Seocho Korean restaurant for clam noodles and pancakes: Daseon

Today, four friends and I got together for the first time in ages and went to Daseon Kalguksu near Gyodae Station for a meal :) I had been here once before, and it came to mind again when I was with my friends, so we came back.

There are lots of office workers around Gyodae Station, and it is such an easy area for making plans, so I often find myself looking for somewhere to eat with friends or have a drink in the evening. When there are four of you like us, it is best to order a bit of everything and share rather than stick to just one dish, haha.

So that day, we ordered Jang Kalguksu, Daseon Kalguksu, and assorted jeon (Korean savory pancakes).

A good Gyodae Station spot for kalguksu and Korean dishes together

Daseon Kalguksu is said to carry on a 25-year tradition. There was quite a variety of kalguksu: basic Daseon Kalguksu, Jang Kalguksu, Kal Nakji with octopus, and dumpling kalguksu. Beyond noodles, there were plenty of Korean dishes too, including suyuk bossam (boiled pork wraps), spicy stir-fried beef and octopus, seafood pajeon (scallion pancake), yukjeon (beef pancake), and shrimp pancake.

That makes it a nice place for lunch near Gyodae Station, or for pairing food with a drink in the evening.

The barley rice I kept reaching for before the noodles

One thing I really loved was the barley rice that comes out before the meal.

I mixed the barley rice with shredded radish kimchi, and it was one of those things that seems like nothing special but is secretly so delicious, haha. The crisp radish kimchi went so well with the barley rice that I kept reaching for it before the kalguksu arrived.

I remember each of us mixing up a bowl and saying, “This is good,” haha. When even the complimentary basics are delicious, I feel like my first impression of a restaurant automatically gets better.

Rich, savory Gangneung-style Jang Kalguksu

We started with the Jang Kalguksu. It is Gangneung-style Jang Kalguksu, so it tastes quite different from typical clear-broth kalguksu. The broth was rich and savory, perfect served hot, and noodles with that broth really did make for a filling meal.

Since we had also ordered Daseon Kalguksu, we shared bites with one another. Eating the clear, refreshing noodle soup alongside the rich, savory Jang Kalguksu made the distinct character of each one stand out.

Daseon Kalguksu loaded with clams

And then there was the Daseon Kalguksu I had been looking forward to! You can probably tell from the photos, but it was absolutely loaded with clams. With clams in an anchovy-based seafood broth, it had a refreshing, clean flavor.

I love clams, so I picked them out one by one as I ate the noodles, haha. Seafood kalguksu really does taste better when it is generous with clams.

The Jang Kalguksu was rich and savory, while Daseon Kalguksu was refreshing thanks to the clams, so if four friends are visiting together, ordering both to share would be a good idea.

Assorted jeon that pairs well with kalguksu

Kalguksu alone felt a little incomplete, so we ordered assorted jeon too. With four of us at the table, it was nice to put one plate in the middle and pick at it together. It was nutty and delicious while warm, and it went better with the kalguksu than I expected.

Especially for an evening visit, I thought it would be nice to have a light drink with kalguksu and a plate of assorted jeon. So if you are looking for a bar near Gyodae Station but want somewhere more relaxed than a loud spot, with warm Korean dishes, this may be worth keeping in mind.

A shared meal on a return visit with four friends

This visit was especially nice because there were four of us, so we could order several dishes and share them. More than anything, we had not seen each other in a while, and time flew by as we ate good food and talked, haha.

Of everything I tried that day, I especially liked the clam-filled Daseon Kalguksu, while Jang Kalguksu would be a good choice for anyone who likes a rich broth. And definitely try the pre-meal barley rice plus radish kimchi at least once. We started eating it without much thought, then kept mixing more because it was so good, haha.

With its 25-year tradition, Daseon Kalguksu felt like a place for familiar, comforting Korean food—kalguksu, jeon, and bossam—rather than flashy dishes. If you have a lunch date with friends near Gyodae Station or are looking for somewhere to eat and have a light drink in the evening, it may be worth considering :) The four of us came back, ate well, and chatted our hearts out 🤍