The Renovated Kimbap Heaven Apgujeong Branch, a Lunch Spot for Office Workers

I think Kimbap Heaven is probably one of the places office workers visit most often for lunch. It’s because the prices are low and there are so many different dishes, so you can choose the menu you want. There are two Kimbap Heaven locations near Apgujeong Station, and we use the Kimbap Heaven Apgujeong Branch, which is close to Exit 4 of Apgujeong Station.

One day, they were doing construction, so I thought another restaurant might be moving in, but it turned out they were renovating.

Before we knew it, the renovated Kimbap Heaven had changed into a completely different look.

From the outside, the sign is no longer the orange one that comes to mind when you think of Kimbap Heaven, but a new-looking sign and exterior design that made me wonder if this was really Kimbap Heaven.

Not only the exterior, but even the way you use Kimbap Heaven has changed. Before the renovation, you would sit down, fill out an order form, and hand it to a staff member. Now, you just use the self-ordering machine.

The unmanned self-ordering machines I often saw on trips to Japan can now be found in many places in Korea as well. So using one doesn’t feel unfamiliar at all—it just feels like, oh, this is how you order here too.

Kimbap Heaven going global!! It was set up so you can choose your language when ordering.

Everything changed during the renovation. I wondered if introducing a self-ordering machine meant they were adopting a self-service system, and sure enough, after finishing the meal, you’re told to bring your empty dishes to the area for empty dishes. In the end, Kimbap Heaven has become a self-service system!!

But... why do Kimbap Heaven prices vary a little by region and by store?

In a way, it’s a little sad that Kimbap Heaven has become a place that isn’t exactly that cheap anymore.

At the renovated Kimbap Heaven Apgujeong Branch, even the side dishes, soup, and water have all become self-service. In a way, self-service side dishes and soup don’t seem like a bad thing. You can eat as much as you need, as comfortably as you want.

If you go at lunchtime, it’s so busy with so many customers, order calls, and takeout orders that even if you want a refill, asking for more feels awkward. In that sense, I’m in favor of the self-service corner.

Since I wasn’t eating in the restaurant and had ordered takeout in advance by phone, I paid at the counter for cash and ledger payments instead of using the self-ordering machine.

At the renovated Kimbap Heaven Apgujeong Branch, they didn’t put the price list on the wall; instead, they placed the menu board at the area where they make the kimbap. Since orders are placed through the machine anyway, checking the menu on the machine makes sense, so keeping a menu board in the store probably wasn’t very meaningful!!

Still, I think they placed the menu board there for people paying with cash or on account.

After the renovation, the next biggest change to the newly reopened Kimbap Heaven Apgujeong Branch was the tables. They expanded the seating area to the second floor, whereas before there were only tables on the first floor. It made me wonder if the original Kimbap Heaven store had such a high ceiling.

Personally, since they expanded the seating to the second floor, I think you no longer have to eat in such a rush that you don’t know whether the food is going into your nose or your mouth.

The moment I thought, “I should have lunch at Kimbap Heaven,” the first thing I decided to order was egg kimbap.

Kimbap Heaven’s egg kimbap seems to be inspired by the way people make kimbap at home or pan-fry leftover kimbap with beaten egg like a pancake so it tastes better when eaten later. But here, they wrap freshly made kimbap with an egg omelet.

It’s surprisingly delicious. If someone asks me to recommend kimbap at Kimbap Heaven, I can confidently recommend the egg kimbap without hesitation.

Next was tonkatsu, which I ordered because I thought it would be nice to have a main dish!!

When ordering tonkatsu at Kimbap Heaven, the combo set is probably the first thing that comes to mind, but today I ordered it as a single item rather than a set.

That’s because I ordered cheese tonkatsu.

There’s a charm to tonkatsu bought from a snack bar rather than a specialty tonkatsu restaurant. The sauce is part of it too.

But when ordering tonkatsu at Kimbap Heaven, I think I’ll just stick with the regular tonkatsu.

Lastly, kimchi fried rice. Actually, I was going to order tuna kimchi fried rice, but they said they removed tuna kimchi fried rice from the menu during the renovation.

So I just ordered kimchi fried rice. It had a fried egg on top, and it had been a long time since I’d ordered and eaten kimchi fried rice like this, so it was really tasty.