Saturday family lunch at Gwanpyeong-dong kalguksu restaurant Yongja 1

I finally made it to Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch (용자1 관평점), famous as a kalguksu spot in Gwanpyeong-dong! I'd wanted to go before, but I always ended up wanting to go on a Sunday haha, when they're closed. This time I went for Saturday lunch with my parents!

Where is Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch, and is there parking?

Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch is on the 1st floor at 8-1 Gwandeul 1-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea. It's open Monday through Saturday, 11:00–20:00, closed every Sunday. Break time is 15:00–17:00, and last order is at 14:30 and 19:30 — they close early once ingredients run out.

Here's the entrance of Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch :) Parking is possible right in front of the shop, but there may be no spots when it's busy, so keep in mind you may need to park in a nearby alley or public lot!

How long is the Saturday lunch wait at Yongja 1?

There was a sign-up sheet for the waitlist, but by the time we finished eating it had already disappeared...! Waits happen often at lunchtime, so they keep a waitlist sheet ready :)

Inside, tables are set up as 2-person and 4-person seating, and I got a table right away without waiting!

Inside there were restroom signs and aprons hanging around that you could use :)

Yongja 1 makes its own noodles in-house

The noodle-making station and the dumpling-steaming station were both right in the middle of the restaurant :)

There was also a booster chair for kids, so families with young children can eat comfortably too :)

Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch menu and how to order

Here's the menu at Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch :) It's kept simple — kalguksu, kalmandu-guk, tteok-mandu-guk, bibim kalguksu, bean kalguksu (available April–September), and steamed dumplings. We ordered one kalguksu and two kalmandu-guk haha. My dad always orders soju wherever we go, but they don't sell alcohol here, so that was a pass!

Side dishes and the self-serve chili paste (dadaegi) corner

The side dishes are kimchi and pickled onions — of course kalguksu needs fresh-mixed kimchi, right? haha

If you run out of side dishes, you can grab more from the self-serve corner, where there's also chili paste, pepper, and salt to add as you like. If you have leftover dumplings, you can take them home — they even had containers sized appropriately for however much was left haha.

I scooped some right away — there's both spicy and regular chili paste, so I brought both and ate according to taste :)

Kalguksu 9,000 won and kalmandu-guk 10,000 won: how big are the portions?

Kalguksu, ₩9,000

Kalmandu-guk, ₩10,000

The kalguksu is a simple bowl with just noodles :) And the portion is enormous haha. It's genuinely too much for one person!!! The huge amount really won me over haha.

But the same goes for the kalmandu-guk...! My mom said she should have just ordered the dumpling one haha. The portion is already big, and then three dumplings go on top, and the kimchi dumplings are huge — almost fist-sized :) The broth tastes a little like the dumpling filling itself!

Probably because it's packed with minced stir-fried meat, chives, and dried seaweed flakes haha. The dumplings seem to be hand-pinched — being able to shape them that beautifully is honestly impressive :)

First, I added chili paste to the kalguksu, and I personally preferred the seasoned chili paste :) The fresh-mixed kimchi was crunchy without being over-fermented, which was exactly my taste haha.

The kimchi dumplings to order at Yongja 1

But above all... if you go to Yongja 1, you really have to try the dumplings. Honestly the best dumplings I've ever had. Packed with glass noodles, tofu, meat, kimchi, and vegetables, with an incredibly thin skin — it's insane... A lot of people were taking dumplings to go too. This place makes you want to order dumplings to go, or order them separately, it's that good of a dumpling spot!!!

There's no separate soy sauce for dipping dumplings, even if you order them on their own... You just use the soy sauce that comes with the pickled onions! Like this :) haha. Seriously such a great restaurant... Doesn't a noodle dish just hit the spot on weekends?!