Okdongsik (옥동식) is a small restaurant in Seogyo-dong (서교동) that sells amazing 돼지국밥 (dwaeji gukbap/pork and rice soup). The place only accommodates 10 seatings and the only main menu they have is their 돼지국밥. And when a restaurant only have one main dish on their menu, you know it’s going to be good. I first found out about this place when I was searching online for a place that sells 국밥 (guk-bap/rice soup) during one autumn afternoon. The weather was a bit chilly so I was craving something hearty and warm and gukbap immediately came to mind.

After seeing Okdongsik (옥동식) appeared on one of the search results, I decided to try this place out because apparently the restaurant has been on the Michelin Guide list since 2018. Hours later, I was one of the ten patrons who were sitting inside the small restaurant tasting their delicious dwaeji gukbap. The gukbap has clear broth that tasted light, clean yet flavorful and comforting. The sliced meat was super tender and the portion was pretty generous. While people usually mix the red pepper paste into the broth when eating gukbap, Okdongsik actually recommend against it. Instead of mixing the red pepper into the broth, they encourage people to taste the broth as is and put the red pepper paste on top of the meat without mixing it with the broth. So I took a spoonful of rice and soup, put a piece of meat on top of it, then put the red pepper paste on top of the meat. It was a satisfying spoonful of gukbap. I like it.

Overall, as a fan of gukbap, it was a really good meal for me. Would definitely recommend this place if you’re looking for a good pork gukbap restaurant. Oh, and also, they only serve 100 bowls a day so come early just in case they run out.

Greysuitcase Seoul Restaurant Series: Okdongsik Seogyo (옥동식), Hapjeong (합정), Seogyeo-dong (서교동), Seoul, South Korea.

“With his take on dwaeji-gukbap, Chef Ok Dong-sik has managed to singlehandedly change any preconceptions the local diners previously had about the hearty pork and rice soup dish Koreans hold near and dear to their hearts. Think bacon-thin slices of silky tender pork meat piled on a bed of rice, all submerged in his trademark consommé-like clear broth. The 'extra large' portion comes with double the amount of meat. The space is limited and only 100 bowls of gukbap are sold daily so get here early.” —Michelin Guide