# Suwon kalguksu restaurant broth comparison: kal-nakji vs plain, Daseon - By Seonwoo (https://superchart.com/en/@gyeonggi-kitchen-rounds/) - Written Sep 22, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Suwon, Gyeonggi - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@gyeonggi-kitchen-rounds/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@gyeonggi-kitchen-rounds/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/index.md) ## In short Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch is a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant on Hyanggyo-ro, on the back street behind the tax office near Suwon Station, and it usually has a queue. On a Sunday afternoon visit with family, the writer ordered the 15,000-won kalguksu set with boiled pork, kal-nakji (spicy octopus noodle soup) for two, and one plain kalguksu to compare the broths. The kal-nakji broth was clean and peppery enough to recommend as a hangover cure, while the plain kalguksu tasted flat when eaten after it. ## Good to know - **Hours**: 10:30–22:00 - **Break time**: 15:30–17:00 (weekdays only) - **Kalguksu set meal**: 15,000 won (boiled pork included) - **Kal-nakji**: Minimum order of two servings - **Served with every meal**: Barley rice, seasoned radish salad, fresh-cut kimchi - **Seating**: About 10 tables for four - **Parking**: Almost none at the restaurant; the nearby Samsung private lot costs about 5,000 won - **Queue system**: No number tickets or sign-in list — staff remember faces and call you in - **Price reference**: ₩5,000 ≈ $3.6 · ₩15,000 ≈ $11 (2026-09-22) *as written by the visitor on Sep 22, 2026* I finally made it to Daseon Kalguksu, a place I'd been meaning to try whenever I went to Suwon Station. I'd heard the wait here is brutal, so I went mentally prepared haha. ## Where to park at Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch in Suwon Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch sits on the road behind the Suwon Station tax office, so parking is basically impossible right at the restaurant haha. I used a paid lot nearby called Samsung Private Parking Lot. The streets around here are narrow and busy with cars, so I'd really recommend just using a paid lot for peace of mind. It cost about ₩5,000 for the whole time from parking to finishing my meal! A Suwon go-to spot for great kalguksu — Daseon Kalguksu ![Blue signage exterior of Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch on Hyanggyo-ro, Suwon](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-01-1i8gv-900.webp) Walk up from the Nonghyup near Suwon Station toward the tax office and you'll spot the blue sign of Daseon Kalguksu. A few old-school pubs from my 20s are still standing around here, so just looking at the street brought back a flood of memories ㅠㅠㅠ ![Street view in front of Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-02-1e4gi-900.webp) ## How long is the Sunday afternoon wait, and how does the queue work? ⏰ Hours: 10:30–22:00, break time 15:30–17:00 (weekdays only) I deliberately went on a Sunday afternoon to dodge crowds, but there was still a wait — total shock! I had no idea weekends could have a line too haha. ![Business hours notice posted at Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-03-nr3pk-m-828.webp) ![Sunday afternoon wait outside Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-04-1lsr0-900.webp) There were no seats, so I stood outside the restaurant for a bit. There's no name list or number tickets — a staff member just remembers your face and lets you know when a table opens up. ![Customers waiting outside Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-05-1hdqs-900.webp) The inside isn't big — about 10 tables for four people. So during meal times, a wait is basically unavoidable. Most customers seemed willing to wait outside anyway, which felt like proof this really is one of Suwon's top kalguksu spots. ![Interior of Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch with four-person tables](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-06-kswxz-900.webp) ![Full dining hall at Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-07-113ol-900.webp) ## What's on the menu at Daseon Kalguksu You have to try the kal-nakji (spicy octopus noodle soup) here — it's only available from 2 servings, so pretty much everyone except solo diners orders it haha. I also spotted lots of tables with bossam (boiled pork), mandu (dumplings), and stir-fried octopus. ![Menu board at Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch showing kal-nakji and bossam](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-08-1qzqp-900.webp) Radish salad and fresh kimchi ![Radish salad and fresh kimchi side dishes at Daseon Kalguksu](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-09-42io6-900.webp) *Radish salad and fresh kimchi* Barley rice comes as a default side and it's surprisingly good. They topped my kid's portion with dried seaweed flakes, which was ridiculously cute haha. ![Bowl of barley rice served as a default side](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-10-1c8x0-900.webp) ![Barley rice topped with seaweed flakes for a child](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-11-vbc6r-m-900.webp) I was a little hungry at that point so I cleaned my barley rice bowl completely. ![Mixing barley rice with side dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-12-iyc8k-966.webp) ![Empty barley rice bowl and side dish plates](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-13-w3c1u-966.webp) ### The 15,000-won kalguksu set meal and its boiled pork I ordered the kalguksu set menu at ₩15,000, which comes with boiled pork. ![Full spread of the ₩15,000 kalguksu set menu at Daseon Kalguksu](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-14-ygknl-966.webp) ![Boiled pork plate served with the kalguksu set menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-15-jn49r-900.webp) The boiled pork was so tender it basically melted in my mouth without much chewing. There was plenty of fat too, so it wasn't dry at all — totally recommend it as a side for makgeolli (rice wine) haha. ![Close-up of tender boiled pork with fat marbling](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-16-15qzl-900.webp) ## Kal-nakji for two: spicy octopus noodles with a clean broth Then came the kal-nakji for two, basically Daseon's signature dish. If you don't specify otherwise, it comes cooked as "basic flavor + with broth." Looking around at other tables, almost everyone seemed to be eating it with broth. ![Large dish of kal-nakji for two served with broth](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-17-13ffw-1200.webp) The kal-nakji arrives in a huge dish loaded with octopus and clams. The octopus pieces weren't tiny at all — they were plump and thick, so I had to really chew. Compared to jang-kalguksu, this had a cooler, cleaner, spicy-hot flavor that was easy to eat, and my husband — nursing a brutal hangover from the night before — devoured it. Highly recommend it as a hangover cure. ![Plump octopus and clams inside the kal-nakji](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-18-13of3-900.webp) ![Noodles and broth lifted from the kal-nakji](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-19-4rld9-900.webp) ![Bowl with just the octopus picked out from the kal-nakji](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-20-1dn55-900.webp) There was so much octopus in it that by the end I was just picking out the octopus pieces. The broth was cool and spicy but not overly harsh, so it was easy to keep eating. ![Close-up of the spicy kal-nakji broth](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-21-102fh-966.webp) ## Plain kalguksu for the kids: how it tastes after the kal-nakji I also ordered a plain kalguksu for my kid, and the portion looked like about 1.5 servings. ![Plain white kalguksu ordered for the child](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-22-1f5lv-900.webp) ![Close-up of noodles in the clear-broth plain kalguksu](https://img.superchart.com/images/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison-23-ht960-900.webp) Anyway, we ate both. The plain white kalguksu had a clean broth that went well with the fresh kimchi. But after eating the kal-nakji, the plain version tasted bland to me, so I went back to focusing on the kal-nakji ^^;;;;; Next time I'd probably just go all in on kal-nakji alone! With plenty of dishes that pair well with makgeolli, this is a great date spot near Suwon Station too, and if you're looking for a great kalguksu restaurant in Suwon, Daseon Kalguksu is worth a visit. ## Where it is - Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch (다선칼국수 본점) - 48 Hyanggyo-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea - 경기도 수원시 팔달구 향교로 48 1층 다선 칼국수 - 37.2691554, 127.0060319 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EB%8B%A4%EC%84%A0%EC%B9%BC%EA%B5%AD%EC%88%98%20%EB%B3%B8%EC%A0%90/@37.2691554,127.0060319,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@gyeonggi-kitchen-rounds/suwon-station-kalguksu-kalnakji-comparison/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt