Suwon shabu-shabu with self-bar tteokbokki refills: Sodamchon Jeongja

I usually prefer shabu-shabu over mala tang, so I often end up at shabu-shabu places when eating out with family. Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch is somewhere I've visited a few times with my in-laws, so this time I went back comfortably again.

This is a place where you can enjoy spring rolls and shabu-shabu together, and best of all, the refill bar lets you take as much of the ingredients as you want, which makes it great for visiting with several people. It seems to already be pretty well known in the neighborhood — even on a weekday lunch, we had a short wait before getting in.

Where is Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch, and where do you park?

The address is 4th floor, Gyeongseong Building, 171 Jeongjacheon-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si. It wasn't hard to find, since it's on the 4th floor of the Twosome Place building across from Hyundai Oilbank. You don't park in the restaurant's own building — instead you use Seonil Parking Building, across from Lotteria.

I parked there the last time I visited too, and with 90 minutes of parking support, it was plenty for a meal. They said the number of vehicles supported per table can change if it's busy, so it's a good idea to check ahead. The parking building can be a 4–5 minute walk from the restaurant, so if you're with company, it might help to drop them off first and go park.

Is there a wait at lunch on a weekday?

Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch was pretty busy even for a weekday lunch. It seems like there are a lot of families among the customers, and locals in the area seem to visit often.

There were plenty of tables, and there's a room that fits 4–6 people, so it looked good for family gatherings or group meals too.

There were quite a few tables of adults dining together, and I also saw a lot of families with kids.

I'm a bit sensitive about ingredients, so I personally liked being able to check the food ingredients while eating. They use domestic kimchi, and among the ingredients I checked, a lot were domestically sourced, which made me feel more at ease while eating.

What comes with the spicy minari shabu lunch special

We sat down and ordered through the table order system. We got the lunch special spicy minari shabu with spring rolls. It's not just shabu-shabu — you get spring rolls too, so it was a great fit for a day I wanted a bit of everything.

Once you place your order, the basic setting comes out: 4 sauces, rice paper, and water for soaking the rice paper.

Before really digging in, you go to the self-serve bar and bring back your own shabu-shabu ingredients and spring roll vegetables.

The shabu ingredients and spring roll vegetables are kept separate, so I just grabbed a little of what I needed. I don't like leftover food, so rather than piling on a lot at first, I take small amounts and go back for more if I run out — no pressure at all. There's a wide variety of vegetables and plenty of shabu ingredients too, so you can pick whatever suits your taste.

The self-serve bar tteokbokki is better than expected

Every time I come to Sodamchon, I secretly look forward to one thing — the tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) at the self-serve bar. This time it was delicious again, and I refilled it several times. It's good as a light bite before the shabu-shabu, and it's also great for switching up your palate in between. The self-serve bar also has things like cereal for salad and bread, and you can freely help yourself to a variety of items, which seems great for coming with kids too.

There's even a guide suggesting special sauce combinations, so first-timers might have fun using it as a reference to mix their own sauce.

Spring rolls, shabu-shabu, then kalguksu and porridge to finish

Once the broth starts boiling, you just add the vegetables and meat you brought and cook them.

While the shabu-shabu was boiling, we wrapped and ate spring rolls one by one, which made the meal feel pretty relaxed.

We ended up adding extra meat and glass noodles (bunmoja) as we ate. The glass noodles in particular tasted totally different once cooked — kind of like eating tteokbokki.

With vegetables and meat cooked in the shabu-shabu broth, spring rolls wrapped with various fillings, and tteokbokki in between, the table kept getting more and more packed.

At the end we even had kalguksu (noodle soup) and porridge, and I was genuinely about to burst.

With shabu-shabu, you don't really feel like you've finished properly unless you end with kalguksu or porridge, right? We couldn't give up either one, so we had both — and it was seriously filling.

The kids cinema if you are dining with children

Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch also has a kids cinema space where children can play. While the kids watch a movie, the adults can eat, which seemed especially convenient for families. There are baby chairs and a play room too, so it's worth keeping in mind if you're looking for somewhere to eat out with your kids.

Dessert at the cafeteria after the meal

After finishing the meal, you can enjoy drinks, coffee, or ice cream at the cafeteria next door. Between the shabu-shabu, spring rolls, kalguksu, and porridge, plus dessert on top, it's great to be able to handle both the meal and dessert in one place.

The staff were kind even during a busy time, and the owner was friendly too, so we could eat comfortably.

Since I've visited a few times, I feel like I understand why it's so popular around here. You can take as much of the ingredients as you want, and you get to enjoy both shabu-shabu and spring rolls together, so it's an easy pick for a family visit. If you're looking for shabu-shabu in Suwon, this is a spot worth trying, and it's also a good fit for eating with kids or parents. Nearby you have Starfield Suwon, Manseok Park, and Hwaseo Station, so it's easy to combine with other plans in the area. If you're also after a nice date spot in Suwon where you can eat comfortably, this is worth keeping in mind too.

I heard they're open as usual over this Chuseok holiday too! A family dining recommendation for Jeongja-dong, Suwon! 👍

If you like shabu-shabu, this is a place worth trying at least once. Especially if you, like me, prefer shabu-shabu's clean blanched vegetables and meat over mala tang, this is a good spot to eat your fill. Next time we go, we'll probably order the spring rolls and shabu-shabu again, and make sure to hit the self-serve tteokbokki too. It's a place I'd want to come back to whenever I want a hearty meal out with family.