The Man Behind "One Glass of Soju"
Just Revealed His 3 Favorite Seoul Spots
Korean pop icon Im Chang-jung takes veteran food cartoonist Heo Young-man on a personal tour of the restaurants he trusts most — a 40-year-old neighborhood icon, a kimchi-obsessed BBQ joint, and a puffer fish hideaway
"Baekban Giyeong" (식객 허영만의 백반기행) is a long-running South Korean TV show on TV Chosun where legendary food cartoonist Heo Young-man visits local eateries alongside celebrity guests. Think of it as a quiet, heartfelt version of a foodie road trip — no theatrics, just real people, real meals, and real conversation. Episode 340, which aired March 22, 2026, brought Im Chang-jung — the singer whose ballad "One Glass of Soju" became a national anthem of sorts for anyone who's ever had a rough day — as that week's guide.
Beyond the nostalgia, what Im Chang-jung brought to the table (literally) is a lineup of three Seoul restaurants that don't need Instagram aesthetics to justify their reputation. These are places he keeps coming back to on regular evenings — not for content, but because the food is genuinely that good. Here's everything you need to know before you go.
At a Glance — Which One Is Your Move?
All three restaurants are in different parts of Seoul, serve different things, and feel completely different from each other. Here's a quick snapshot before we dig into each one:
| Restaurant | Neighborhood | Must-Order | Vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hwangpyeongjip | Jung-gu, Chungmuro | Chicken Gomtang & Spicy Chicken | 40-yr heritage diner |
| Daram Gangdong | Gangdong-gu, Seongnaedong | Axe-Cut Pork Belly + 10 Kimchis | Premium Korean BBQ |
| Neulbokjip Suseo | Gangnam-gu, Suseo | Sashimi Dabok Set Meal | Upscale puffer fish specialist |
① Hwangpyeongjip Chicken Gomtang — The One He Calls "Best in the Universe"
Tucked in a narrow alley somewhere between Euljiro and Chungmuro in Jung-gu, Hwangpyeongjip has been serving its slow-cooked chicken soup for over four decades. Im Chang-jung's exact words about this place were that it's the best chicken restaurant "in the entire universe" — which is saying something for a man who has presumably eaten a lot of chicken over the years.
The name itself is a blending of Hwanghae-do and Pyeongan-do, the two northern Korean provinces from which the original founder drew culinary inspiration. That heritage shows up in every bowl: the cooking philosophy here is restrained, focused on drawing out the natural flavor of the ingredient rather than masking it with heavy seasoning. What sets this place apart is a deliberate choice to use older, fully-grown hens — called nogye — rather than the more common young broiler chickens. The result is a broth that is clear but deeply savory, and meat with a satisfying chew that young chicken simply cannot replicate.
| 📍 Address | 74 Mareunnaero, Jung-gu, Seoul (Inhyeon-dong) |
| 📞 Phone | 02-2266-6875 |
| 🕐 Hours | 11:00 AM – 9:30 PM (Sat until 8:30 PM) |
| ☕ Break time | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (weekdays only; Sat no break) |
| 🚇 Getting there | Chungmuro Station Exit 8 — about 3–5 min on foot |
| 🅿️ Parking | Paid lots nearby — subway strongly recommended |
| 🔴 Closed | Sundays & public holidays |
② Daram Gangdong — Where Ten Kimchis Upstage the Already-Excellent Pork
Here's a place that could easily sell itself as a premium barbecue restaurant and still do well — but it has decided to go harder on kimchi than any other grill spot in the neighborhood, and that choice is exactly what makes Daram Gangdong worth crossing the city for. Open since 1999 in Seongnaedong, Gangdong-gu, this place has quietly developed a loyal following among Seoulites who take their banchan seriously.
Walk in and the table is immediately laid with ten distinct kimchi varieties. Not ten scoops from the same jar — ten genuinely different preparations: fresh-cut kkakdugi, deeply fermented aged kimchi that's been ripening for four-plus years, yeolmu (young radish), gat (mustard leaf), and the house signature that everyone talks about: jjokpa kimchi, a green onion kimchi that somehow manages to be sharp and tender at the same time. The meat is equally serious. The flagship cut — called "dokkisam-gyeop" or axe-cut pork belly, essentially a Korean take on a tomahawk-style thick slab — arrives showing the kind of marbling that makes carnivores emotional. Rolling slices of that pork into jjokpa kimchi is the move, and if you leave without doing it at least once, you've done it wrong.
| 📍 Address | 29 Yangjae-daero 85-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul (1st floor) |
| 📞 Phone | 02-475-6047 |
| 🕐 Hours | 12:00 PM – 10:30 PM |
| ☕ Break time | 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM |
| 📋 Last order | 9:30 PM |
| 🚇 Getting there | Near Olympic Park, Seongnaedong area |
③ Neulbokjip Suseo — Seoul's Case for Puffer Fish as the Perfect Soju Companion
Puffer fish — called bogeo in Korean — occupies a curious place in Korean food culture. It's a delicacy associated with refinement, but it's also deeply connected to the ritual of having a quiet drink at the end of a long day. Neulbokjip, located near Suseo Station in southern Gangnam, leans fully into that dual identity. The episode featured their Sashimi Dabok Set Meal, a multi-course arrangement built around wild-caught tiger puffer fish that demonstrates just how versatile and nuanced bogeo can be when handled properly.
The space itself is designed for both intimacy and scale. The second floor seats groups comfortably, while the third floor has a private dining room that can fit up to 22 people — a rarity for a specialist restaurant of this caliber. They also offer a corkage-free policy, which means if you bring your own bottle of something nice (or a few extra rounds of soju), no one's going to charge you for the privilege.
| 📍 Address | 13-48 Bamgogae-ro 14-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul |
| 📞 Phone | 02-459-3347 |
| 🕐 Hours | 11:00 AM – 9:30 PM |
| ☕ Break time | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM |
| 📋 Last order | 8:30 PM |
| 🚇 Getting there | Suseo Station Exit 6, short walk |
| 🅿️ Parking | ~20 spaces in front of the restaurant |
| 🔴 Closed | May change post-broadcast — call ahead to confirm |
- All three spots are likely to be busier than usual in the weeks following the broadcast. Plan accordingly.
- Hwangpyeongjip takes no reservations — weekday afternoons or Saturday opening hour are your best bets for a shorter wait.
- Daram Gangdong's kimchi is strictly for eating on-site. No parcels, no delivery, no takeout. Don't bother asking.
- Neulbokjip's hours may shift post-broadcast — always phone ahead before making the trip.
- Hwangpyeongjip has minimal parking. The subway is genuinely the better option here — Chungmuro Station is right there.
Commonly Asked Questions
So — Which One Do You Visit First?
These three restaurants represent three very different sides of Korean drinking-food culture. Hwangpyeongjip is about patience and craft — a bowl of soup that has been refined over 40 years until nothing needs adjusting. Daram Gangdong is about the table as a whole — the side dishes are the show, and the grilled meat is almost secondary. Neulbokjip is about treating yourself to something you won't find anywhere else at that level. All three earn a visit. And all three, for what it's worth, go extraordinarily well with a cold glass of soju.
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