Korean set meals with unlimited self-bar at Cafe Dong-i in Sicheol

Hi everyone! It's a weekend evening and I agonized about what to eat today for like a hundred rounds haha, then decided to go to Cafe Dong-i Sicheol, a Sicheol spot that never fails me. It's full of kid-friendly menus and a generous self-bar with that homemade-meal feel, so Anna's mom really loves this place. Let's jump straight into today's very full meal review!

Cafe Dong-i Sicheol hours and parking

📅 Daily 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:00) 📍 Break time 14:30–16:30 🚗 1 hour free at Sinmae public parking lot

Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is near Sinmae Market. There's a public parking lot right in front, so you can come without worrying about parking ><

The vibe inside — is it okay with kids?

Interior

This place is famous enough in the neighborhood that there's a wait during lunch and dinner peak hours, but we came for an early dinner so we could eat in a pretty quiet atmosphere. The interior is cozy and clean, and there's a baby chair, so it's great to come with kids.

Every time I come to Cafe Dong-i, the staff are really kind and the food always feels as clean as home cooking from mom — you can feel that pride everywhere in the space too. This kind of restaurant deserves all the praise.

Today... what should we eat...? After deep deliberation, we ordered the grilled pork jeyuk set, the grilled pork bulgogi set, and the beef brisket doenjang jjigae set — go go go!

What's on the self-bar

Self-bar

This is Cafe Dong-i's pride and joy — the self-bar. They generously offer fried eggs, five-grain rice, roasted barley snacks, seasonal tea, and even gopchang gim (seasoned laver).

It's kind of fun to fry your own egg haha. They're generous — eggs are always stacked up whenever we come.

Anna's dad asked for his fully cooked. Ooh, it already looks delicious.

There's unlimited rice refills too from a giant rice pot, so all us big eaters can keep going and going — happily. And it's not blood-sugar-spiking white rice, it's five-grain rice.

You can't skip gopchang gim in a Korean set meal, and it happens to pair really well with everything on Cafe Dong-i's menu.

Our meal got laid out quickly, dish by dish.

Grilled pork bulgogi set ₩12,900

Grilled pork bulgogi set, ₩12,900. Pork bulgogi, 3 side dishes, doenjang jjigae, omija tea. Plus unlimited refills of fried eggs, gopchang gim, and rice!! The side dishes seem to change slightly each visit — this time it was pickled gungchae, dried radish strips, and stir-fried anchovies.

You can practically feel the smoky char just by looking at it. All the meat dishes at Cafe Dong-i Sicheol are solid. The smoky aroma is amazing — you have to try it.

Tender, with zero gamey pork smell, and a soft sweet-and-salty flavor that even kids can enjoy.

It's served on a small brazier, so it doesn't cool down and get tough — you can eat it piping hot all the way through. A luxurious spread.

Grilled pork jeyuk set ₩12,900

This is the one Anna's mom picked — the grilled pork jeyuk set, ₩12,900.

Ahh, this place's jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork) is really, really good. Maybe I really am a Korean man at heart — I love jeyuk so much.

Spicy, salty sauce coating every piece. There's a subtle smoky richness too. Great wrapped in gopchang gim, and just as good mixed with the fried egg.

Beef brisket doenjang jjigae set ₩10,500

Beef brisket doenjang jjigae set, ₩10,500. I thought it would just be the regular doenjang jjigae from the set meals with brisket added, but the flavor is subtly different. It's definitely nuttier than the basic doenjang, and loaded with brisket for a rich, savory depth.

It's not salty or spicy enough to bother kids, so it's fun to fish out the brisket pieces, and mixing rice with the big chunks of tofu makes for an amazing bite!

Wrap-up

From a wide range of Korean dishes that are easy to eat with kids to a generous self-bar, Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is always the place that comes to mind when I want a hearty meal >< If you're craving clean, home-cooked-style Korean food or looking for a tidy spot for a family meal, I recommend it! Today too, we left with very full bellies.