Naju Gomtang Day Trip: The Clear Beef Soup Street

The words “Naju gomtang” hang over soup restaurants far from Naju, in Seoul, Gwangju and beyond, where they promise a clearer, lighter bowl than milky bone broth. The original is still made in a few blocks of old Naju, a small city on the Yeongsan River next to Gwangju, where the oldest houses start the broth before dawn and serve the first bowls at 7 or 8 a.m.

The surprising part is how important this quiet town used to be. The province name Jeolla is built from the first syllables of two cities: Jeonju and Naju. Goryeo’s King Hyeonjong merged the two regional circuits in 1018 and named the result after them, as the Seoul Shinmun noted when the province marked its 1,000th year. Naju stayed a top-ranked provincial seat until 1895, and the gomtang street sits right in front of its old state guesthouse.

What is Naju gomtang, and how do you order it?

It is a clear, lightly seasoned beef soup served with the rice already in the bowl, and every old house has the same three-line menu. Our Seoul seolleongtang and gomtang guide explains milky bone broth versus clear meat broth; Naju is the clear side taken further.

According to Naju city, cooks use fewer beef bones than ordinary gomtang and build the stock from cuts such as 양지 yangji (brisket) and 사태 satae (shank), with a lot of radish, scallion and garlic, so the broth tastes clean rather than salty. The rice goes through toryeom (hot broth poured over it and drained back several times), and the bowl is topped with egg strips (지단 jidan), sliced scallion, head meat and brisket.

• 곰탕 gomtang — the standard bowl.
• 수육곰탕 suyuk-gomtang — the same soup with more sliced meat.
• 수육 suyuk — a plate of boiled beef to share, usually with soju.

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Why did gomtang start in Naju?

Naju was a market town on a rich farming plain, with cattle, a big periodic market and, later, a colonial-era beef cannery; accounts disagree on which produced the soup. As a 목 mok (a top-ranked provincial seat) from 983 to 1895 it was the administrative, military and economic center of the region, according to Naju city, which calls its 3.7 km walled town “Little Hanyang,” after the old name for Seoul.

For where gomtang sits among Korea’s rice soups, and why fewer restaurants still do toryeom, see our Korean gukbap types guide.

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How do you get to Naju from Seoul?

Take the KTX from Yongsan or Suseo to Naju Station, then ride Circular Bus 2 or a taxi to Geumseonggwan. Naju Station is outside the old downtown, so you need one short connection. Note the 2026 address change: on July 1, Gwangju and South Jeolla Province merged into Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, so Naju addresses now begin 전남광주통합특별시 instead of 전라남도.

🚆 Seoul to the Naju gomtang street (Korail timetable data for Nov. 2, 2026; Naju city bus timetable effective Oct. 13, 2025)

From	Route	Approx. time	Notes
Yongsan Station	KTX to Naju Station (Honam high-speed line)	2 hr 0 min–2 hr 12 min on most trains	About 16 KTX departures that day, 05:48 to 21:18; a few take about 3 hours
Suseo Station	KTX (former SRT) to Naju Station	Check KORAIL+	Honam trains from Suseo run to Mokpo and stop at Naju
Naju Station	Circular Bus 2 (순환2번) to the Geumseonggwan stop	10 min	11 runs a day; first from the station 08:10, last 19:00
Naju Station	Taxi to Geumseonggwan	Short ride	Easiest if you just missed the bus
Gwangju Songjeong Station	City bus 160 to Naju Bus Terminal	Depends on traffic	Backup if Naju trains are sold out; Naju city route list

The last KTX from Naju to Yongsan on that timetable left at 22:19; slower ITX-Saemaeul and Mugunghwa trains take about four hours. Our KTX and SRT day trips from Seoul guide compares other rail day trips.

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Where should you eat Naju gomtang in Naju?

Start with Hayanjip, Noanjip or Nampyeong Halmaejip, the three oldest houses, all within a minute’s walk of each other in front of Geumseonggwan. Locals avoid naming one winner; a Naju resident told Bravo My Life in 2020 that Seoul visitors and Naju people tend to prefer different shops. Naju city’s official gomtang list adds Hanokjip and Taetjari.

Hayanjip (Geumseonggwan-gil 6-1) — The best-known name in Naju gomtang. The family says it has been open since 1910, a date repeated in the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) listing updated June 2026; the Segye Ilbo reports it was founded by Won Pan-rye under another name near Jeongsuru gate. Gil Hyeong-seon, the fourth generation, took over in 2011. KTO says the broth goes on at 2 a.m. and lists 08:00–20:00, closed Wednesdays. An October 2026 visitor post lists gomtang at 13,000 won and suyuk-gomtang at 15,000 won.

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Noanjip (Geumseonggwan-gil 1-3) — The other half of the old rivalry, run by the third generation. KTO gives 1963 as its opening year (a 2016 OhmyNews piece says 1960) and says it began as a market soup house and makes its own kimchi and kkakdugi. The Segye Ilbo notes that head meat comes only with suyuk-gomtang here. KTO lists 07:00–20:00, closed Mondays: the place for breakfast off the first train.

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Nampyeong Halmaejip (나주곰탕원조집60년남평할매집) — The full sign reads “Naju Gomtang Original House, 60 Years, Nampyeong Grandma’s House.” A July 2026 visitor post says it moved from beside Noanjip into a new building diagonally across the street; that post and KTO data list Geumseonggwan-gil 2, open 08:00–20:00. KTO describes broth from 100% Korean beef and a sweet, cool kkakdugi. Naju city data still shows the old address, so follow the map pin.

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Hanokjip (Geumseonggwan-gil 6) — Next door to Hayanjip, on Naju city’s gomtang list with the same three-item menu. The Segye Ilbo noted in 2022 that its plain gomtang already includes tender head meat, which makes it the easy pick if Hayanjip’s line is long.

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Taetjari (Jinggosat-gil 5-1) — In Gwawon-dong, Geumseonggwan’s old-town neighborhood. Naju city lists 08:00–21:00 with a 15:00–17:00 break and parking for about 30 cars, which makes it the practical choice if you are driving or want gomtang after the old houses close at 20:00.

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🍽️ Naju gomtang houses at a glance (Naju city restaurant list; KTO listings updated 2026; visitor posts, 2026)

Place	Korean name	Hours (source)	Closed	Why go
Hayanjip	나주곰탕하얀집	08:00–20:00 (KTO)	Wednesdays	The oldest name; family says since 1910
Noanjip	나주곰탕노안집	07:00–20:00 (KTO)	Mondays	Earliest opening; third generation
Nampyeong Halmaejip	나주곰탕원조집60년남평할매집	08:00–20:00 (KTO, visitor post)	Open year-round (KTO)	Third of the old big three; new building
Hanokjip	나주곰탕한옥집	Not listed	Not listed	Head meat in the plain bowl
Taetjari	나주곰탕탯자리	08:00–21:00, break 15:00–17:00 (Naju city)	Not listed	Parking; latest closing

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What else is there to see near the gomtang street?

Geumseonggwan is across the street, Naju Hyanggyo is a walk away, and Yeongsanpo’s hongeo street is a bus or taxi ride south by the river. Together they explain the soup: a government seat, a scholar town and a river port.

Geumseonggwan (Geumseonggwan-gil 8) — The 객사 gaeksa, or state guesthouse, of Naju-mok, where officials from the capital stayed; the largest of the Joseon period, designated a national Treasure in 2019. Kim Cheon-il’s volunteer army set out from here in the Imjin War, and a mourning altar for Empress Myeongseong was set up here after her assassination in 1895. Expect scaffolding: Naju city began the first full dismantling repair in about 140 years in November 2025 (Wikitree), and Newsis reported in April 2026 that it is among the national heritage repair sites opened to the public. Jeongsuru gate tower and the Mok Culture Hall exhibition are a few steps away.

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Naju Hyanggyo (Hyanggyo-gil 38) — An early Joseon Confucian school that, Naju city says, has never burned and keeps its original form; tradition holds that Seoul’s Seonggyungwan was rebuilt on its model. The ginkgo in front of Daeseongjeon shrine is about 500 years old. Nearby Moksa Naea, the magistrate’s residence, has been a hanok stay since 2009.

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Yeongsanpo hongeo street (Yeongsan-dong riverside) — Skate caught off Heuksando island used to ferment naturally for about a week on the boat trip up the Yeongsan River, which Naju city credits for the taste of 홍어 hongeo, pungent fermented skate. The restaurants cluster by the old wharf near Yeongsan Bridge, a short walk from Yeongsanpo Bus Terminal on Circular Bus 2. The 2026 Yeongsanpo Hongeo and Hanwoo Festival ran May 22–24 on the riverside. For how hongeo reached Seoul, see what Korean presidents eat.

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How should you spend one day in Naju?

See the old town in the morning, eat gomtang before the noon line, and finish by the river. The old downtown is walkable; only Yeongsanpo needs a ride.

• 07:47 — KTX from Yongsan, arriving at Naju 09:54 on the November 2026 timetable. Take a taxi to Geumseonggwan; the next Circular Bus 2 is not until 11:30.
• 10:20 — Geumseonggwan, Jeongsuru and the Mok Culture Hall, then the lanes inside the old walls.
• 11:30 — Gomtang at Hayanjip, Noanjip or Nampyeong Halmaejip, ahead of the lunch rush.
• 13:00 — Naju Hyanggyo and Moksa Naea, on foot through the old-town lanes.
• 14:30 — Bus or taxi to Yeongsanpo: the hongeo street and a walk along the Yeongsan River.
• 16:29 — Circular Bus 2 from Yeongsanpo Bus Terminal (due at Naju Station 16:45) for the 17:21 KTX, or go back to the old town for a second bowl; the old houses close at 20:00 and the last KTX to Yongsan left at 22:19.

Can you eat Naju gomtang in Seoul?

Yes; many Seoul restaurants carry “Naju gomtang” in their names, and Seoul’s own old gomtang houses serve clear broth too. Our Seoul seolleongtang and gomtang heritage guide covers Hadongkwan’s clear gomtang and nine other old houses, and the Korean gukbap types guide sets gomtang beside the other rice soups. Eat a bowl in Seoul first, then compare it in Naju.