Geumgangsan Chueotang

About

Hearty chueotang restaurant near Moran Station serving freshly ground mudfish soup accompanied by hot stone-pot rice and a self-serve side dish bar.

Located near Moran Market and a short walk from Moran Station, Geumgangsan Chueotang caters to regulars seeking restorative bowls of mudfish soup. The dining room is wide, air-conditioned, and organized around four-person tables, outfitted with high chairs for families and queue paddles hung by the counter for the market-day rush. The kitchen anchors its menu around two styles of mudfish stew: *galtang*, made by finely blending the fish into a rich, savory broth without lingering fishiness, and *tongtang*, which serves the mudfish whole in generous quantities. Every bubbling earthenware bowl arrives alongside fresh stone-pot rice (*dolsotbap*), studded with ingredients like ginkgo nuts, jujube, and chestnut. Diners scoop out the fluffy rice to eat with the soup, then pour hot water into the scorched stone pot to create an earthy *nurungji* broth that finishes the meal. A self-service station lets guests tailor their bowls with ground perilla seeds, garlic, minced hot peppers, and heaps of fresh chives. It also keeps the banchan well-stocked—crisp *geotjeori* (freshly tossed kimchi), cubed radish *kkakdugi*, tofu, and pickled cucumbers. For children or diners skipping the fish, the menu features sweet potato and cheese pork cutlet (*donkkaseu*). After clearing the dolsot, guests can stop by the dedicated beverage area for free pours of iced plum and peach tea, or drop coins into the automated coffee machine. Because the adjacent building’s paid parking offers no customer validation and gets expensive quickly, most locals arrive on foot via subway exits 7 or 8. Note the schedule before visiting: the shop closes every first and third Sunday, though it stays open if that Sunday coincides with the five-day Moran Market.