₩41,000 full-course kalguksu for two in Anjung, Pyeongtaek: Songdam

These days, whenever the weather turns cool or the temperature swings between day and night, I somehow start craving a hot, hearty soup dish from the morning haha😂 I'm such a soup lover that I chase down warm hot pots or shabu-shabu regardless of the season anyway!

A few days ago I was feeling a bit empty inside and craving something tasty and Korean, so over the weekend I took a drive out to Anjung in Pyeongtaek! So the place I'm introducing this time is Songdam Kalguksu, located in Anjung-ri, Pyeongtaek😆

Honestly, dining-out prices these days are terrifying‼️ Even a light meal somewhere is barely covered by a ₩10,000 bill, and if you want to eat a bit more heartily at a shabu-shabu or hot pot place, the per-person cost often makes you hesitate. This place, though, lacks nothing — value for money, portion size, how pleasant the space is, and parking — so I'd recommend it for work dinners, family gatherings, meeting friends, any occasion!

Where is Songdam Kalguksu? Location, hours and parking

• Location: 129 Gangbyeon-ro, Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (lot number: Anjung-eup Anjung-ri 42-100)
• Hours: Tue–Sun 09:00–21:00 (last order 20:10)
• Closed: Every Monday
• Parking: Available (free), dedicated lot

Free dedicated parking and a wide, open dining hall

Songdam Kalguksu's private parking lot sits right in front of the restaurant, spacious and free. As you arrive you'll first spot an old-school hot pot kalguksu sign and a banner that already promises great value👏🏻 Songdam Kalguksu itself is a bit further inside!

The parking space is huge!! No matter how great a place's food is said to be, if the parking is so tight you have to circle the block a few times, or there's no parking support so you're anxious the whole time, you get worn out before you've even eaten anything🤔 The parking lines were drawn nice and wide too, so even beginner drivers could park with zero stress☺️ The moment I stepped out of the car in the lot, a delicious smell was already drifting over on the breeze — or so it felt haha.

It was hard to see in the dark, but there was a banner up top reading 'Selected as a Pyeongtaek City Good-Price Business' — that meant more to me than any TV appearance would have haha.

There were signs everywhere explaining Songdam Kalguksu's special flavor secrets! First, the broth is made with mulberry-tree Sanghwang mushrooms! Second, chives are kneaded right into the noodle dough! I'll find out how it tastes for myself, haha🙌🏻

Right at the entrance there's a noodle-making station where they pull the noodles themselves~! They use Gomtang premium noodle-making flour, and maybe that's why the noodles were seriously, insanely chewy..👍🏻 More on the noodles in a bit!

On one wall, a certificate proudly hung from the National Fishery Products Quality Management Service naming it an excellent restaurant for seafood origin labeling, along with Pyeongtaek City's Good-Price Business and Excellent Restaurant certifications‼️ There's been news lately about places faking ingredient origins, so seeing these official government and municipal seals of approval put my mind at ease before I'd even taken a bite👍🏻 It meant they use honest, good ingredients while still giving customers a generous meal at a reasonable price, so I could eat with confidence😊

While I'm at it, here's the origin labeling too!

Beyond that, the moment I stepped inside, my first thought was 'this hall is seriously huge!' The high ceiling and open layout meant no stuffy feeling at all, and the clean, warm wood-style tables and interior were really calming~

The seats were spaced generously apart, not cramped, and the space was divided into sections or by partitions, so you could chat comfortably over your meal without worrying about the next table! Baby chairs were plentifully stocked around the place too, so families with young kids can come comfortably, and the group seating was excellent — perfect for friend gatherings, hiking club or reunion meetups, family meals out, or work dinners!

Just how good must the broth be for banners like this to be up everywhere...?

There's a self-serve corner where you can grab extra broth, side dishes, and ingredients yourself.

Honestly, at a place that feels this traditional(?) the restroom is always my worry, but here the men's and women's restrooms are cleanly separated inside the restaurant and kept super hygienic👍🏻

What two people ordered at Songdam Kalguksu, and the 41,000 won bill

At Songdam Kalguksu we based our order on the beef hot pot kalguksu for two, then added two octopuses, assorted mushrooms, and meat meatball dumplings plus kimchi meatball dumplings, coming to ₩41,000 total. You can order various hot pot kalguksu options and sides to eat it shabu-shabu style, and mixing and matching types is also possible!

Before ordering I looked over what combination to go with! If putting together a combo feels like too much, you can just go straight for the shabu-shabu option👍🏻 Order the menu and barley rice/corn bread come out first — and they said the corn bread is refillable👏🏻

Even the apron had the excellent-restaurant origin-labeling mark printed on it, so 'excellent restaurant' got stuck in my head haha!!

Apron on and pondering what to eat, we ordered the signature beef hot pot kalguksu for two as our base! But coming all this way just for the basic would've been a shame, right? So we generously added two fresh octopuses, nutrient-packed assorted mushrooms, and — a must-have side — both the meat meatball dumplings and kimchi meatball dumplings🤤 And even with all that added, it was still ₩41,000✨ Such a steal!! Right after ordering, the corn bread, barley rice, and side dishes were set out immediately!

The barley rice was seriously insane!!! It was just two kinds of kimchi mixed in, but I wanted to order more of it!!! (We actually said we'd order more if there wasn't enough after finishing everything, but we ended up too full to order anything else🤔)

Octopus, beef and assorted mushrooms: the texture feast 🍄

Next, we dove into the hot pot feast starting cleanly with the octopus~! The pot comes one per table, and for two people, it looked about this size! The pot is quite big, but too much for one round if you dump everything in at once — splitting it up like I did was just right😊

The octopus was so fresh and plump that even lightly blanched, its tender-yet-chewy texture was insane! Dipping it in wasabi plus chojang (vinegared gochujang) was the best way to eat it👍🏻👍🏻

The combo with barley rice was also amazing👏🏻 The all-purpose house-made Sanghwang mushroom broth is simmered for a long time with pollack, various seafood, vegetables, and the healthy Sanghwang mushroom itself, so the deep, rich aroma drawn from natural ingredients paired perfectly with the clean-tasting octopus!! I'd definitely recommend trying the octopus🤗

After finishing the octopus, we added the extra assorted mushrooms and beef! The mushroom mix wasn't just regular oyster or enoki mushrooms — it generously included white jelly mushroom (silver ear) too, with its really appealing texture, and I was so happy to see it!

White jelly mushroom soaks up the broth like a sponge, and that pop of texture with each bite — anyone who knows, knows😆👍🏻👍🏻

Adding mushrooms really makes it look generous🫶🏻 The base broth already had insane umami, and once the beef's savory tenderness and the mushrooms' chewy, deep flavor mixed in, I couldn't help but be amazed!

Take a big spoonful of rice topped with lightly blanched octopus and beef — that's a real rice-thief right there!! The longer the broth boiled, the more the umami from seafood, beef, and mushrooms exploded, leaving me feeling completely cleared out inside👏🏻 Honestly, among Korean restaurants in Anjung, Pyeongtaek, I'd rank this among the best for broth flavor!

Rolled-style meatball dumplings: meat and kimchi

Before diving into the kalguksu itself! Time to try the meat meatball dumplings and kimchi meatball dumplings ordered as sides! Unlike typical dumplings, these are hand-formed round meatball-style dumplings — cute and round-looking, and clearly packed full inside😆

I tried the kimchi meatball dumpling first. It had just the right kick along with the kimchi's crunch and umami packed in, which cut through any greasiness nicely🤗 The harmony between the light beef hot pot broth and the kimchi meatball was great!!

Honestly, I preferred the meat meatball dumpling over the kimchi one, and here's why!! The hot pot itself wasn't very greasy to begin with, and I just generally prefer meat, haha. Usually when you eat a lot of meat or soup dishes you start craving something spicy, but that urge never came up here, haha.

Anyway! I picked one up with chopsticks and dipped it in soy sauce. There wasn't a hint of gamey meat smell — just clean, light flavor all the way through, the kind of taste that both little kids and grandparents would love☺️

The highlight: house-made chive noodles from Gompyo flour

While picking at the dumplings, the broth was so rich I decided to push straight through to the finish — noodles in!! I dropped the kalguksu noodles into the now deeply concentrated broth and let it bubble away, and as the noodles cooked, that slightly thickened, faintly sticky broth smell really got the appetite going haha.

One of Songdam Kalguksu's core strengths is exactly this noodle — apparently it's house-made, kneaded and cut in-house using Gomtang premium noodle-making flour‼️ (Look closely and you can see flecks of green chive dotted through the noodle strands🫶🏻) That's exactly why the flavor, aroma, and texture are all off the charts!!

I scooped up a well-cooked strand and slurped it down! Being house-made, the chewiness was on a totally different level from store-bought noodles. The noodles didn't get soggy at all, staying springy and chewy right to the last bite. Topping it with the crunchy, freshly made geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi) that's the crowning touch of any kalguksu place, plus a spoonful of broth alongside, made for a truly perfect finish! The spicy-sweet kimchi seasoning, the noodle's savoriness, and the broth's deep flavor all came together, and even full, I couldn't put my chopsticks down😭

The scene of total fullness📸

Prices and final verdict on Songdam Kalguksu

I ordered the beef hot pot kalguksu at ₩8,000, octopus at ₩10,000, and assorted mushrooms at ₩5,000! Prices were a total steal✨

Thanks to the wide private lot and the pleasant, spacious hall, I'd strongly recommend this for family gatherings or group work dinners🚗 As a Pyeongtaek City-designated Good-Price Business, you can enjoy large portions of beef, mushrooms, and kalguksu at a reasonable price👍🏻 Add two octopuses and assorted mushrooms to the deep, rich beef hot pot and the broth's flavor and texture hit their peak😍 The chive noodles are the highlight👏🏻 A shabu-shabu specialist in Anjung, Pyeongtaek that everyone, young or old, can enjoy🙌🏻

If you want to properly enjoy a full course of hot, deep broth, chewy house-made kalguksu noodles, and generous beef and octopus at an affordable price, be sure to visit at least once!