Jonggak Station Kalguksu: Sambong Dodam Spicy Chicken Roe Stew & Minari Pancake Review

Cold wind was crazy that day and I was craving hot, spicy noodle soup, so I finally went to Sambong Dodam - Kalguksu(https://sambongdodam.com) near Jonggak Station. This place is pretty famous among office workers in Jongno for kalguksu and bossam, and now I get why.

📍 Location & Access

Line 1 Jonggak Station, Exit 2 – about 3 minutes on foot

Line 3 Anguk Station, Exit 6 – about 5 minutes on foot

Line 5 Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 2 – about 8 minutes on foot

Address: 1F, 45-5 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

⏰ Opening Hours

Open: 11:00

Break time: 15:00–17:00

Last order: 21:00

Close: 22:00

🅿️ Parking

No dedicated parking for the 1F kalguksu place.

The spots in front/side of the building are mainly for the 2F course restaurant. If they have no reservations or extra space, they sometimes let you park, but better to use a nearby paid lot and walk.

✔ Facilities & Notes

- Reservation available via Naver (recommended for 4+ people or year-end gatherings)

- No take-out, no delivery

- Weekday lunch (11:00–14:00): free makgeolli

- Unlimited self-serve rice, but you pay a fee if you waste it

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Exterior & First Impressions

The building has two totally different vibes in one spot. First floor is Sambong Dodam, the casual kalguksu and bossam place. Second floor is a reservation-only Korean course restaurant called Unjongga, much more formal.

We went on a suddenly freezing evening, so the streets were weirdly empty. I was expecting a wait because this area is usually packed, but we walked straight in. Felt like we used up all our luck for that day.

If there is a line, you write your name on the waiting board next to the inner counter and wait until they call you.

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Interior & Self-Bar

Inside, it’s very “Jongno office worker” style: practical tables, no fancy decor, just focused on feeding people well. On one side there’s a self-bar with tongs, scissors, and cooked barley rice.

Rice is unlimited and free, but they clearly say to only take what you can finish. If you leave a lot, they charge an environmental fee. Honestly I like that policy.

Next to it there are sauces and kimchi:

- Chili soy sauce for the minari pancake

- Shrimp sauce for bossam

- Cabbage kimchi made with freshly ground garlic and chili

I’m a huge cabbage kimchi lover, so I shamelessly refilled it three times. No one stares at you here for going back to the self-bar, which I really liked.

At the table, they bring tongs and scissors for the pancake, plus kimchi. Chopsticks, spoons, napkins, and bottle opener are all in the drawer under the table.

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Menu We Ordered

The wall menu is big and easy to read. Signature dishes are kalguksu and bossam, but they also have minari pancake, spicy pollack salad and more.

Prices for what we had:

- Spicy chicken & pollack roe stew (Dak-myeongran Maeuntang): 28,000

- Extra kalguksu noodles: 3,000 per person (max 2 servings)

- Minari pancake: 15,000

We originally wanted to drink makgeolli or soju with it, but we had to visit someone at the hospital after dinner, so we sadly skipped alcohol that day.

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Food Review

Spicy Chicken Roe Stew (Dak-myeongran Maeuntang)

The stew pot comes to your table and cooks on a gas burner. They set up the burner first, then bring the pot. It starts boiling pretty fast.

You eat some stew first, then add the kalguksu noodles later because the pot is too full at the beginning.

When I stirred the bubbling stew, I found a lot of stuff inside:

- Minari, bean sprouts, mushrooms, radish, green onion

- Pollack roe, a whole crab, and chunks of fish

The broth is that clean-but-spicy style that makes you immediately think, “I need soju with this.” It’s not crazy fiery, more like a sharp, refreshing heat that keeps you sipping. If you’re looking for a winter Jonggak lunch or dinner that warms you up, this hits the spot.

They also bring extra broth and the kalguksu noodles together when you order them. It’s parboiled only once, so you have to boil it fully at your table until the noodles are bouncy and cooked through.

Eating the chewy noodles with a bit of kimchi on top was so satisfying that of course we thought of the “final round” – fried rice.

We asked them to fry rice in the remaining broth, but because they had added more stock earlier, the seasoning got a bit diluted. The fried rice itself was a little bland. If you mix in some of the reserved stronger broth and eat it more like porridge, it tastes better.

Minari Pancake

The minari pancake came out nicely browned and crispy.

You can tear it with chopsticks, but honestly it’s easier to hold it with tongs and cut with scissors. The chili soy sauce helps cut through the oil, so it doesn’t feel heavy.

My favorite way: put some kimchi on top of a piece of pancake, then add a slice of chili from the soy sauce. That combo makes the flavor feel much brighter and fuller. I was way more satisfied eating it like that.

Self-Serve Barley Rice with Gochujang

There was a sign saying you can make gochujang rice with the barley rice, sesame oil, and gochujang from the self-bar, so I had to try.

It’s literally just rice with sauce, but somehow tasted so good. I’m usually more of a noodle person than a rice lover, but this one made me think I could eat a whole bowl just like that. If you top it with small pieces of minari pancake and kimchi, it becomes a simple but addictive mixed rice.

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Final Thoughts

Sambong Dodam is one of those very “Seoul local” spots:

- Great location near Jonggak, Anguk, and Gwanghwamun

- Hot, spicy broth that makes you want soju immediately

- Solid portions with lots of seafood and veggies in the stew

- Free rice and self-serve kimchi, which is honestly really tasty

Only downside for me was the fried rice being a bit under-seasoned, but that was also because we added extra broth. Everything else was satisfying, and we even left two pieces of minari pancake because we were too full.

If you’re visiting Jongno in winter and want a proper Korean-style warm meal, or you’re planning a year-end gathering near Jonggak Station, this is a good, honest place to know. Next time I go, I’m definitely pairing that spicy stew with soju.

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