Wonju makchang with a baby and mulberry highball: Yeon Makchang

* This visit included some sponsored items, but the order also included dishes paid for out of pocket.

Today's review is! A delicious dinner at Yeon Makchang, freshly opened in July '26 in Dangye-dong, Wonju!

Where is Yeon Makchang Dangye Branch in Dangye-dong, Wonju?

Yeon Makchang Dangye Branch sits roughly across from Useong Dakgalbi in Dangye-dong, Wonju. Since it opened in July 2026, it's got that fresh new signboard look.

Apparently it's Korea's only lotus-leaf-aged makchang, so of course everyone's rushing to try it haha! Out front there were piles of opening celebration flower wreaths :)

Dangye-dong is a nightmare for parking, but Yeon Makchang has space for 3–4 cars right in front — we got lucky and parked right there!

Even at 8:30pm the place was packed... clearly a hot spot for drinks in Dangye-dong haha. A group even walked in while we were eating!

We had a reservation so our table was already set up. Our baby has gotten big enough now to sit at a regular table without a high chair — mom and dad are thrilled ><

Yeon Makchang menu and how many servings you must order

The main menu at Yeon Makchang Dangye Branch is par-grilled makchang and special makchang, plus Korean pork neck cold-served, fire chicken feet, and a beef brisket-scallop combo. It's all made with that special lotus-leaf-aging technique — hence 'Yeon' Makchang ★

Since we came for makchang :) we ordered 2 servings of par-grilled makchang and 2 servings of special makchang. (Note: first order must be at least 3 servings, additional orders come in units of 2!)

Since the place had just opened, they were running a promotion — spicy clam wine stew, limited to 10 a day, for just ₩6,000! Great for a cold drink alongside ★

But since we were here for dinner, we ordered 4 servings of makchang plus icy yeolmu mak-guksu and doenjang jjigae! I really wanted makgeolli too haha but I was curious what this 'ore' highball with mulberry was, so we ordered that too!

What's on the self-serve bar

Wrap vegetables and side dishes were always available at the self-serve corner! Neatly kept and organized

Four servings of par-grilled makchang, cut by the staff

And then the makchang arrived!!!!!!!!!!!! Looking at it... 4 servings but such a small precious amount ★ but honestly the portion wasn't small once we started eating! It comes par-grilled, so you just need a bit more time on the grill before it's ready. And the staff cut it all up for us, which was so, so convenient.

Cut nice and neat like this, easy to eat! The cherry tomatoes and sweet pumpkin and green onion looked so vibrant *_*

They also give you the spicy sauce that's signature to Yeon Makchang — bring it to a boil once and dip in, it's a special treat, seriously ㅋ_ㅋ

Looks so good........................ I could probably eat 8 servings..! haha The makchang looked so plump and clearly chewy-tender

At 9pm.. our Yeon Makchang spread was complete!!!!! Chili peppers, chives, and perilla leaves to dip in the sauce were all piled up at the self-serve bar with refills available :) On a hot day, the cool bean sprout cold soup and refreshing cucumber + carrot were also refillable at the self-serve bar!

The peanut ssamjang sauce is so, so my style ★

How does the makchang taste? Chewy, nutty, no gamy smell

Crisping up nicely on the grill!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't resist and grabbed a bite — it was so chewy and haha so savory, zero gamy smell, and an 'ah, delicious!' just slipped out.

Gopchang and makchang — something I really craved while raising a baby haha. Felt like it'd been so long since I had it, and I was glad this first bite back was Yeon Makchang!

Look at that glossy sheen on the makchang — come see it at Yeon Makchang ★

Could it look any more gorgeous haha. My husband personally likes his less cooked and chewy, while I like mine well-done and crispy haha

The combo with grilled green onion was so, so good. Everyone, grill some green onion alongside your makchang!

Doenjang jjigae, the mulberry ore highball and the house sauces

The doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) came out right away too~! Had Busan-style doenjang jjigae recently, but doenjang stew is really a Gangwon thing ^^ haha. Reasonably priced for a side dish, and it tasted great too!

A mulberry + lemon highball! Since it's bourbon whiskey based, ㅠㅠ sadly not my style, but I was just so happy to have a rare night of freedom that I drank the whole thing anyway haha

The house special sauce! This one's got a spicy kick that's totally my style — if you can't handle spicy, be warned!

Makchang + gungchae namul (herb greens) = love, ha ha ha ha. My husband said he doesn't wrap his makchang in lettuce, but I'm a wrap-lover, so I wrapped mine up meticulously in perilla leaves and cabbage leaves. Either way, absolutely delicious!

Finishing with icy yeolmu mul-makguksu noodles

Yeolmu mul-makguksu (chilled radish-green noodles in broth)! Sweet, tangy, and just the perfect palate-cleansing dish after the slightly rich makchang haha. Loaded with yeolmu radish greens and white kimchi, crunchy and refreshingly delicious.

The noodles were cooked so evenly.. ★ Delicious

?????????????????? Facing an empty grill plate.. haha, a successful and happy dinner for mom and dad. Our little one ate the chicken nuggets and seaweed we'd packed ahead, but once he's a bit bigger he can eat makchang with mom and dad too!?

This Wonju makchang spot even has dessert covered — there's a cool slushie machine right next to the counter, so our little one and mom and dad all left happily holding a slushie each ㅋ_ㅋ

Do we really need to go all the way to Daegu for makchang!!!!!!!! If I'm craving pork makchang in Wonju, I'm heading straight to Yeon Makchang in Dangye-dong without a second thought. A delicious first-in-a-while bowl of chewy, savory makchang — that's the review, the end!