Yongin restaurant near Dongbaek Lake Park: black bean noodles, mandu

Came out to Dongbaek Lake Park in Yongin and happily stopped by Baekcheongu Kalguksu, said to have amazing dumpling jeongol and black bean noodles, with my baby! The warm jeongol and black bean noodles were a fantastic combo.

I'd heard Dongbaek Lake Park in Giheung-gu, Yongin was great for walking and had plenty of places to eat, so I came out and tried the kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and black bean noodles everyone raves about at Baekcheongu Kalguksu.

Where is Baekcheongu Kalguksu Yongin Dongbaek Branch, and when is it open?

Baekcheongu Kalguksu Yongin Dongbaek Branch Location: 19 Pyeongchon2-ro 1beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do Hours: 11:00–21:00 Other: baby chair available, easy for solo dining, known for its jeongol (hot pot)

Seafood kalguksu / seafood mandu jeongol Steamed mandu (kimchi/meat/half-and-half) Black bean noodles

True to a Dongbaek, Yongin favorite, the menu is short and simple — seafood-based kalguksu and mandu jeongol are the stars! They've even added kaljebi (hand-torn noodle soup) recently.

A course-style meal that starts with barley rice and kimchi

At Baekcheongu Kalguksu the food comes out almost like a set course. First up: a hearty barley rice to mix — with tasty napa cabbage kimchi, yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), and beansprouts, all ready to shake together.

Mixing up a simple bowl of barley rice before the kalguksu really wakes up your appetite.

Seafood kalguksu, black bean noodles, half-and-half steamed mandu — is it really okay to eat this much for lunch? We were only going to get kalguksu, but every table had mandu on it, so… we ordered some too haha

What comes in one serving of seafood kalguksu

We definitely ordered one serving, but the plate arrived piled high with seafood kalguksu! Shrimp, sweet pumpkin, carrot, onion and more, all generously prepared.

A deep, rich broth with seafood mixed in gives the soup a refreshingly clean taste — the handmade noodles were cooking up nice and chewy in it.

By the way, solo diners are welcome at Baekcheongu Kalguksu too — even ordering just one serving of kalguksu on your own still gets you the house-made napa cabbage kimchi, barley rice, and a hearty bowl of noodles.

With seafood in the broth, the clean, refreshing flavor really came through — the shrimp and clams scattered throughout were great to eat along with the broth.

The handmade noodles had a chewy texture that's not comparable to store-bought kalguksu noodles! The broth was so rich and refreshing that I kept slurping it up right to the end.

Even boiled hard, the noodles never clumped together, so they stayed nice and chewy. Maybe because of the barley rice, but I felt full even just from the noodles!

Eating at Baekcheongu Kalguksu with a 1-year-old

I visited with my 1-year-old, and the clean broth flavor seemed to suit her palate — she happily ate the noodles, seafood, and vegetables too. Since it works for all ages, I'd recommend it as a family dining option!

The hidden menu item: black bean noodles with thick bean broth

Black bean noodles — the hidden menu item at Baekcheongu Kalguksu Yongin Dongbaek Branch is so delicious! It's made with special black beans sourced directly from the owner's aunt, who lives in Yeongwol.

Maybe because the black beans are domestic, the bean smell wasn't strong at all, making it an easy, no-fuss lunch.

The bean broth was so thick and nutty that it didn't need any extra seasoning! The dense bean liquid paired beautifully with the noodles, its nutty flavor coming through in every bite.

The wide noodles, clearly a step above mass-produced ones, went really well with the bean broth. It's a shame I only got to have black bean noodles at the tail end of summer instead of during peak summer.

The flavor is so savory I bet you could just drink the bean broth on its own without noodles haha. It was so good I scraped up every last bit with a spoon.

Is the half-and-half steamed mandu worth adding?

Half-and-half steamed mandu — the truth of half-and-half steamed dumplings. After tasting the kalguksu, I felt so glad we'd also ordered the mandu.

The dumpling wrapper was thin but packed full of filling, so the flavor of the filling really came through! With a thin wrapper and chewy texture, they went down easily alongside the kalguksu.

Dumplings absolutely stuffed with filling! There's real joy in popping a warm one in your mouth whole. My husband ate his whole… I cut mine in half haha. If our baby were just a bit older, we could've shared these too — so disappointing, so disappointing.

If you're strolling around Dongbaek Lake Park in Yongin and want a proven meal, get the kalguksu and steamed mandu at Baekcheongu Kalguksu! And I highly recommend the rich black bean noodles too!