Suzy Swears By This Sundae-guk Spot in Seoul — Nongmin Baekam Sundae, Explained
Suzy Swears By This Sundae-guk Spot in Seoul — Nongmin Baekam Sundae, Explained
Photo: 삼달 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0 KR)
On the COEX episode of Pungja's hit mukbang series "Ddogan-jip" (또간집, "The Restaurant I Return To") — viewed over four million times — one A-list recommendation stood out for K-pop fans planning a Seoul food pilgrimage: actress Suzy's go-to spot for sundae-guk. The place she named was Nongmin Baekam Sundae (농민백암순대), a Gangnam institution whose main branch sits minutes from Seolleung Station, deep inside the city's entertainment district.
Her endorsement, as quoted on the episode, was characteristically blunt: there are plenty of sundae soup places, but this is where she goes when she wants it done properly. When a household name points at one specific bowl in a city of thousands, that is a fan-trip decision made for you.
The Video That Started the Line
The full episode visits several celebrity picks around the COEX and Samseong area — and the sundae-guk segment is the one locals still reference. Watch it before you go; knowing what to order before the door opens is half the experience at a place this busy.
What Makes the Broth Different
Most sundae-guk is a clear, peppery soup. Nongmin Baekam's signature is a broth enriched with ground perilla seed (들깨가루), giving it a nutty, fuller body that regulars consistently describe as deeper than the standard version. Three details recur across Korean diner reviews: the offal carries zero gamy smell (잡내), the bowls are loaded generously, and the sundae is house-made with a firm, clean bite. Perilla powder and fresh cheongyang peppers sit on every table so each diner tunes the soup to taste — adding the perilla to the broth is the local move.
The banchan is minimal by design and famously fresh: raw onion, crisp cucumber-chili, cubed radish kimchi, and chive salad, all sourced from domestic farms. Reviewers repeatedly single out the radish kimchi as engineered to pair with the soup — a small detail that signals how controlled the whole operation is.
What to Order
The menu is famously short, which is a kindness when a line is waiting behind you. The core decision is one bowl versus the full set:
| Menu | What It Is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Gukbap (국밥) | The classic — soup, rice, sundae, sliced meats | ₩11,000 |
| Gukbap Special (특) | Extra sundae and meat in the same broth | ₩13,000 |
| Jeongshik set (정식) | Gukbap + boiled pork slices + sundae platter | ₩17,000 |
| Sul-guk (술국) | The hearty version loaded with extra offal | ₩19,000 |
| Native sundae (토종순대) | The house-made sundae platter alone | ₩13,000 |
| Assorted boiled pork (모둠수육) | Sharing platter for the table | ₩39,000 |
Two timing rules catch first-timers: the jeongshik set and the boiled pork platter are served only 11:00–13:00 and 17:30–19:30, and rice refills are free. If the full spread is the goal, schedule around those windows.
Photo: lazy fri13th / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Practical Information — Main Branch
Location: Seolleung-ro 86-gil 40-4, Gangnam-gu, Seoul — a six-minute walk from Seolleung Station (Line 2, Exit 1). Phone: 02-555-9603. Hours: 11:10–21:00, last order 20:30. Closed: every Sunday. Reservations: none — you write your name on the physical waitlist at the door.
Korean reviewers report lunch queues of twenty or more parties, but turnover is fast because gukbap is a quick meal; arriving before the noon rush or after 1 p.m. is the standard strategy. Branches also operate near Gangnam Station (Yeoksam) if the main line is too long. The map below shows the exact spot:
For K-pop fans, the location stacks neatly: Seolleung and Samseong sit inside Gangnam's entertainment corridor, an easy ride from COEX, the K-star Road sculpture trail, and the agency districts — one meal slots into a half-day fan itinerary without backtracking.
How to Order Like a Regular
Sit, order immediately (the menu is short enough to decide from the door), and decide your spice level with the table-side cheongyang rather than asking the kitchen. The boiled pork arrives first for the set — wrap a slice with the provided ssamjang and the fresh onion, then pour the perilla powder into your broth. Locals mix a scoop of rice directly into the soup toward the end, turning the last third into a porridge-like finish. It is a small ritual, but it is the difference between eating sundae-guk and eating this sundae-guk.
Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Which restaurant did Suzy recommend?
A. On the COEX episode of "Ddogan-jip" (EP.24), Suzy's pick was Nongmin Baekam Sundae — she named it as the place she visits when she wants proper sundae-guk.
Q. Can foreigners order easily?
A. Yes — the menu is essentially one dish in four sizes plus a platter. Pointing at the table menu works, and the staff are used to visitors; the set (정식) is the safest full-meal order.
Q. Is there a branch closer than Seolleung?
A. Branches operate in other Gangnam locations, including near Gangnam Station (Yeoksam). The main branch is the one with the longest track record.
Q. What if the line is too long?
A. Turnover is fast — write your name on the door list and wait; most parties report 20–40 minutes at peak. Off-peak (before noon, after 1 p.m.) is dramatically shorter.
Sources: Ddogan-jip EP.24, Studio Suje, Tripinfo Korea listing, DiningCode
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