Busan shabu kalguksu with a 19-month-old, baby dishes: Yunujae

A Munhyeon-dong restaurant

I'm posting a Busan trip review after a while! I know a lot of good restaurants in Munhyeon-dong, Busan — the reason being that's where I lived when I was newly married haha. It's a neighborhood with more good spots than you'd expect, so even a repeat visit says something, but this place... I've lost count of how many times I've been.

"Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu" — let me start with the location.

Where Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu is and when it opens

📍Address: 26 Suyeong-ro, Nam-gu, Busan, South Korea, Daerim Munhyeon City Plaza, Units 158–161

✔️Hours: 11:00 AM to 8:50 PM. Weekday break time is from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, with no break time on weekends or holidays. They're open as usual on Chuseok too with no break time, so it seems like a good spot for a family meal.

🅿️Parking: Available at Daerim Munhyeon City Plaza's lot

Full on a weekday: tablet ordering and menu prices

Here's the interior vibe. Even on a weekday it was fully booked haha. Luckily we got there a bit before the main dinner rush, so we ate without waiting!

Every table has a tablet, so we could check the menu, see the prices, and order all through it!

• Shabu kalguksu - red: ₩11,000
• Shabu kalguksu - white: ₩11,000
• Crispy seafood pancake: ₩16,000
• Sirloin add-on / mushroom-minari platter / minari and more available

We were three adults and a 19-month-old baby, so we ordered three servings of the red shabu kalguksu haha! Plus one crispy seafood pancake!

While the table was being set up, it's good to learn how to eat it the tasty way~~

Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu really does get busy, but maybe that's exactly why the staff set everything up so fast haha. And they're kind through it all ㅠㅠ. Look at the amount of mushrooms and minari for three servings hahaha.

They bring out the meat and kalguksu noodles together, and they even dip the spoons in hot water for us — I thought that was such a thoughtful touch haha. Growing up, whenever we ate out, my mom always filled a cup with hot water to sterilize the spoons for us~ made me think of a mother's care haha.

Is Yunujae okay with a 19-month-old baby?

Oh, and I mentioned we visited with our 19-month-old baby, right? 👧🏻🪑They have baby chairs and infant seats, so we could eat comfortably. They also prepare baby dishware for you..! Moms get moved by these little things haha.

Oh, I also ordered a bowl of rice separately, and they asked if I needed kimchi flakes and just went ahead and topped the rice with them...! Seriously, so much kindness and thoughtfulness ㅠㅠ.

Self-serve kimchi corner and how to mix the mild and hot sauces

Kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) come as basic side dishes, and if you run out, you can grab more from the self-serve corner. Eat as much as you want~~~ The sauces also come in mild, spicy, and regular versions, so you can start with mild and switch to spicy when you refill the broth haha. If you want to try a variety, I'd recommend this method?

You can add the meat little by little, but we dumped in a whole lot~ of meat at once so the broth would get full of meaty flavor haha.

All three of us love minari (water celery), so we ate happily, saying there wasn't a single thing in there we'd skip haha. The broth was deliciously spicy..! I'm famous for being a spice wimp, but it wasn't at the level of "too spicy to eat" — more like deliciously spicy, the kind you can finish enjoying to the last bite.

Wrapping the beef in flat noodles (2,000 won add-on)

A staff member gave us a great tip: lightly cook the flat kalguksu noodles that come on top of the regular noodles, then use them to wrap meat or vegetables haha. Wow, this was seriously delicious~~ Just noting you can add this for ₩2,000 haha.

Is the 16,000 won crispy seafood pancake worth ordering?

The crispy seafood pancake also came out. Honestly, when you're already having a full meal, ordering a ₩16,000 seafood pancake on top feels like a lot — isn't that pricey? — but once you see it and taste it, you'll be satisfied haha.

We actually have more days when we ordered the seafood pancake alongside the kalguksu than days we just had noodles! It's genuinely crispy and packed with so much seafood inside that it beats an average pizza for how filling it is~

While eating the seafood pancake, the kalguksu noodles keep gently simmering, so you take a bite here and there, scoop some out, then finish with fried rice

Why Yunujae is our family's favorite restaurant in Busan

Wait until the bottom gets just slightly crisped before you dig in :) You'll understand why, out of all the restaurants in Munhyeon-dong, Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu is our couple's absolute favorite~~~

This place really lets you eat beef shabu-shabu, kalguksu, and fried rice for ₩11,000 — incredible value. Looking at the other customers, a lot of them are families, and that's because the menu and flavors here are the kind that everyone, young or old, can enjoy~ If you're looking for somewhere to take the family out this Chuseok, I'd recommend this one!