Myeongbulheojeon Wonjo Golbaengi

About

Bustling basement pocha across from Shinsegae Gangnam serving spicy, clear-broth whelk stew packed with wild sea snails and mussels.

Tucked into the basement of Banpo Shopping Town across from Shinsegae Gangnam, Myeongbulheojeon Wonjo Golbaengi offers shelter for late-night drinkers and commuters leaving Express Bus Terminal Station. Down the stairs, the room runs compact, noisy, and unmistakably retro. By early evening, especially on rainy Fridays, the low-lit pocha fills quickly with local office workers gathered over chilled glasses of draft beer, Hwayo, and green bottles of soju. The kitchen works exclusively with wild-caught sea snails, anchoring nearly every table with the signature *golbaengi modeum-tang*. Served in a wide metal pot, the broth builds on a base of shellfish liquor, thick-cut scallions, dried red peppers, and fresh Cheongyang chiles. Plump mussels and clams drift alongside two distinct varieties of whelk: smooth-shelled *baek-golbaengi* and ridge-textured *tong-golbaengi*. Armed with mini tongs and slender forks, diners pry the meat directly from the shells, comparing the snappy, dense chew of one with the nuttier, softer bite of the other before dipping the morsels into tart chojang or wasabi soy sauce. As the pot simmers steadily at the table, the clear broth deepens into a sharp, peppery soup that cuts through alcohol and cold weather alike. Tables rarely stop at the soup alone, often ordering combinations that balance the simmering broth with dry or fried drinking foods. The *golbaengi muchim* tosses chewy snail meat with dried shredded squid in a vibrant, crimson chili dressing. To blunt the creeping heat of the raw peppers and seasoned whelk, orders of *gyeran-jeon* arrive hot from the pan—an expansive, savory Korean egg pancake fragrant with toasted oil, textured differently from a standard rolled omelet. Between bites, small dishes of raw onion, yellow pickled radish, and salty, nostalgic simmered pupae keep the table occupied, cementing this subterranean spot as an essential second-round refuge.