Yeouido seafood boiling spot for a pre-show early dinner: Gaetbeol-ui

I took a half-day off to go see a comedy show near the National Assembly — but what to eat for an early dinner? After some thought, I decided to fill up on seafood, and here's my honest review of Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch‼️

Where Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch is and when it opens

• Address: 2F Geukdong VIP Building, 15-1 Gukhoedae-ro 70-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Phone: omitted from the original
• Hours: Daily Open 11:00 - Close 22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Parking: building basement parking lot
• Reservations: (hall/room) via Naver Reservation

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch is 300m from Exit 1 of National Assembly Station, and I drove in and went straight into the basement parking lot (the entrance is narrow, haha😅). It's not a system where the restaurant registers your parking directly — it seemed like they just open the barrier if you say you're visiting the building. (Just in case, public transit is probably best.)

Get off the elevator on the 2nd floor of the building and the restaurant is right there on the left.

Inside: 12 four-person tables in the hall and 8 private rooms

The inside of Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch felt very spacious and clean, and the tables were spread far apart so it never felt cramped✨ The hall had 12 four-person tables, and I liked that they were divided by partitions too.

There were about 8 rooms, and the interior there was just as spacious.

The menu: giant clam hot pot, seafood boiling and lunch kalguksu

The signature menus at Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch are the giant clam hot pot and seafood boiling, and you can add shabu-shabu beef, abalone, live octopus and more, plus toppings like kalguksu noodles, fish cake skewers, and mushrooms and vegetables — sounds delicious😋

There was a separate lunch menu with boneless clam kalguksu, cockle bibimbap, and more, which seemed perfect for busy Yeouido office workers to slurp down quickly. And for evening drinking snacks, there was also getbeol samhap (squid + whelk + cockles), nakji tangtangi (chopped raw octopus), cockles with spicy dressing, and lightly boiled squid🍺

What we ordered: tomato-sauce seafood boiling for two

Giant clam hot pot or seafood boiling? After going back and forth, I decided — sauce it is today! So we ordered‼️ Seafood tossed in a tomato-sauce-based dressing, eaten together with the accompanying fried rice, spaghetti, and dinner rolls — total Yeouido must-visit approved👍🏻

When the dish came out, the owner cut the abalone, whole squid, sausage, and rice cakes into bite-sized pieces for us. (My husband and I shared it between the two of us, and it was such a generous portion we were completely full✨)

Making yeolmu bibimbap with barley rice from the self-bar

One thing I loved about Gaetbeol-ui Jogae was the self-bar on one side, where you could make yeolmu bibimbap (young radish greens rice bowl) with barley rice! Toss barley rice with yeolmu kimchi, spicy gochujang sauce, and a good drizzle of sesame oil, mix it all up, and it's absolutely delicious💯 You can also help yourself to the geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi), yeolmu kimchi, and macaroni salad that were set out.

Honest verdict on Gaetbeol-ui Jogae

At the checkout counter there were candies, hair ties, floss, and mouthwash laid out — such a thoughtful touch for customers! (We used them too, haha🙂) Clams are high in protein and low in calories, so you can eat without guilt, and they mentioned that they bring in clams and seafood fresh from the sea every day — I could really taste that freshness! National Assembly Station must-visit, approved🫶🏻