FoodListSeoul

Seoul Soup Restaurants: Gomtang, Dogani-tang, Chutang, Dwaeji Gukbap, Samgyetang and Daegutang

Eight Seoul restaurants built around one bowl of soup, compared by what the broth is made from, which neighbourhood they are in and who each one suits. Afternoon breaks and closing days are noted where the official listings give them.

Published Sep 4, 2026Updated Oct 23, 20267 min read

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The queue outside Tosokchon Samgyetang on Malbok: a name board reading 土俗村蔘鷄湯 under the tiled eaves of the hanok, and a line of people running down the lane behind a yellow rope

The quickest way to choose a bowl of soup in Seoul is to decide what you want the broth made from, rather than which house you have heard of. Across these eight restaurants the liquid is a different thing each time: clear beef gomtang, ox-knee dogani-tang, loach chutang, clear pork served once as gukbap and once as gomtang, a whole chicken, cod, and the sausage stew one house calls Johnson-tang.

The second question is where your day already is. Four of the eight are within walking reach of Gyeongbokgung, Gwanghwamun and Cheonggyecheon; the other four are one each in Yeoksam-dong, Seongsu-dong, Samgakji and Hannam-dong. Afternoon breaks and closing days differ from house to house, so it is worth reading the section on those before you set out.

Choosing by what the broth is made of

Clear beef gomtang: Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip (Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu). A Century Shop serving clear Naju gomtang and tripe gomtang.
Dogani-tang: Daesungjip (Gyobuk-dong, Jongno-gu). Ox-knee cartilage simmered into the broth, and a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide.
Chutang: Yonggeumok (Dadong, Jung-gu). Seoul-style loach soup on a beef stock, with tofu, mushrooms and fried bean curd. A house of the same name trades in Tongin-dong, so check the address before you go.
Clear pork broth: Gwanghwamun Gukbap (Jung-gu) and Dwaeji Gomtang Hau (Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu). The same base at two houses — one serves it as gukbap, the other as gomtang.
Samgyetang: Tosokchon Samgyetang (Chebu-dong, Jongno-gu). Nothing is made separately; a stuffed whole chicken is boiled and the water it cooks in is the soup.
Daegutang: Won Daegutang (Samgakji, Yongsan-gu). The one house here that builds its broth on fish rather than meat.
Budae-jjigae: Bada Sikdang (Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu). Sausage, potato and cabbage, served under the house's own name for it, Johnson-tang.

Won Daegutang is the only one of the eight whose menu offers the choice between a spicy bowl and a mild one. The spicy cod soup, the clear version and the offal version all cost the same, which makes it the easy answer for a group with different chilli tolerances. Elsewhere the heat is not marked on the menu, so ask when you order.

Which house suits whom

Eating alone: nearly every house here serves one bowl to one person, so any of them works. The exception is Bada Sikdang, whose Johnson-tang is priced for two; choose another house if you are on your own.
Wanting a mild bowl to carry the whole meal: the clear beef broth at Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip, or the clear pork broth at Gwanghwamun Gukbap and Dwaeji Gomtang Hau.
A group split between soup and cold noodles: Gwanghwamun Gukbap puts dwaeji gukbap and Pyeongyang naengmyeon on the same menu.
A group where someone cannot take chilli: at Won Daegutang one person can order the spicy cod soup and another the clear version.
Only in Seoul for the weekend: Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip closes on Saturday and Sunday, so leave it off the list.

Restaurant	Broth	Neighbourhood	Choose it on a day when
Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip	Clear beef gomtang	Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu	you are in Gangnam on a weekday
Daesungjip	Dogani-tang	Gyobuk-dong, Jongno-gu	you are visiting Seodaemun Prison History Hall
Yonggeumok	Loach chutang	Dadong, Jung-gu	you want an old Seoul dish near Cheonggyecheon
Gwanghwamun Gukbap	Clear pork gukbap	Jung-gu	your group is split between soup and cold noodles
Dwaeji Gomtang Hau	Clear pork gomtang	Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu	you are spending the day in Seongsu
Tosokchon Samgyetang	Samgyetang	Chebu-dong, Jongno-gu	you have just come out of Gyeongbokgung
Won Daegutang	Cod soup	Samgakji, Yongsan-gu	you are pairing lunch with the War Memorial of Korea
Bada Sikdang	Budae-jjigae (Johnson-tang)	Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu	two or more of you are going to the Leeum

What each bowl costs, and how it is counted

Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip, Naju gomtang 11,000 won
Gwanghwamun Gukbap, dwaeji gukbap 12,000 won
Yonggeumok, chutang 12,000 won
Daesungjip, dogani-tang 13,000 won
Daesungjip, dogani-tang, large 17,000 won
Dwaeji Gomtang Hau, regular dwaeji gomtang 13,000 won (large 16,000)
Won Daegutang, daegutang 15,000 won, malgeun-tang 15,000 won and naejangtang 15,000 won, each priced per person.
Tosokchon Samgyetang, Tosokchon samgyetang 20,000 won, ogolgye samgyetang (black-boned chicken) 25,000 won
Bada Sikdang, Johnson-tang 24,000 won, priced for two

If you are eating alone, choose from the houses that serve one bowl to a person; Johnson-tang is the one to save for a pair or a group. Menus and prices change, so treat these as a guide and confirm on the day.

If lunch will be late, check the afternoon break first

Four of the eight shut for part of the afternoon and reopen for the evening.

Gwanghwamun Gukbap 14:30–17:30 — the longest break of the eight.
Dwaeji Gomtang Hau 15:00–17:30
Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip 15:00–17:00
Won Daegutang 15:00–16:00

Tosokchon Samgyetang is listed as 10:00 to 22:00, with last orders at 21:00. Closing days vary as well: Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip shuts for both weekend days, which rules it out of most short trips, while Gwanghwamun Gukbap closes on Sundays and Won Daegutang on Mondays. Bada Sikdang closes on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Monday of the month and at Seollal and Chuseok.

Daesungjip and Yonggeumok publish no opening hours that can be verified, and Dwaeji Gomtang Hau and Tosokchon Samgyetang publish no closing days. For those four, check a map app or call on the day before you travel across the city. If you want soup early in the morning instead, Seoul restaurants that open for breakfast covers that hour.

Grouping them by neighbourhood

On a day in the old centre there are four to choose between. Gwanghwamun Gukbap and Yonggeumok are the closest pair on the list at 401m in a straight line, and Tosokchon Samgyetang west of Gyeongbokgung and Daesungjip in Gyobuk-dong are both within Jongno-gu. Let the sight you are seeing — the palace, the stream, or the prison history hall — decide which one you walk to.

The other four belong to their own neighbourhoods. Even the two in Yongsan are 2,249m apart, so the War Memorial day points to Won Daegutang and the Leeum day to Bada Sikdang rather than both. Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip in Yeoksam-dong and Dwaeji Gomtang Hau in Seongsu-dong are worth saving for a day those areas are already on your route.

If it is seolleongtang or ttaro gukbap you are after, Imun Seolnongtang, Mapo-ok, Gangnam Ttaro Gukbap and Jeonju Seolleongtang are four more Seoul soup houses, covered in Seoul restaurants that open for breakfast — the place to look if you want the bowl early in the day.

Where to walk after the bowl

In this list

Frequently asked questions

Where should I go for a clear broth?

For clear beef gomtang, Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip in Yeoksam-dong; for a clear pork broth, Gwanghwamun Gukbap in Jung-gu or Dwaeji Gomtang Hau in Seongsu-dong. At Won Daegutang in Samgakji the cod soup can also be ordered as the clear version. Pick whichever is nearest to where your day already is.

Is there a house where some of us can order spicy and others not?

Won Daegutang serves the spicy cod soup, the clear version and the offal version at the same price, which makes it the easy choice for a group whose chilli tolerances differ. The other menus do not mark how spicy a dish is, so ask when you order.

Can I have a late lunch at these restaurants?

Naju Gomtang Ujeongjip, Gwanghwamun Gukbap, Dwaeji Gomtang Hau and Won Daegutang all close for part of the afternoon. Gwanghwamun Gukbap is shut from 14:30 to 17:30, the longest gap of the eight, so go early there. Tosokchon Samgyetang is listed as running from 10:00 to 22:00, which makes it the easiest to reach at an odd hour.

Is it awkward to eat alone at any of them?

Most of these houses serve one bowl to a person, so eating alone is straightforward, and Won Daegutang prices its cod soup per person. The exception is Bada Sikdang, whose Johnson-tang is priced for two and is meant to be shared, so choose another house if you are on your own.

Can I fit more than one of them into a day?

One a meal is the honest answer. Gwanghwamun Gukbap and Yonggeumok are 401m apart in straight-line distance, and with Daesungjip and Tosokchon Samgyetang four of the eight sit in the Jongno and Jung-gu centre. The other four — Yeoksam-dong, Seongsu-dong, Samgakji and Hannam-dong — are best kept for a day you are in that neighbourhood anyway.

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