Kid-friendly Bucheon kalguksu and takeaway kimchi: Jakdong Hongdukkkae

I went to Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu with my noodle-loving kid. 😊 Honestly, I used to think a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) place just needs good noodles and broth. But here, halfway through I was like "wait, what's going on with this kimchi?" and by the end it was "what even is this snack?" haha. Bottom line up front: the noodles were great, but I fell hard for the kimchi and ended up taking some home.

Where is Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu? Parking and hours in Bucheon

Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu sits below a hill at 63 Giljuro560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon. It's open 10:30–21:00, with free parking right in front of the restaurant.

The restaurant is tucked into the hills on the edge of Bucheon, so the vibe was a bit different from a downtown kalguksu spot.

The exterior alone gave off serious old-school local favorite energy.

The place has apparently been running for over 10 years. The parking space right out front also made it easy to visit by car with a kid.

• 📍 Location: 63 Giljuro560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• ⏰ Hours: 10:30–21:00
• 🚗 Parking: Free

Clam kalguksu for two: house-made noodles cooked at the table

What we ordered at Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu was the clam kalguksu, ₩11,000 for two servings. It's made with in-house noodles and a deeply simmered seafood broth.

What was unusual was that the noodles aren't in the broth from the start — once the broth is boiling, you add the noodles yourself and cook them at the table.

There's an hourglass on the table too. Add the first batch of noodles, flip the hourglass, stir the noodles, and put the lid on. Once the second hourglass finishes, it's ready to eat.

With instructions laid out like this, it wasn't hard to follow. Watching the noodles go into the bubbling broth, they clearly looked different from typical store-bought noodles.

How the seafood broth tasted, and how my kid reacted

The clam kalguksu at Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu had both clams and shrimp in it, so the broth was refreshingly savory, and my kid ate the noodles and soup really well too.

I scooped out a bowl of the well-cooked kalguksu — with clams and shrimp both in there, the broth looked refreshing. And when I actually tasted it... the broth was seriously amazing.

That clean seafood flavor really came through without being overly intense — the kind of taste that keeps your spoon going back in!

Maybe because the noodles are house-made, they paired really well with the broth, and slurping them down in the hot soup was properly filling. Most of all, my kid ate really well. Whenever we eat out with a kid, whether they'll actually eat is always on my mind, so when both the noodles and the broth went down well, that was honestly the best part as a mom. 😊

The real kick is the kimchi: 1.5kg for 20,000 won to go

What I fell for most at Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu was the kimchi. It's sold separately at 1.5kg for ₩20,000, so I ordered some to take home.

You can't have kalguksu without kimchi on the side, right?

But the kimchi here wasn't just a side dish. I honestly think the kimchi is this place's real kick. Take a bite of kalguksu, top it with a piece of kimchi... ah, that combo was just so good haha. The seasoning was well balanced and it paired perfectly with the clean, refreshing broth of the kalguksu. In the end I fell for the kimchi while eating and ordered some to take home. It's sold separately at 1.5kg for ₩20,000.

Who knew I'd come for kalguksu and go home with kimchi. 😂 That's how much it hit my exact taste.

Barley rice while you wait for the kalguksu

At Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu you can also try barley rice while waiting for your noodles. There was also a heaping barley rice for ₩3,000 as a separate menu item.

Mixing the barley rice with vegetables and seasoning was a great way to whet the appetite before the kalguksu arrived.

The menu had a heaping barley rice for ₩3,000 as its own item too. Eating barley rice while waiting, then diving into the kalguksu, then topping it off with kimchi — it made for a pretty filling meal.

A twist at the end: what is this jorippong brittle?

On the way out of Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu, I spotted a jorippong (rice puff) brittle-style snack, and that was the final twist. It was the perfect palate cleanser after the kalguksu.

And just as we were finishing up and heading out, I noticed a snack sitting there.

It looked like a brittle made of clustered jorippong (rice puffs), and I grabbed one without thinking much... wow, this is actually really good?

Crunchy and sweet, it was exactly the palate cleanser you want after kalguksu. The kind of taste that keeps your hand reaching back even when you're full haha. Ate kalguksu, fell for the kimchi and bought some, and then this sweet snack was great too — I left in a really good mood.

Honest verdict on eating at Jakdong Hongdukkkae with a kid

A place where not just the kalguksu, but even the kimchi and the snacks, are delicious!

If you're looking for kalguksu in Jakdong, the house-made noodles and refreshing seafood broth were great, but I'd dare to recommend this place mainly for the kimchi. My kid ate the kalguksu so well that I think our family would happily come back. Next time too, I'll probably eat kalguksu and go back for a solid plate of kimchi. 😋 (Oh — and don't forget to buy the jorippong brittle snack!)