Suwon Station kalguksu restaurant with a 10-minute Sunday wait: Daseon

I went to Suwon over the weekend to watch a baseball game~ Since I was already in Suwon, I drank pretty hard, and the next day I went looking for a hangover-cure spot near Suwon Station. Turns out there's a main branch of a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant I loved at Gyodae, so I went for lunch!

Today I'm sharing my lunch review of Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch near Suwon Station, waiting included!

Where is Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch, and how far is it from Suwon Station?

Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch is a 7-minute walk from Exit 8 of Suwon Station. Just walk straight down Suwon Station Theme Street and you'll find it.

How long is the Sunday lunch wait at Daseon Kalguksu?

I visited around noon on a Sunday, and there was actually a wait!!! I figured Sunday lunch would be wait-free, so I was a little surprised, but since it's a lunch spot, the line moves fast.

There's no sign-up sheet or registration — you just line up. I waited about 10 minutes before getting in.

Daseon Kalguksu menu and prices

• Kalguksu ₩10,000
• Jjang-kalguksu (spicy) ₩12,000
• Half-and-half mandu (dumplings) ₩8,000
• Bossam (boiled pork) plate ₩15,000

Pretty much every table next to me was eating Daseon kal-nakji! I wanted it too, but it's only available from 2 servings, and since I needed broth for my hangover, I just ordered kalguksu 🥹

Table setting, free geotjeori kimchi and barley rice

Every table gets black pepper, pickled chili peppers, chojang sauce, and even wet wipes~

What does every good kalguksu place have? Delicious kimchi and barley rice!!❤️

The must-have formula for a good kalguksu place is tasty geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi). Just look at it — how could it not be good? haha

Must-have formula #2 for a good kalguksu place: free barley rice~~ They give you a little mu-saengchae (radish salad) on top by default, but if you pile on more radish salad and drizzle chojang sauce and mix it all up, it's soooo good 🤤

Bossam plate, 15,000 won: tender with no gamy smell

Gotta get some protein in too haha, and once I saw they had a bossam plate, I couldn't resist~

That perfect ratio of lean meat to fat..❤️ I topped it with salted shrimp. No gamy smell at all, and super tender!!

Good meat + good kimchi = perfection ❤️ The bossam was so good I was already scarfing it down well before the kalguksu even arrived haha

Half-and-half mandu, 8,000 won: meat dumplings vs kimchi dumplings

The table next to me was eating mandu (dumplings) and it looked so good.. I couldn't hold back and ordered some haha. But the moment I got them, I was shocked by the size. The mandu are way bigger than they look in photos.

I started with the meat mandu, and it was so good it made me genuinely happy ㅠㅠ💚 The meat comes out perfectly steamed and moist, and the filling is packed full!!

The kimchi mandu was also great!! It's on the spicier side, and while it was tasty too, both my partner's and my palate gave the win to the meat mandu 👍🏻

Splitting kalguksu and jjang-kalguksu between two people

After the bossam and mandu, the kalguksu arrived~~ I wanted both the clear broth and the red broth, so I ordered to split them haha

Even the clear kalguksu is spicy, so take care with kids

Maybe because it was the weekend, there were tons of families, and lots of little kids too! It seemed like people were ordering the clear broth to feed their kids, but Daseon's clear kalguksu actually has chili in the broth, so the base is spicy by default! Watch out — it might be too spicy for little ones!!

Which is actually great for me..🌶️💚 It's loaded with clams and noodles, and the broth was seriously refreshing and delicious. Now I get why it's famous as a hangover-cure spot near Suwon Station~~

Kalguksu + kimchi — need I say more haha. The kimchi was so good I kept piling it on.

How spicy is the jjang-kalguksu? About Shin Ramyun level

I also wanted the red broth, so I ordered jjang-kalguksu~~ Turns out Daseon doesn't have a separate chili paste condiment on the side. So if you want red broth, you have to order jjang-kalguksu!

The flavor is kind of like tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) broth? Jjang-kalguksu was about as spicy as Shin Ramyun. If you're weak with spice, it might be a bit much! I enjoyed it a lot though haha

Verdict: is Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch worth it for a hangover-cure lunch near Suwon Station?

I was looking for a lunch spot near Suwon Station to cure my hangover, and ended up at Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch! I'd actually eaten at the Gyodae location before and remembered it fondly, so I trusted it and went.

Now I totally get why people line up! Next time I'm going for the kal-nakji haha. It was a delicious meal 🩵