slothis · English

Ujak Seolleongtang: Famous Ox Bone Soup in Seoul

2017-11-08 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

I drank heavily yesterday, so my stomach feels like someone is squeezing it tightly with both hands. I really need a good hangover cure on days like this. But since my company only contracts with a few restaurants, I've been eating the same hangover food repeatedly, and today I just don't have an appetite for it. So today, my craving for a special and delicious lunch was much stronger than usual, and I kept thinking about where to go on my way to work. I wanted something that would cure my hangover while leaving a clean taste in my mouth, rather than something with strong spices or irritatingly spicy flavors, but nothing came to mind. As I was smacking my lips on the subway to work, imagining what to eat for my hangover, a restaurant suddenly flashed through my mind. I immediately lured a few coworkers by offering to buy them lunch and headed straight there—Ujak Seolleongtang (ox bone soup). You'd think I did something amazing.

Signs for Ujak Seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and a real estate agency hang on the exterior wall of a red brick building.

I had eaten at Ujak Seolleongtang once before joining my current company. Even though I'm not great at distinguishing good food from bad, this is a place where I scraped the bottom of my bowl, thinking, "Wow, this seolleongtang is incredibly delicious." It's already been featured in Huh Young-man's Sikgaek (a famous Korean food comic) and frequently appears on TV food shows, so it's a fully recognized spot. With this level of fame, you'd expect them to open branches and expand, but the owner doesn't seem greedy; they just keep operating out of this basement restaurant without expanding. It's not even on the first floor, it's in the basement.

The dishes usually highlighted at Ujak Seolleongtang are dogani suyuk (boiled ox knee slices) or jeongol (hot pot), but since I'm broke, I've only ever tried the seolleongtang. It might sound like I'm eating it just because I have no money, but their seolleongtang isn't just the cheapest item on the menu—it's a dish they serve with pride, so it doesn't matter. How do I know that? Honestly, I don't. But if they just made it cheaply and carelessly and it still tasted this good, that would be cheating.

Unlike the milky seolleongtang you usually get at restaurants—which always makes you suspicious that they added coffee creamer—this one has a clear broth. They use Australian beef, but with a taste like this, it doesn't matter if it's from Australia or New Zealand. I wish other places would use good Australian beef instead of overcharging for cheap Hanwoo (Korean beef). It seems like everything here would be perfect, but there is one polarizing item: the kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi). I don't know why, but they serve a bland and overly sweet kkakdugi as a side dish, and it even makes me wonder if there's a backstory to it.

The entrance to a building marked Hong Building and stairs leading down to the basement.
The entrance really isn't anything special.
Stairs covered with a red mat leading down to the basement restaurant and a directional sign.
For such a famous restaurant, this is the only one I know where you have to go down into a basement.
An illuminated sign on the wall reading 30-year traditional Ujak Seolleongtang, alongside photos of Doganitang (ox knee soup) and Kkorijjim (braised oxtail).
Many people sitting at tables and eating inside the restaurant.
Arriving at 1 PM during the peak lunch rush, every seat was taken. Luckily, we tagged in right as some people were leaving a corner table and sat down immediately.
A menu board hanging on the restaurant wall showing names and prices of dishes like Seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and Doganitang (ox knee soup).
At this price, the value for money is incredibly good. The reason this place is so great is that the taste is phenomenal, but the prices are also very reasonable.
Two small jars containing salt and pepper placed inside a wooden basket.
Even the salt and pepper give off an aura.
A companion cutting cabbage kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) from a black earthen pot on the table with scissors.
A companion cutting cabbage kimchi using scissors and tongs.
The kimchi I'm cutting is geotjeori (fresh unfermented kimchi) and has a strong flavor, while the kkakdugi is so bland it almost tastes like nothing. I wonder what the strategy is behind these extreme side dishes.
A soup dish with milky broth and plenty of chopped green onions in an earthen pot.
Finally, the seolleongtang. It's a clear broth, not a milky one.
An earthen pot of soup topped with plenty of chopped green onions placed next to a bowl of white rice.
Side dishes of cabbage kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) visible behind a soup dish full of green onions and a bowl of rice.
Here is the full table setting.
Customers sitting at tables and eating inside the restaurant, with the kitchen visible in the back.
Even at restaurants run by so-called famous chefs, you'll see them coughing and scratching their heads while cooking, but here, the staff wear aprons and hats, maintaining proper hygiene. It's a space for true professionals. Because people like this are cooking, the restaurant is extremely clean despite being in a basement.

Ujak Seolleongtang is perfect for soothing your stomach at lunch, and it's also great for grabbing a drink in the evening. The food is simply delicious, and the people making it care a lot about cleanliness, so it can't possibly be bad. Most busy, popular restaurants tend to have poor service, but here, the staff actually pay attention when you call them. They don't force you to share tables with strangers or snatch your plate away if you pause while eating, so you can enjoy your meal at a relaxed pace. However, the long lines are unavoidable.



#Restaurant #Sikgaek #Seolleongtang #NambuTerminal #KoreanFood