Boncho Bapsang Review: Herbal Beef Soup at the End of the Yangnyeongsi Market Alley in Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul

On September 17, 2026, I went on my own for lunch at Boncho Bapsang, at the far end of an alley in the Yangnyeongsi herbal medicine market in Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.

The exterior of Boncho Bapsang

I had the restaurant’s signature dish, the myeonyeok yakseontang (also called myeonyeok gomtang), an herbal beef soup. It costs 15,000 won for a single serving.

edited-addf4a5e-d4ee-4ade-b74f-dff9514f4a6d

It’s a good fit if you want a warm bowl of soup after browsing the herbal medicine market. Below, I’ll walk through, in order, how to get here from Jegi-dong Station, what comes with the myeonyeok yakseontang, the free banchan (side dish) bar and sikhye, the QR menu for international visitors, opening hours, and what to check before you go.

What Is Yakseon Food?

Boncho Bapsang is a yakseon restaurant, meaning it cooks with medicinal herbs. Yakseon is a Korean food tradition of working ingredients used in herbal medicine into everyday dishes. The restaurant’s name, boncho, refers to plants used as medicine.

The myeonyeok yakseontang is made with hanwoo (Korean beef), mushrooms, and hwanggi (astragalus root). In Korea, hwanggi is a medicinal herb often added to chicken soups such as samgyetang and baeksuk. It has long been considered an ingredient that restores energy, so it shows up in many restorative dishes. That said, myeonyeok, the word for “immunity” in the dish’s name, describes the concept behind the food. It doesn’t mean the soup cures or prevents any particular illness. If you have a health condition, please consult a doctor or other professional.

Getting There From Jegi-dong Station (About a 10-Minute Walk, Roughly 500 m)

Exit 2 of Jegi-dong Station on Subway Line 1

Leave Jegi-dong Station on Subway Line 1 through Exit 2. Right outside the exit is a sign reading “Seoul K-Medi Center 300m.” [Direction to add: e.g., turn right out of the exit] Follow the sign and you’ll enter the Yangnyeongsi market.

The traditional-style market gate with its Seoul Yangnyeongsi name board

A little farther on, you reach the Seoul Yangnyeongsi entrance, topped with a traditional tiled roof. Past it, herbal medicine shops line both sides of the alley.

Dried medicinal herbs on display with name labels

Dried medicinal roots set out in baskets in front of a shop

Out front, the shops set out sacks of dried herbs with name tags and baskets of long dried roots. Plenty of these herbs are unfamiliar even to Koreans, so it’s fun just to look around.

07_An herbal shop with an old sign still hanging in a Yangnyeongsi market alley
An herbal shop with an old sign still hanging in a Yangnyeongsi market alley

Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum

Along the way, the Seoul K-Medi Center houses the Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum. It covers the history of traditional Korean medicine, which makes it a good quick stop before or after your meal. From March through October, it’s open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; from November through February, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s closed on Mondays (or the following day when Monday is a public holiday), January 1, Seollal (Lunar New Year), and Chuseok (the Korean harvest holiday). Walk the alley to the very end and you’ll see Boncho Bapsang’s sign with its blue lettering.

A poster by the entrance about the restaurant’s TV appearance

An address plate reading “Yangnyeongsi-ro 68” on the corner of the building makes the place easy to find. Next to the entrance is a poster noting that the myeonyeok yakseontang was featured on Altoran, a cooking show on the Korean broadcaster MBN. Takeout is also available.

Inside the Restaurant

The dining room with solid-wood tables

Inside are solid-wood tables and wooden chairs. The walls are hung with photos of celebrities who have eaten here, and off to one side is a wooden plaque reading “Tojongdak Specialty Restaurant.” Tojongdak means Korea’s native chicken breeds. If you reserve ahead, you can also have dishes like baeksuk, a whole chicken simmered until tender.

How to Order: Printed Menu or QR Code

The Korean menu on the table_the English menu is available via QR code Every table has a Korean-language menu, with each dish’s main ingredients and their origins listed in parentheses next to its name.

The English menu screen

If Korean is hard for you to read, you can order using the QR code on the table. Scan it with your phone’s camera and choose from Korean, English, Chinese (Simplified or Traditional), or Japanese. Each dish is listed with a photo, its main ingredients, and the price. The English name for the myeonyeok yakseontang is “Beef Bone Soup with Herbs.”

Myeonyeok Yakseontang, 15,000 Won (KRW)

Myeonyeok yakseontang topped with shiitake, wood ear mushrooms, goji berries, green onion, and egg

Order the myeonyeok yakseontang and it comes with: the soup, served in a ttukbaegi (a thick Korean stone bowl) a bowl of multigrain rice banchan one hard-boiled egg

Myeonyeok yakseontang close-up 01

The soup is topped with shiitake, wood ear mushrooms, red goji berries, bell pepper, and green onion. An egg is swirled into the center. The broth is on the clear side.

Myeonyeok yakseontang close-up 02

Dip in a spoon and you’ll find plenty of chewy hanwoo, an assortment of mushrooms, and napa cabbage. The astragalus comes through faintly, and the broth was fairly rich. The broth does carry the aroma of medicinal herbs, and if you aren’t used to that scent, it may seem unfamiliar at first. If that sounds like you, the jeyuk ssambap or bibimbap is a good alternative.

Free Banchan Bar

Basic banchan: soy-braised quail eggs_namul_ napa cabbage kimchi_stir-fried mushrooms_sausage jeon

You help yourself to the basic banchan at a self-serve bar, filling a sectioned tray. Here’s the lineup: House-made soy-braised quail eggs: quail eggs and shishito peppers simmered in soy sauce Namul: blanched, seasoned vegetables Napa cabbage kimchi Stir-fried mushrooms Sausage jeon: Korean-style sausage dipped in egg and pan-fried

The banchan bar

If you want more banchan, just take as much as you like from the banchan bar. Most Korean restaurants serve banchan for free, and many have a self-serve corner like this one. There’s no extra charge for going back for more.

A Free Cup of Sikhye After Your Meal

Once you’ve finished eating, you can have sikhye for free. Just pour it into a cup yourself at the sikhye station.

Sikhye with grains of rice floating on top

Sikhye is a traditional Korean rice drink. It’s made by adding cooked rice to water steeped with yeotgireum (barley that has been sprouted and dried) and leaving it to ferment at a warm temperature. It tastes gently sweet, with grains of rice floating on top. In Korea, people often drink it on holidays or after a meal to refresh the palate.

What to Order Depending on the Situation

Boncho Bapsang cooks with greens and medicinal herbs it grows itself. After the myeonyeok yakseontang, its most-ordered dish is the jeyuk ssambap (12,000 won). It’s spicy stir-fried pork that you wrap in lettuce and other leafy greens, and it suits anyone who would rather have familiar flavors than the taste of medicinal herbs.

The menu

If you’re dining solo, I recommend single-serving dishes like the myeonyeok yakseontang, jeyuk ssambap, or myeonyeok yakseon bibimbap (15,000 won). If you’re with a group, reserve ahead and you can order restorative dishes such as ori (dak) baeksuk, made with duck or chicken (60,000 won), or yongbongtang (170,000 won, serves two to three).

Ingredient and Allergy Notes

Contains pork: The jeyuk ssambap and heukdwaeji samgyeopsal (black pork belly) contain pork.
Otdak (reservation only): A chicken dish simmered with lacquer tree. If you have a lacquer tree allergy, it can cause a skin reaction, so please don’t order it.
Yongbongtang (reservation only): According to the menu, it contains softshell turtle and ogolgye (black chicken).
Vegetarian options: I wasn’t able to confirm whether there’s a separate vegetarian menu. If you need one, please ask before your visit.

Key Details

Item
Details
Name
Boncho Bapsang (본초밥상)
Address (Korean)
서울특별시 동대문구 약령시로 68 (제기동)
Address (English)
68 Yangnyeongsi-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul
Phone
02-969-8898 (from outside Korea: +82-2-969-8898)
Hours
Monday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Ingredients can run out and the restaurant may close temporarily, so call to confirm before you go.
Getting there
Exit 2, Jegi-dong Station, Subway Line 1; about a 10-minute walk (roughly 700 m)
Signature dishes
Myeonyeok yakseontang 15,000 won · Jeyuk ssambap 12,000 won · Myeonyeok yakseon bibimbap 15,000 won (KRW)
Reservation-only dishes
Ori (dak) baeksuk 60,000 won · Otdak 70,000 won · Yongbongtang 170,000 won, among others (KRW)
Banchan
Self-serve banchan bar (free)
Parking
No parking on-site. Use a nearby parking lot.
Other
Multilingual QR menu (Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese), free sikhye, takeout available

Tips for International Travelers

Map apps: In Korea, Google Maps offers only limited walking directions.
Search for “본초밥상” (Boncho Bapsang) in Naver Map or KakaoMap to find your way easily.
Tipping: You don’t tip at Korean restaurants.

Suggested Route

Jegi-dong Station Exit 2 → Seoul Yangnyeongsi entrance → herbal medicine shop alley → Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum → a meal at Boncho Bapsang → finish with sikhye Walk it in this order and you can browse the herbal medicine market and eat in a single trip. Add a loop through Gyeongdong Market right next door, and it makes a good half-day outing. I paid for this visit myself, and this review is based on my own experience.