Imun Seolnongtang
이문설농탕
Stew
About
Seoul's oldest restaurant, still ladling the same milky ox-bone soup.
Imun Seolnongtang has been serving seolleongtang since 1904, which makes it the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Seoul. The soup arrives deliberately plain — cloudy white ox-bone broth, brisket, a fist of somyeon noodles — and the seasoning is your job, not the kitchen's. Salt, pepper and chopped scallion sit on the table for exactly that reason, and the pot of kkakdugi radish kimchi next to them is not a garnish but the second half of the dish. The room is functional rather than pretty; people come at odd hours, eat in fifteen minutes and leave. A century of practice has gone into making something taste like almost nothing and still be worth the trip.
Menu
- Seolleongtang₩15,000
- (Special) Seolleongtang₩18,000
- Korean Beef Seolleongtang₩20,000
- Ox Knee Soup₩18,000
- (Special) Ox Knee Soup₩21,000
- Ox Head Soup₩17,000
- (Special) Ox Head Soup₩20,000
- Boiled Korean Beef₩60,000
- Ox Knee Platter₩48,000
- Half-and-Half Boiled Beef₩54,000
- Ox Head Platter₩48,000
- Under the Tongue₩48,000
- Mana₩16,000
- Seasoned Boiled Beef₩34,000
Local tips
- Season it yourself — it arrives unsalted on purpose. Start with a pinch of salt, then adjust.
- Spoon some kkakdugi brine into the broth. It's the standard local move and it wakes the whole bowl up.
- Order the suyuk (sliced boiled beef) if there are two of you — it's the dish regulars add.
- Cash and card both work, but it's fastest to eat off-peak; the lunch rush is genuinely a rush.
Details
- Jonggak Station (Line 1), Exit 3
Opening hours
- Sunday
- 08:00–20:00
- Monday
- 08:00–21:00
- Tuesday
- 08:00–21:00
- Wednesday
- 08:00–21:00
- Thursday
- 08:00–21:00
- Friday
- 08:00–21:00
- Saturday
- 08:00–21:00