Sam Gimbap in Geoje

   Before going to our hotel (Another Day Pension) in Geoje, we stopped by Sam Gimbap for lunch. This place is famous for Seaweed Gimbap (Tot Gimbap) and was featured on a popular Korean TV show (Alley Restaurant).

   Last year, we only ordered takeout, but this time, we decided to eat inside the restaurant!

📍Sam Gimbap

▶️ Address: 101 Jisepo-ro, Ilun-myeon, Geoje-si, Gyeongnam
▶️ Hours: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
(Break Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
Closed every Tuesday!
▶️ Phone: 0507-1398-9602
▶️ Best Menu: Tot Gimbap (Seaweed Rice Roll), Geomisae Ramen (Spicy Seafood Noodles)

1. Outside & Parking

   If you drive down Geoje-daero road and turn left toward the sea, you will see Sam Gimbap with its light blue sign.

   The bright sign with yellow letters
looks very nice against the brown brick building.🎨✨

   The restaurant is at the end of an alley where three roads meet, so there are always many cars passing by.

   We went at 1:00 PM on Monday and walked right in, but it can be very busy with long lines on weekends!

   There is no private parking lot, so we parked for a short time at the local Community Center right next door.​

2. Inside the Restaurant

   When we opened the door, the owner welcomed us with a warm smile. As a true local hotspot, the menu has only two items!

• Tot Gimbap (Seaweed Rice Roll): 5,000 KRW
• Geomisae Ramen (Spicy Seafood Noodles): 5,500 KRW

   The Tot Gimbap uses fresh, local seaweed from Geoje Island. It has a rich, savory taste. Locals call it "ToT Gimbap" because it is so delicious it makes you cry (ToT).😭

   The Geomisae Ramen is a spicy noodle soup. It is full of ocean flavors with Geoje's local ingredients: stone seaweed and black shrimp.🦐🍜

   We were going to have a barbecue dinner at our hotel, so we only ordered the Tot Gimbap. Then, we looked around the cozy room.

   Since we only got takeout last year, this was our first time seeing the inside closely. The walls were covered with colorful sticky notes shaped like flowers and leaves.🌺🌸🍃

   It felt like an old-school Korean restaurant where students leave handwritten notes on the wall. It felt very nostalgic and warm.

   So, we took a pen and a sticky note from our table and wrote our own message, too.✏️

   Because this place was on a famous TV show by chef Baek Jong-won, there were photos with him and autographs from Korean celebrities on the wall.

   Many restaurants become popular after being on TV but disappear quickly after the hype ends.

   However, this place has been popular since 2019. The secret is simple: it is truly delicious.

   While waiting for our food, many local customers kept coming in for takeout. If this shop were near my house, I would come here every week!

   There is a self-service corner inside. You can get regular kimchi, spicy kimchi, yellow radish, and extra plates for free.

   On the shelf, they also have awards for being chosen as an "Excellent Restaurant" for two years in a row (2024 and 2025).

3. Crunchy Tot Gimbap!

   Finally, my husband’s favorite Tot Gimbap arrived! Two rolls for my husband and one for me— three big rolls filled the plate.

   Usually, I do not like food with a strong fishy or sea smell. But the seaweed here is boiled and cooked in soy sauce, so there is no fishy smell at all! That is why we came back again this year.✨

   Inside the roll, there are 5 healthy ingredients: seaweed (tot), red cabbage, carrot, fried tofu, and yellow radish.🥕 They put a lot of fresh vegetables inside.

   Adding special seaweed to regular ingredients gives it a super fun, crunchy texture! The savory and salty taste fills your mouth.😋

   Also, each piece of Sam Gimbap is much bigger than a normal gimbap. Eating just one roll made me full!

   If you want to try a unique, crunchy, and delicious Korean food, I highly recommend Sam Gimbap in Geoje Island!

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