Friday dinner shabu-shabu, rice-paper rolls, self-serve porridge

One-line summary: a shabu-shabu and cypress-steam restaurant in Yeongjong that's perfectly set up for family gatherings

I've seen Pyeonbaek Hoegwan branches in other areas before, and it turns out the Yeongjong location is actually the main branch?! What a surprise, haha

I went with my husband on a Friday after work to close out the week with a good meal haha

• Interior & seating layout
• Menu recommendations
• Honest taste review
• Other tips

Let me walk you through everything in detail~!

Location and hours of 'Pyeonbaek Hoegwan,' a shabu-shabu spot in Jungsan-dong

• 📍Address: Haneulbyeolbit-ro 65beon-gil, Yeongjong-gu, Incheon
• 📍Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00
• 📍Closed: None
• 📍Parking: Underground parking available in the building (Jillo Mart parking supports overflow when full)

How to get there

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan is on the 2nd floor of the building next to Jillo Mart, which anyone living in Hanul City would know! Park in the underground lot and head up to the 2nd floor (*if the underground lot is full, Jillo Mart's parking lot next door is available).

Atmosphere, seating, and the kids' play area

I liked how the tables were spaced out generously and everything was clean and tidy. The kids' play area was especially large, so it worked great for a family gathering. Plenty of tables had elderly family members too. It reminded me of my grandmother, who really loves shabu-shabu haha

All-you-can-eat set composition and prices

The all-you-can-eat set includes cypress steam + shabu-shabu + beef + kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) + salad bar + porridge, all in one!! Prices are ₩17,900 for lunch, ₩20,900 for dinner/weekend, and ₩12,900 for kids. That's a really kind price given today's food costs.

Weekday lunch also gets you the same menu, so it might be worth aiming for a weekday lunch!! (Available until 3pm)

What's on the salad bar

Besides the cypress steam and shabu-shabu, there's also a full salad bar buffet. I photographed each item, so take a look.

Soup and stir-fried noodles (a sweet-and-sour, tomato-sauce-flavored style)

French fries, corn kernels, dinner rolls

The meat isn't ordered separately either — it's all-you-can-eat, self-serve. There were two types available: woo-samgyeop (thinly sliced beef belly) and pork neck.

There were also generous servings of shabu-shabu vegetables and rice-paper roll vegetables. The rice-paper rolls here were way tastier than at other shabu-shabu places, so I loaded up on them!!

Trying the cypress steam and rice-paper rolls

The cypress steam pot arrives right after you order. Do not open it — wait, and the staff will open it at just the right time!! (Steam rising off it made me want to peek right away...)

In the meantime, I brought over a generous plate of rice-paper roll ingredients!

I scooped it up like that, but once I got back to the table I found there was a proper bowl set up just for the rice-paper roll ingredients haha. Use that one to hold your stuff! (They even kindly labeled where each ingredient goes)

While you wait, a staff member will open the lid at just the right moment.

Woo-samgyeop, bean sprouts, mushrooms, bok choy, shrimp — all the ingredients were cooked perfectly tender.

I really loved eating the cypress steam ingredients wrapped in rice paper!! Just a heads up — dip the rice paper for only 2-3 seconds so it's easier to roll. There's peanut, chili, and soy sauce available too, so enjoy however suits your taste~~

Shabu-shabu broth combos and self-serve porridge

Once you finish the cypress steam, just press the 'remove steamer' button on the table tablet to move on to the next stage, shabu-shabu! haha

For shabu-shabu, you can choose 2 of 5 broths. We went classic and picked half katsuo broth, half spicy mushroom broth! They said it's simmered with 12 kinds of medicinal herbs, so I was pretty excited (you actually smell the herbal scent when you walk into the restaurant!)

I already felt stuffed from all the meat in the cypress steam, but somehow there was still room for shabu-shabu haha. We brought over a good mix of vegetables, dumplings, and mushrooms and enjoyed a whole different flavor with the broth!! And honestly, mixing one ladle each of the katsuo broth and spicy mushroom broth together was the best combo haha. If you go, try that.

Ah, and you're not really done until you've had carbs, right? We grabbed seaweed flakes, rice, and a raw egg from the salad bar to make self-serve porridge ^0^

Making porridge in the katsuo broth, already rich with the flavor of the meat and vegetables, was seriously bursting with umami. I drizzled on plenty of sesame oil too, and the sizzling bubble looked so good, right? Finish it off properly with either porridge or kalguksu!

Who would I recommend this to

• Anyone who wants to dine out in a kid-friendly environment
• Anyone who wants to enjoy a varied, hearty spread from cypress steam to shabu-shabu and salad bar

I'd strongly recommend 'Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Main Branch' to people like that!