Suji, Yongin shabu-kalguksu with Jin Ramen-level spicy broth: Yun Ujae

Location and hours of Yun Ujae Shabu Kalguksu

📍 Location 3 Gogiro173beon-gil, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:10–20:50 (Break time 15:00–16:30) *No break time on weekends/holidays 🚗 Parking Parking available in front of the store (See separate parking guide if space is insufficient)

The weather's hot, but there are some dishes that come to mind anyway — Yun Ujae Shabu Kalguksu is one of them. A friend recommended it as a must-visit Yongin spot, and after tasting it myself, I got why customers keep coming even in this heat. Let me give you an honest rundown of why this shabu-kalguksu place draws such a crowd.

Waiting and atmosphere: zero wait on a weekday opening run

Yun Ujae Shabu Kalguksu takes waitlist entries through CatchTable. The instructions are detailed, so if you're waiting, just follow the steps in order and it's easy to navigate.

Can you see how spacious the dining room is? The tables are comfortably spread apart so you're not crammed next to your neighbors.

There are chairs at the entrance for waiting customers, and once inside, an even bigger waiting room is set up so you can wait comfortably.

Inside there's ample seating for several people to wait together. The AC was blasting too, so even in the heat it stayed cool and comfortable while waiting haha.

There was a screen showing the current waiting status at a glance, plus paper and pens set out so you could fill in your order ahead of time. Writing the order form before being seated seems to speed things up and improve turnover. I went on a weekday morning opening run, so there was no wait at all.

There's also a separate group room. Being a divided-off space, it's great for family gatherings, work dinners or other group meetups, letting you enjoy a meal in a more private setting.

The ₩11,500 per-person set and choice of broth

Yun Ujae Shabu Kalguksu is one order per person (excluding preschool-age children), and you can choose between white broth and spicy broth for the shabu-shabu. The spicy broth's heat level is also adjustable to taste, so you can enjoy it however you like.

What surprised me most was the price. One shabu-shabu set includes meat, fresh vegetables, kalguksu noodles and fried rice, all for ₩11,500 per person! Given today's prices, isn't that genuinely hard to believe? Getting such a hearty meal for that price was the biggest draw.

Self-serve corner and seokbakji

The self-serve corner has cold water, napa cabbage kimchi, seokbakji (diced radish kimchi) and extra broth — help yourself to whatever you like. Only the napa kimchi comes as a standard side; you have to grab the seokbakji yourself from the self-serve corner! Personally, the seokbakji was really good — crunchy and perfectly fermented, pairing well with both the shabu-shabu and the kalguksu.

Pajeon takeout containers and baby chairs

One thoughtful touch: there are dedicated takeout containers for leftover pajeon (savory pancake)! You can pack it up yourself without having to ask a staff member, which felt really convenient.

There are also baby chairs for anyone visiting with kids, plus bibs available if needed during the meal.

With everything set, one last step! Prepare the dipping sauce to go with your shabu-shabu. Mix soy sauce and wasabi to your taste, and you're ready to eat.

The shabu-shabu spread: minari and two servings of sirloin

Hello, my beloved minari (water dropwort) 💚 The long-awaited shabu-kalguksu finally arrives. Seeing the generous pile of minari and mushrooms alone made me feel healthier! Onions and potatoes round it out even more. If you feel like there aren't enough vegetables, you can order extra (for an additional charge).

The beef for shabu-shabu is 2 servings of sirloin.

You can choose between kalguksu noodles or kalguksu plus flat kalguksu. We went with the basic kalguksu only.

And of course, the final flourish of shabu-shabu is the fried rice! Honestly, there are certain dishes I eat purely for the fried rice at the end, and shabu-shabu is one of them lol.

They bring out the dishware separately, dipped once in hot water beforehand. Seeing attention paid even to details like this made me feel reassured about using the place — it gave a strong sense of good hygiene management. Also, if you're visiting with a child, you can request separate dishware for them.

Be sure to check the how-to-enjoy-it guide placed on the table too. Follow the steps and you can enjoy the shabu-shabu, kalguksu and fried rice at their best.

How spicy is the spicy broth? About as hot as Jin Ramen

Even before the broth comes to a boil, they add the beef to simmer. Just watching the thinly sliced sirloin cook made my mouth water. We went with the spicy broth, and at the regular setting, I'd say it's about as hot as Jin Ramen (a popular spicy instant noodle). Rather than being overwhelmingly spicy, it had a pleasant kick that was easy to enjoy without any burden.

The vegetables come pretty generously portioned, don't they? I was fully satisfied without adding any extra.

₩16,000 crispy seafood pajeon

The ₩16,000 crispy seafood pajeon — seeing the golden-brown, crisply fried surface, I immediately understood why it's called 'crispy.'

Made with three secret batter recipes, this crispy seafood pajeon stays crunchy down to the last bite! True to its name, the crisp texture was the real draw. Crispy outside, moist inside, and packed with squid and shrimp for a satisfying chew. The batter itself is well-seasoned, so it's tasty and savory even without dipping it in soy sauce. Of course, they still provide soy sauce on the side if you want it!

Finishing with kalguksu noodles and fried rice

After enjoying the shabu-shabu for a while, it's noodle time! The kalguksu noodles go into the rich remaining broth to simmer. The instructions on the table say to set the temperature to 8 and simmer for about 6 minutes.

The cooked kalguksu noodles arrive 🍜 The chewy texture was really great — made using a traditional foot-pounding method and aged for 48 hours, the noodles definitely had a different chewiness than regular kalguksu.

Partway through, set the noodles aside in a bowl and it's time for the final highlight: making the fried rice! Hahaha. You don't need much leftover broth — about one ladle is enough. Set the temperature to 5 and stir-fry the prepared ingredients evenly, mixing occasionally as it cooks, until the savory fried rice is done! Since it soaks up the shabu-shabu broth, it was delicious right to the very last bite 😋

The noodle-making room was open so we could see inside. I didn't catch anyone actually kneading dough haha, but seeing flour piled up in one corner made it clear this is a space where they make and manage the noodles themselves.

Where to park? Alternatives when the lot is full

A note on parking! If the lot in front of the building is full, on weekdays you can park on the roadside during school-zone release hours, and on weekends you can use the daycare center parking lot across the street (only when there's no daycare event happening). It's worth checking parking availability before you go for a smoother visit!

In summary

Even in hot weather, a warming shabu-shabu spot that stays on your mind — Yun Ujae Shabu Kalguksu. With plentiful vegetables, tender beef, chewy kalguksu and fried rice to finish it all off like a course meal, it was a hearty meal. Above all, being able to enjoy this whole spread for ₩11,500 per person was genuinely satisfying. If you're looking for a great-value shabu-shabu spot in Suji, Yongin, give Yun Ujae Shabu Kalguksu a try!!