Moobongri Soondae (무봉리 순대), San Gabriel — Restaurant in San Gabriel

Moobongri Soondae (무봉리 순대) - A Hearty Korean Comfort Spot in San Gabriel

If you're craving authentic Korean comfort food, Moobongri Soondae in San Gabriel delivers. Specializing in soondae (Korean blood sausage), soups, and pork dishes, this low-key spot serves up bold flavors in generous portions. Whether you're in the mood for spicy broths or crispy pancakes, it's a solid choice for a casual lunch or dinner.

What We Ordered: Spicy Pork Neck Bone Soup (Gamjatang) Sampler Combo (Soondae + Boiled Pork) Large Bossam Seafood Pancake Spicy Cold Buckwheat Noodles (Bibim Naengmyeon) Steamed Egg Kimchi fried rice

Highlights:

Our servers on a super late dinner Saturday night were amazing. I arrived a bit early before my cousins and one of the server came out and got me a chair while I was waiting. Also, they sat me once the table was ready and my cousins haven’t arrived yet.

Spicy Pork Neck Bone Soup (9/10): This was the standout. The broth had a deep, spicy flavor with just enough heat to keep things interesting. The pork neck bones were tender and fall-off-the-bone soft. It came with a tangy mustard-like dipping sauce that added a sharp, slightly sweet contrast to the rich meat unexpected but seriously good. Served bubbling hot with perilla leaves, napa cabbage, and potatoes comforting and filling.

Sampler Combo (7/10): If you're new to soondae, this is a good place to start. The blood sausage had a soft, chewy texture with subtle seasoning. The boiled pork slices added variety and paired well with the fermented shrimp sauce.

Large Bossam (8.5/10): Thinly sliced, well-cooked pork belly served with napa cabbage, garlic, and ssamjang. It was clean-tasting and not overly fatty. The portion size is generous great for sharing with 3-4 people.

Seafood Pancake (9/10): Golden-brown and crisp on the outside, packed with squid and scallions. Could've used a little more seasoning, but it's still a satisfying appetizer, especially dipped in the vinegar soy sauce.

Spicy Cold Buckwheat Noodles (10/10): Chewy and refreshing with a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce. Topped with sliced cucumber, pickled radish, and half a boiled egg. A perfect balance to the heavier pork dishes.

Side Dishes (9/10): The kimchi, pickled radish, and seasoned mushrooms were delicious--not just filler. Each banchan held its own and paired nicely with the mains. Crisp, fresh, and well-seasoned.

Less Impressive:

Steamed Egg (6/10): Light and fluffy, but not much to write home about. It's the standard version you'll find at most Korean spots--nothing bad, just nothing memorable either.

Kimchi fried rice (7/10) Solid execution with bold flavor. The rice was nicely seared with just the right amount of tangy kimchi and a hint of spice. It came topped with a fried egg, which added a creamy richness when mixed in. Great as a side dish to share or a satisfying meal on its own if you're not in the mood for soup. Not overly greasy, and portion size was fair.

Areas for Improvement: Service: Staff is polite but can be stretched thin during peak hours. Maybe staff up during peak hours and on the weekends. Other than that I didn’t experience this myself but from previous reviews I read.

Seating: The space is small and fills up quickly. Tables are close together, so it's not the best spot for a quiet meal. Expect a wait during dinner rush.

Tips: Parking: Plaza lot and underground garage available shared with Yimei Payment: Credit cards accepted Pro Tip: Come early for lunch or late dinner to avoid the crowd. Go early and scan the QR code to join the waitlist There is patio seating as well

If you're in the area and in the mood for something spicy, porky, and deeply comforting, Moobongri Soondae is a dependable go-to. The pork neck soup alone is worth the visit, especially with that zippy dipping sauce and the banchan are strong enough to...

This place was trending on yelp so decided to try it out for dinner on a Thursday night. We ordered the small Gamjatop combo and the cucumber salad. The cucumber salad was refreshing but I prefer the more spicy salty flavor. It was more just soy sauce and garlic. Also the cucumber wasn't as fresh, very soft. The Gamjatop came with 4 huge beef ribs, enoki mushrooms, potatoes and noodles. You have a choice of udon, ramen or sujebi. We opted for the sujebi since we've never tried it. It was like a triagular shape noodle. The gamjatop was strong in flavor and had lots of meat stacked high up. Unfortunately it was mostly meat. They were pretty stingy on the veggies and noodles...only 2 small strips of enoki mushrooms and like maybe a handful of sujebi. Besides that the ribs were very tender. It tasted better using the dipping sauce that was provided. It was so big, I ended up taking 1 entire rib plus the soup home since I couldn't' finish it. The combo also came with banchan, steamed egg and 2 bowls of rice. The banchan was interesting and tasty. Came with kimchi, fish cake, squid, kelp and online/radish dipping sauce. I really enjoyed the squid and the kelp. The steam eggs was one of the best I've tried. I couldn't tell but my fiancée thinks the secret ingredients are butter and a shrimp soup base that made it so tasty. LOL. Overall, I enjoyed the food.

Service was amazing. They asked us if we wanted a small 2 person table or a bigger 4 person table and we opted for the larger table. They gave us water. The best part was they asked us if we wanted the banchan to be refilled!!! Most places wait till you ask, but they were on top of it. Saw that our banchan plates were empty and asked if we wanted a refill. That's a plus in my book. They are located inside a smaller mixed used plaza a block from the KFC on Las Tunas with a good amount of parking spaces. I will definitely be back. Oh and right now if you check in on yelp, they are...

A few weeks ago, we visited this place and ordered the small Gamjatang combo. Honestly, it wasn’t enough for two people, and it’s more expensive than other Gamjatang restaurants in Koreatown. The combo comes with steamed eggs and a choice of one type of noodle. Before leaving some comments here, I should mention that I’ve been working as a head chef at a restaurant for over nine years now.

To be honest, egg prices are pretty high right now, so I think it’d be better to remove the steamed eggs from the menu. You could either lower the price or add more meat for the same price. Other than that, the Gamjatang itself was good.

Secondly, the fried rice served after the Gamjatang was absolutely terrible. It was mushy, overly wet like porridge, and had a bland taste. I don’t know who made it, but they need to learn how to cook fried rice properly.

You could add some furikake, chopped kimchi, or kkakdugi to improve the flavor. Even a little MSG could help. There are plenty of ways to make it taste better without spending much. Honestly, that fried rice was one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten.

As for the service—well, there were three staff members on the weekend, but they need to move a bit faster. The best way to earn more tips is to anticipate customers’ needs before they have to ask. Also, don’t forget their requests. They forgot three times to bring us things we asked for, like napkins, water, or more...