy and piping hot, with a bit of dried radish greens in it, so it was great for spooning up between bites of the bone stew. The broth alone was enough to finish a whole bowl of rice with — familiar, hearty hangover-soup vibes — and switching back and forth between the broth and the bone stew made a great combo. The spicy bone stew takes a little while to cook, but it came out as a generously piled full platter, worth the wait.

Especially since the base noodles already included udon noodles, rice cakes, and sujebi, I got to enjoy a variety of textures without ordering any extras.

How were the pork bones, udon, rice cakes and sujebi?

Just visually, the bones and noodles were piled up generously together, plenty for two people to share. There were about 6 bones total, and the seasoning wasn't just on the surface — it had soaked in between the meat, so every bite had an even hit of flavor.

The meat on the bones was substantial too, so there was fun in picking it off with chopsticks, and the meat itself was tender, pairing well with rice. The spicy seasoning matched well with the bone meat, and eating it together with the udon, rice cake, and sujebi kept the texture changing throughout the dish so it never got boring.

The sujebi in particular soaked up the seasoning and cooked up chewy, which personally worked really well for me, and the udon noodles with the spicy sauce had a familiar, snack-shop kind of flavor. After working through most of the bone stew, mixing a little rice into the leftover sauce was also a great combo.

Kimchi dumplings, 7,000 won for four

The kimchi dumplings we also ordered had thin skins with a generously packed filling.

Biting in, the kimchi and dumpling filling were packed to the brim, making them great to eat one by one in between bites of the bone stew — they felt more like handmade dumplings than the store-bought kind, a satisfying side.

Tips before eating bone stew at Nuri Maeul Gamjatang in Itaewon

Overall, if you're looking for a good gamjatang restaurant in Itaewon and want both the broth and the bone stew, this is a solid option. In particular, the Itaewon bone stew here comes with a base of noodles included, so it's hearty, and I liked that you also get gamjatang broth on the side.

It's also open 24 hours, so it seems useful if you're out late in Itaewon and want somewhere to eat or cure a hangover. So if you're looking for a 24-hour bar spot in Itaewon, this could be a good place to finish off the night with warm broth and bone stew after a drink or two, haha.

This time I came for lunch so it was more of a straightforward meal visit, but next time I'd like to come late at night and try the gamjatang or other bone stew flavors. With the added convenience of being right by the station, Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch is a good one to remember whenever you need a hearty meal in Itaewon!

The visit in one line

A solid bone stew spot for a hearty meal in Itaewon

What stood out at Nuri Maeul Gamjatang Itaewon Branch

• Right in front of Itaewon Station, so it's easy to get to
• The bone stew comes with udon noodles, rice cakes, and sujebi included
• You also get gamjatang broth on the side, which makes it more filling
• Seating ranges from window seats to group tables
• Open 24 hours, so it's convenient late at night too