Seoul's cabbie restaurants offer quick, affordable meals

Seoul's cabbie restaurants, known as gisa sikdang, emerged in the '70s to provide quick and affordable meals for busy taxi drivers. Despite the city's improved public transportation system, these diners still serve as a convenient option for drivers.

Doenjang jjigae (fermented soybean stew) and pork barbecue along with various side dishes, at Seongbukdong Pork Ribs in Seongbuk District, central Seoul [LEE JIAN]

As the clock neared noon on a recent Friday, empty taxicabs started pulling up into the parking lot of a humble Korean diner in Seongbuk District, central Seoul.

They soon crowded the area, but the turnover was quick as drivers who arrived earlier got their meals quicker than at a fast food joint, gobbled it up and jumped back into their cars. As soon as the red "vacant" light behind their windshield lit up, they were back in business.

This diner, Seongbukdong Pork Ribs, dates back to 1971 and is widely viewed as one of Korea’s earliest gisa sikdang. Literally translating to cabbie restaurants, they organically arose to provide busy taxi drivers with an affordable, hearty meal — quickly.

Taxis in front of Seongbukdong Pork Ribs in Seongbuk District, central Seoul [LEE JIAN]

Although Seoul today has a well-connected public transportation system, that wasn’t always the case. In 1990, there were only five subway lines, whereas now there are 17. The population, meanwhile, hasn’t changed much. According to the city’s data, Seoul's population in 2023 is around 9.6 million. In the 1990s, it was around 10 million, and in the 80s it was around 8 million.

“Back then, many people needed to take a taxi to get to their destinations,” said cabdriver Baek Seong-ho, 67, who has been on the job since 1989. He recalled driving around 400 kilometers (roughly 250 miles) per day when he was just starting out.

“Time is money,” he said, "but we still needed to eat.

"Gisa sikdang was a place where us drivers could quickly grab a filling meal.”

Taxis are lined up in front of a street full of gisa sikdang in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, in the 1980s. [JOONGANG PHOTOS]

Quick service is one of the key qualifications that make up a gisa sikdang. Servers bring out scores of banchan (side dishes) and the main dish, often on a large metal tray, within just about five minutes of placing the order.

Gisa sikdang also tend to operate late into the night, for cabbies working irregular hours, and provide free parking spaces. These diners also used to offer car wash services, though that is no longer the case due to legal issues.

They most commonly sell baekban, which means a meal served with rice, soup, side dishes and a protein of choice. Other popular meal offerings at gisa sikdang include bibimbap, tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) and jeyuk bokkeum (stir-fried spicy pork).

There is a wide perception that food in gisa sikdang is guaranteed tasty because of the notion that taxi drivers are “in the know” about everything, including the best restaurants and the juiciest gossip. This was especially true before the rise of the internet, though the connection between good food and gisa sikdang still remains today.

Wonjo Gisanim Bunsik is a gisa sikdang venue in Daeheung-dong, a neighborhood in Mapo District, western Seoul, that has many such restaurants for taxi drivers. [LEE JIAN]

But, according to drivers, many gisa sikdang don’t live up to the same reputation as they did before.

“So many of them have either closed or have changed their ways of cooking so the food isn’t as good,” Baek said.

“It’s hard to find a diner, even if it is a gisa sikdang, that I can eat at for an affordable price,” said driver Kim Kyoung-soo, 56. He had brought a home-packed lunch on this day.

The Consumer Price Index, a key gauge for consumer inflation, hit an all-time high last month with 112.99 points, or a 3.9 percent on-year increase, according to data from Statistics Korea. The index numbers were largely led by rising prices of oil and farmed goods.

The remaining gisa sikdang that still see good business don’t only target cabdrivers these days, but also regular people. Gisa sikdang have come to be especially popular dining spots for anyone looking for a relatively cheap, hearty meal with the freedom to eat alone, as well as younger Millennials and Gen Zers who find the retro atmosphere and food of gisa sikdang interesting.

Gisa sikdang has some 34,000 hashtags on Instagram, and over 1,000 videos on YouTube, mainly of young local mukbang filmers who visit and review different gisa sikdang.

“More than half of our customers these days are just regular people,” one staff member from Geum Wang Pork Cutlet in Seongbuk District, central Seoul, said.

“We still have our regular drivers who have been coming to our diner for years though. They were how we were able to kick off our business in the first place, so we really appreciate them and try to do good by them whenever they come.”

Empy taxis in Seoul [NEWS1]

Baek has been going to the same gisa sikdang for over 20 years now and said that he values the relationship that he has with the diner’s staff.

“I know them and they know me, so I don’t even have to order! They bring out the food as soon as I sit down,” he said.

Driver Lee Doo-yeong, 51, said that meals at gisa sikdang evoke a sense of nostalgia.

"I don't go as often, but I miss the food sometimes," he said. “It isn’t fancy, but it’s the taste of the past and it’s delicious."

The Korea JoongAng Daily in September asked taxi drivers around town for their favorite, go-to gisa sikdang.

Seongbukdong Pork Ribs in Seongbuk District

Opening in 1971, the diner is best known for its thinly sliced, marinated pork barbecue. The meal is brought out on a large tray along with clam soup, various banchan, ssam (leafy vegetables in which to wrap meat) and rice. It also offers other baekban options with other proteins like tteokgalbi (grilled beef patties) and jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) and doenjang jjigae (fermented soybean stew).

Driver Baek who said that he has been going to this restaurant since 1996, said that the key to this eatery’s pork is the yeontan, or coal briquettes.

“It gives the meat that nice smoky flavor,” he said. “The restaurant a few years ago had changed from cooking over yeontan to a regular stove, but the taste just wasn't the same so they went back to using yeontan."

Prices range from 8,000 won ($6) to 16,000 won for single-portion items.

Wonjo Gisanim Bunsik in Mapo District, western Seoul

Jjamyeonbap, a combination of noodles and rice over black bean sauce, is served at Wonjo Gisanim Bunsik in Mapo District, western Seoul. [LEE JIAN]

Inside a hub of gisa sikdang in Daeheung-dong, this small, antique restaurant is over 30 years old and sells jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles), udon and bibimbap.

Its most popular menu, jjamyeonbap, is a combination of noodles and rice covered with black bean sauce. It is served with a fried egg.

“It’s become a lot more famous since it appeared on the game show ‘Running Man,’” said driver Lee Doo-young. "Thirty years ago, the jjajangmyeon was only 2,500 won!"

Prices range from 5,000 won to 6,500 won.

Geum Wang Pork Cutlet in Seongbuk District

Tonkatsu (fried port cutlet) at Geum Wang Pork Cutlet restaurant in Seongbuk District, central Seoul [LEE JIAN]

Serving Korean-styled tonkatsu, this diner opened in 1987. It has pork tenderloin, sirloin, chicken and hamburger steak options, served with rice, kimchi, a side salad, canned green beans, and pepper and cream soup.

Its portions tend to be hefty, and many people opt to box up their leftovers for takeout.

While there are half a dozen tonkatsu eateries in Seongbuk-dong, driver Kim claims that this one is the best. “It’s on the expensive side, but I go from time to time because it has that crispy crunch!” he said.

Prices range from 12,000 won to 14,000 won.

Seopyeong Gisa Restaurant in Gangnam District, southern Seoul

Chicken kalguksu (hand-cut noodles) at Seopyeong Gisa Restaurant in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [LEE JIAN]

Gisa sikdang began entering the Gangnam area as the district became urbanized in the 1980s, and one such eatery was Seopyeong Gisa Restaurant. Its main offerings are chicken gomtang (bone soup) and chicken kalguksu (hand-cut noodles).

“It’s one of the very few places in Gangnam where you can get a decent meal for under 10,000 won,” said driver Jo Dong-an, 70.

Prices range from 8,000 won to 9,000 won.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]