Hangover Soup

Chung-Jin-Dong Soft Kimchi and Hangover Soup
(청진동 묵은지 해장국)

Downtown, Daegu

Overview
The Good	+ Open 24/7 + Hangover soup! + Side dishes minimal, yet precise + Convenient location
The Bad	- Not as good as this place, just next door
Best for: Late nights, any group size

Food

Offset alcohol's effects of dehydration and nutrition-depletion with these soups.  Their signature one is 해장국(hae-jang-gook), a red spicy soup with pork spine meat.  This place specializes in the 뼈다귀 variety, which includes the bones, but the pork is so tender that it slips right off.  The title of "hangover soup" derives from the old, pre-science days, when hungover people thought their digestive systems were being twisted in knots.  So they enjoyed the soothing effect of 해장국, which literally means "intestine untwisting soup."

The only side dishes are onions, kimchi'd radish, and their signature soft-style Kimchi.  While they aren't as plentiful as most Korean restaurants, the side dishes go well with the soups.  Their unique sour soy sauce is a great complement to a spoonful of a soup's meat and an onion.  The dishes also come with a helpful bowl of rice.

Their six soups, at bottom of pic, are:

1. 뼈다구 해장국 (bbyuh-da-goo hay-jang-gook) - the red spicy soup with pork spine meat pictured here.
2. 순대 (따로) 국밥 (sone-day ddah-lo gook-bap) - blood sausages and pork in a white soup.  (따로 means rice is served in a "separate" bowl, not mixed in like other 국밥 soups).
3. 선지 해장국 (sun-ji hay-jang-gook) - red spicy soup with blood jelly (선지).
4. 소고기 국밥 (so-go-gi gook-bap) - beefs chunks in a white soup mixed with rice.
5. 돼지 (따로) 국밥 (dwae-ji ddah-lo gook-bap) - same as #2 except without blood sausages.
6. 콩나물 국밥 (kong-na-mool gook-bap) - bean sprout soup, a more healthy and efficient "hangover soup." [See review of 콩나물 국밥 place for more info.]

Atmosphere

The place is sizable, with a chair and table area in front and a floor seating area in back, including a secluded room in the far back for larger parties.  It tends to be quiet throughout the day, picking up a bit with workers on lunch break.  The place is busiest late at night, when it tends to be populated with drunks.  This phenomenon is caused by a perfect storm of factors: it's open 24/7, it's located between club street and the main taxi stand, and of course it offers a hangover cure!

Location

Near Samduk Fire Station, downtown.  It's 5 or 6 buildings down from the 7/11, along the main traffic road, next to the One Trick snowboard shop.

pic courtesy of Naver Maps, street mode
(awesome feature! click the little alien-head icon above the zoom bar)

[It's next door to a higher-quality "hangover soup" place. It's also across the street from the huge, overly-lit Pork & Beef BBQ place.  And it's two stores down from a great Clam BBQ joint.]