Daejeon noodle restaurant for bibim kalguksu: Yongja 1

A handmade noodle shop in the Gwanpyeong-dong food alley

While wondering what to have for dinner in Gwanpyeong-dong, we visited Yongja 1, a local favorite where the kalguksu and dumplings looked amazing. Such great value, and the noodles were seriously delicious too! Ahh, you can immediately tell when a place makes its own noodles and steams everything in-house, haha!!

It is on the first floor at 8-1 Gwandul 1-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, and Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch is a handmade kalguksu noodle shop near Daejeon Hyundai Outlet, in the Gwanpyeong-dong food alley. It is especially popular at weekday lunch, so leave yourself a little extra time if you go then. Even though my husband and I came for dinner, customers kept streaming in—whoa. Officially a great restaurant already!

From first glance, it felt a little different from a typical kalguksu place. Everything was neat and calm! The wooden sign says Yongja 1, and the Chinese characters mean “son of a dragon”.... So that is what Yongja means, haha. You can clearly see the noodle-making area from outside, and the stacked giant bamboo steamers especially caught my eye. At that point, how could I not try the dumplings? Haha, I was already excited to taste them.

The restaurant is more spacious than it looks from outside. Best of all, one side has a glass window looking straight into the dumpling-steaming area. Watching steam billow from the bamboo steamers made me hungry before we even got our food... Dumplings are an absolute must-order.

The self-service bar and kalguksu-dumpling combination

There is a self-service bar where you can help yourself to extra side dishes! You can have as much silbi kimchi, a spicy regional-style kimchi, and pickled onions as you like, and they go so well with kalguksu, haha. Oh! If you have dumplings left over, packing boxes are right next to the self-service bar so you can pack them yourself.

I also liked that the menu was not complicated. It is simply handmade kalguksu and dumplings steamed to order, haha. We ordered kalguksu, bibim kalguksu (spicy mixed noodles), and steamed dumplings—the three of them. (Whispering: I seriously recommend this combination!!!) With broth noodles, mixed noodles, and dumplings, it was perfect for alternating between three flavors, haha.

Huge steamed kimchi dumplings and two kinds of kalguksu

Finally, all the kalguksu and dumplings arrived with a ta-da!! First, I was shocked by the size of the steamed dumplings, hahaha. They look huge even in photos, but they are even more substantial in person—amazing, haha. The wrappers were completely packed with kimchi dumpling filling. Just one has major presence... There is absolutely no way to fit one in your mouth in a single bite. They felt like they were steamed and served right after ordering too, so the wrappers were moist and piping hot.

Nutty broth and my top-pick bibim kalguksu

The kalguksu broth was so nutty and rich. It was not aggressively salty; it was clean-tasting yet full of savory depth, so I kept scooping it up. My husband grew up eating Jeonju’s famous Veteran Kalguksu because Jeonju is his hometown, but after tasting Yongja 1’s broth, he said Cooking Master Boy flashed through his mind, hahaha. What an expression, haha.

But unexpectedly, my top pick was the bibim kalguksu. The seasoning is so good.... At some places, bibim kalguksu is overly seasoned and intense, making me thirsty the whole time, which I do not love. But ahh, Yongja 1’s bibim kalguksu was not too sweet or strongly seasoned, just gently spicy—completely my style!!! It also comes piled with vegetables and sesame seeds, so mixing it all together gives it a great texture. When you order bibim kalguksu, warm kalguksu broth comes with it too; take a bite of noodles, then a sip of broth, and ahhhhh~

For a hearty meal in Gwanpyeong-dong

If you are looking for a good restaurant in Gwanpyeong-dong, Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch is a handmade kalguksu shop you absolutely have to visit at least once, haha. I especially recommend it if you are looking for somewhere near Daejeon Hyundai Outlet or want a hearty meal in Gwanpyeong-dong! The kalguksu broth is nutty, the bibim kalguksu seasoning is delicious, and above all, those huge steamed kimchi dumplings really stay in your memory. (Ahh, I already want them again ㅠㅠㅠ) We ordered three dishes, but not one was a so-so choice; the combination was so good that we scraped every plate clean, haha. Next time, I think I will definitely order the bibim kalguksu and steamed dumplings again.