Yongin restaurant after outlet shopping: Jangwongap Kalguksu

Gomae-dong kalguksu after shopping at Lotte Outlet Yongin Giheung

I visited Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch in Gomae-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi. Lotte Outlet Yongin Giheung, IKEA, and Costco are all within five minutes, so it is the kind of great restaurant you naturally end up at after shopping nearby.

There was parking for around 40 cars in front of the restaurant, and it took under 20 minutes from anywhere in Dongtan, so it was easy to get to.

I found it while searching for good places to eat in Gomae-dong, Yongin, and once I visited, I immediately understood why it had become such a word-of-mouth favorite.

• Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch, 1F, 90 Gomae-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (Gomae-dong 344-8)
• Hours: daily 10:30–21:00 (break time 16:00–17:00)
• Parking: spacious outdoor parking lot in front of the restaurant

A noodle-focused concept described as omakase for kalguksu

As soon as I entered, a phrase caught my eye: the concept was “omakase for kalguksu,” designed to make a meal usually thought of as ordinary feel as special and delicate as possible. At the center of it all were the noodles.

They also offer thoughtful services: free baby rice for preschool children under seven, and five free shrimp dumplings for military personnel, firefighters, and police officers.

I visited at weekday lunchtime, and it was full of guests of every age. Luckily, I did not have to wait, but I hear this Giheung kalguksu spot requires a wait on weekends or at dinner peak times.

Ordering brisket-and-minari wrap kalguksu and peach bibim mandu

We ordered the brisket-and-minari wrap kalguksu (₩15,500 per person), which lets you enjoy brisket, vegetables, mushrooms, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), and fried rice all at once, plus the new Jochiwon peach bibim mandu (₩9,900).

Instructions for enjoying the meal are posted around the tables, and if it is your first visit, the staff kindly explain how to eat it. Be sure to read them before enjoying Jangwongap Kalguksu.

Jangwongap Kalguksu is clearly very proud of its noodles! You can experience a noodle “omakase” as their texture changes with the cooking time. I really checked the noodles at different times, and each stage had its own appeal. It made eating noodles genuinely fun.

There was a generous pile of minari (water parsley) and mushrooms! With premium wagyu included too, the portion was really substantial.

The wasabi-and-soy-sauce blend served alongside it, plus Jangwongap Kalguksu’s signature sesame oil, were the two combinations that made everything twice as delicious.

Tangy, sweet, and spicy Jochiwon peach bibim mandu

The Jochiwon peach bibim mandu (₩9,900) we ordered that day cannot be left out either. Fresh vegetables are mixed with a bibim sauce made with plenty of natural fruit such as pear and apple, along with peach vinegar, a Jochiwon specialty, then eaten with freshly fried dumplings.

It was tangy, sweet, and spicy all at once, with an addictive flavor that kept drawing me back. Although it is a new menu item, I understood after one bite why it is already so popular.

From chami ssam to noodles with changing textures

After adding the minari, mushrooms, and premium wagyu and letting it come to a rolling boil,

you simply follow the instructions for enjoying the “chami ssam,” which has received the world’s first patent and trademark registration.

The meal begins by piling fragrant fresh minari onto lightly blanched premium wagyu brisket and dipping it in sesame-oil sauce pressed in-house. It whets your appetite before the main dish.

Even after going into the boiling broth, the noodles are said to keep changing through five stages: springy, chewy, bouncy, fluffy, and soft. I tried to notice each change throughout the meal, and it really was fun, as though I were eating a different dish as time passed.

Finally, I finished the course by scraping the bottom of the pot clean with fried rice made with 100% perilla oil, well-fermented kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and Korean seaweed flakes.

Ppeongtwigi and the dessert corner after the meal

There was also a corner where you could fill your own bag with ppeongtwigi (puffed rice snack) and various other snacks. You cannot eat them during the meal, but it is a big plus that you can enjoy ppeongtwigi, a cool misutgaru (multigrain powder) slush, coffee, and more while waiting or as dessert after eating.

Ppeongtwigi is also sold for ₩3,000 a bag, so I bought two bags for my child. My child loves Jangwongap Kalguksu ppeongtwigi so much... a great ppeongtwigi spot..!

If you are looking for a great place to eat in Gomae-dong, Yongin, I do not think you need to keep looking elsewhere. It was the perfect stop after shopping at Lotte Outlet Yongin Giheung. I would confidently recommend it to anyone looking for a restaurant in Gomae-dong, Yongin.