Daejeon clam hot pot with cheese at Widaehan Jogae Jeongol

Clam hot pot near Daejeon University: what to know before visiting

After seeing a play in Daejeon, I visited Widaehan Jogae Jeongol (위대한조개전골), known in Yongun-dong for kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup). There is space for around 2–3 cars behind the building, and curbside parking is also available after 6 PM.

Widaehan Jogae Jeongol is near Daejeon University, so it is a nice choice for company dinners, family meals, and get-togethers. I visited during the evening rush, and the dining room was packed; it was a weekend evening, so there were lots of families dining out.

Once people had left, I looked around the dining room. It has spacious tables and comfortable chairs. It is known in Yongun-dong for kalguksu, and I heard many people come for noodles at lunchtime.

Ordering clam hot pot and getting the table ready

Each table has a tablet PC, so ordering is easy! The menu is also written in large letters on the wall. There is clam hot pot, clam samhap (three-part seafood combination), and set menus. There are plenty of side dishes too, with extra seafood, beef, and noodles available. We ordered the clam hot pot for 2! One thing: it comes with Cheongyang chili peppers. You can leave them out or add more, so be sure to mention it when ordering~

The table was set with chojang (sweet-and-tangy chili dipping sauce), soy sauce, water cups, soju glasses, sauce dishes, an empty container, scissors, tongs, and a ladle.

After ordering, we put as much chojang and soy sauce as we wanted into the sauce dishes~~ I did not get a photo, but they also gave us plenty of wasabi separately. Be sure to add it to both sauces~

The cabbage salad that comes with the meal whetted our appetites, and the beondegi (silkworm pupae), which can be divisive, were nutty and tasty!

And kimchi! As red as it looks, it is spicy. Cool, crisp, and spicy, it goes really well with the clam hot pot and kalguksu~

Fried squid and spring rolls. They were fried to order, so they were seriously crispy! The fried squid was so delicious and tender that I wanted to order more!

Clam hot pot prepared by the staff after the timer rings

The clam hot pot arrived in a large pot! They set a timer, so there was a little waiting involved. But if you eat the side dishes one by one while waiting, it is ready before you know it.

When the timer rang, a staff member came over and prepared the abalone, squid, and pen shell for us! Everything was cut into easy-to-eat pieces, so we could enjoy the meal comfortably right to the end.

First, they cut up the abalone and moved it onto our individual plates. It was tender and soft; dipped lightly in chojang, it practically melted in my mouth.

They neatly prepared the squid and pen shell too. They melted in my mouth as well... I am jealous of anyone living nearby or attending Daejeon University who can have such delicious clam hot pot, haha.

It was generous, with not just one kind but several kinds of clams! I heard the owner personally selects the fresh shellfish used at Widaehan Jogae Jeongol. The live clams change with the season, but the broth is refreshing and pleasantly spicy with Cheongyang chili peppers, so I kept reaching for more!

Cheese and kalguksu noodles to finish

Then there was cheese and vegetables in an earthenware pot~ The broth was full of savory depth, so the seafood was great, but even the napa cabbage was wonderfully sweet!

The cheese came in an earthenware pot so we could enjoy those long cheese pulls right to the end! There was a generous amount, and because it stayed in the pot, it just kept stretching and stretching. The cheese was sweet and delicious too.

Fish cake soaked in that savory broth~ Overall, I liked that the seafood in the clam hot pot was not fishy and had been well purged of sand. The Cheongyang chili peppers made the broth deeply savory and spicy, and the cheese went surprisingly well with it!

Widaehan Jogae Jeongol is known in Yongun-dong for kalguksu! Be sure to add the kalguksu noodles~ Added to that savory broth, they were wonderfully chewy and delicious. With spicy kimchi, the pleasantly fiery flavor was the best 👍👍👍

This clam hot pot is full of savory flavor, with a pleasant kick from Cheongyang chili peppers! The seafood was in great condition, and it was filling thanks to the generous cheese, vegetables, fish cake, and more. It is close to Daejeon University, so if you are looking for kalguksu or clam hot pot in Yongun-dong, visit Widaehan Jogae Jeongol ✨