24 Market Beef Soup

About

Old-school drivers' diner near Samjeon Station offering exceptionally affordable seolleongtang and hangover soups from early morning.

Along Baekjegobun-ro between Samjeon Station and the Asia Athletes Village Apartments, 24-Hour Jangsu Seolleongtang Haejangguk operates as a quintessential drivers’ diner (*gisa sikdang*). Taxis fill the parking spaces outside from 5:00 AM, signaling an old-school refuge where prices feel stubbornly frozen in time. Recognized as a government-designated Good Price Restaurant, the hall invites diners to slip off their shoes at the door and settle into a wide expanse of traditional floor seating beneath potted greenery and a communal wall-mounted television. The centerpiece is the standard seolleongtang, dished out at an astonishing 6,000 won. It arrives carried by an unmistakably old-school, funk-forward aroma reminiscent of classic Seoul broth shops. Beneath the surface, diners find thin-sliced beef and a generous nest of somyeon noodles swimming in mild, milky soup ready to be seasoned with salt at the table. For a punchier alternative, the haejangguk comes loaded with bean sprouts, soft napa cabbage leaves (*ugeoji*), and hefty blocks of seonji (congealed blood) in a warming broth. Regulars also sing the praises of the *u-ppyeo haejangguk* (beef bone soup)—a clear yet pleasantly spicy bowl reminiscent of a fiery galbitang—and a gelatinous doganitang (ox knee soup) packed with chewy tendon. Dining here relies on unpretentious rituals. Guests head to the self-serve kimchi station right by the entrance to fill side dishes with fresh, geotjeori-style napa cabbage kimchi and sturdy cubes of radish kkakdugi. Whether welcoming solo cabbies between early morning shifts, budget-conscious parents feeding young children after dawn queues, or nocturnal diners packing up takeout late into the evening, this Songpa stalwart delivers straightforward nourishment with zero pretense.