Kimchi jjigae with brick-walled rooms in Dongtan, Hwaseong: Yangpuni

While looking for good food near Gaenari Park in Dongtan, I ended up eating a full spread — kimchi jjigae, duruchigi, and egg roll — at Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal.

Where Yangpuni is in Dongtan, and its opening hours

36-13 Dongtanbansong 3-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, 1st floor, Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal (17-9 Bansong-dong, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do) 11:00–24:00 (Break time 15:00–16:00) Last order 23:00

The sign has "kimchi jjigae & samgyeopsal" written large, so it was easy to spot from a distance. Out front there were notices about domestic napa cabbage and grade-1 Korean pork, and a row of chairs for waiting near the entrance. But what really caught my eye was the sign saying soju ₩1,900... haha. Since most of the menu — kimchi jjigae, samgyeopsal (pork belly) — practically calls for soju, this could be a pretty appealing point for anyone looking for a Dongtan team dinner spot.

Inside Yangpuni: brick-walled rooms and a hood on every table

The space is divided by brick walls, tables aren't cramped together, and every table has its own hood installed. It's a good spot even if you're just here for kimchi jjigae, but since the restaurant also serves samgyeopsal as its name suggests, it's set up comfortably for meat-eating guests too.

What's on the menu at Yangpuni

There are also set menus,

• Kimchi jjigae
• Samgyeop kimchi jjim (braised pork belly with kimchi)
• Duruchigi
• Samgyeopsal
• Sides — egg roll, jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), soy-marinated bulgogi, mul naengmyeon (cold noodle soup), kimchi mari guksu (cold noodles in kimchi broth), bibim naengmyeon

On this visit we ordered one kimchi jjigae, one duruchigi, and an egg roll. Looking at the menu, kimchi jjigae is clearly the signature dish, alongside other Korean classics like samgyeop kimchi jjim and duruchigi.

Which banchan (side dishes) come with the meal?

The banchan (side dishes) were exactly what you'd expect from a proper kimchi jjigae place! Kimchi, seasoned soybeans, and seaweed flakes came out, along with a generous plate of lettuce leaves and peppers.

I especially liked that the seaweed flakes came out in a separate dish.

How Yangpuni's kimchi jjigae tastes: ingredients and broth

As soon as the kimchi jjigae arrived, I could see it wasn't a broth-heavy style — the ingredients were quite generous. Well-fermented kimchi with chunky pieces of pork, and plenty of tofu too. Every spoonful pulled up kimchi, meat, and tofu together, so a whole bowl of rice disappeared fast with this one.

The kimchi was soft from long fermentation, and the broth had a naturally deep pork flavor — a familiar kimchi jjigae taste that goes perfectly with rice. Rather than being just intensely spicy, it's the kind of rich, savory broth that keeps making you crave another spoonful of rice.

Mixing rice with seaweed flakes and kimchi stew

And here's the move — mix your rice with seaweed flakes. Pile plenty of seaweed flakes onto warm rice, add a little of the jjigae broth and ingredients, and it's such a simple combination but genuinely delicious... haha. The stew broth soaks into the rice, and with the nutty seaweed flakes added, it's way tastier than just eating plain rice.

Yangpuni's duruchigi leans sweet

The duruchigi we ordered alongside had a completely different vibe from the kimchi jjigae.

The sauce leans slightly sweet and rich rather than spicy, which made it great for wrapping in lettuce. The meat was well coated in sauce, so it worked well as a side with rice, and wrapping it with a piece of garlic and a dab of ssamjang was perfect. Kimchi jjigae for a hot, sharp bite and duruchigi for something sweeter — ordering both together was definitely the right call.

A thick plate of egg roll at Yangpuni

And surprisingly, the egg roll turned out to be a favorite. As you can tell from the photos, it's not the thin, small kind of egg roll — it comes out thick, long, and filling the whole plate.

The outside was golden and cooked through while the inside stayed moist and soft — really good eaten warm. There was a generous drizzle of ketchup too, so I kept dipping piece after piece and it was gone in no time lol. Between bold-flavored dishes like the kimchi jjigae, the soft egg roll made for a nice bite in between. Among the restaurants near Gaenari Park in Dongtan, this is familiar, crowd-pleasing Korean food that seemed just right for lunch or dinner, and easy to bring a group to.

Is Yangpuni a good spot for a Dongtan team dinner?

With kimchi jjigae, samgyeopsal, and duruchigi all on the menu, you can lean into a meal-focused order or pair it with drinks, so it's worth putting on the list when scouting a Dongtan team dinner spot. Overall, this combination was quite satisfying — a hearty kimchi jjigae, sweet duruchigi, and thick egg roll, each different enough to enjoy side by side. In particular, fishing out the tofu and meat from the kimchi jjigae, then mixing rice with seaweed flakes, is a combination I'd recommend :) When I want a comfortable Korean meal near Gaenari Park again, Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal is the place I'll think of.