Don Kim Myeongin Gamjatang

About

Spacious Korean gamjatang and hangover soup restaurant near Dongduk Women's University, serving hearty bone broths from early morning.

Just a five-minute walk from Wolgok Station toward the Dongduk Women’s University intersection, Donkim Myeongin Gamjatang anchors Seongbuk District with deeply comforting pots of bubbling broth. Operating from 6:00 AM until late evening, this spacious eatery caters seamlessly to morning diners nursing a hangover, solo university students grabbing a quick lunch, and large office gatherings settling in for evening rounds of soju and Hwayo 25. The dining room is clean, airy, and comfortably spaced, accommodating up to 50 guests across wide open seating alongside a partitioned private room for up to 20. Service is swift, with orders arriving quickly at the table and takeout orders prepared in mere minutes. A tidy self-service bar lets patrons freely refill their tables with crisp *kkakdugi* (radish kimchi), cabbage kimchi, and pickled vegetables that cut through the richness of pork spine. The menu centers on *gamjatang* hot pots and individual bowls of *ppyeo haejangguk* (pork spine hangover soup). Served in piping-hot earthenware, the standard and spicy (*eolkeun-i*) versions of the soup arrive loaded with hefty, meat-clinging pork bones that yield tender meat with the gentlest coaxing of a chopstick. The broth—deeply simmered, rich, and intensely savory—comes crowned with ample heaps of stewed *ugeoji* (dried radish greens) and chopped scallions. Beyond the quintessential soups, groups gather around bubbling *gamjatang jeongol* fortified with add-on noodles, or order the smokier, sauce-lacquered *bulmat ppyeojjim* (spicy braised pork spine). The kitchen rounds out its offerings with approachable Korean staples like *yukgaejang*, dried pollack soup, and braised ribs. Between the cavernous interior, accessible underground parking, and hearty portions that consistently warm you from the inside out, Donkim Myeongin Gamjatang stands as an exceptionally reliable neighborhood fixture in Hawolgok-dong.