Pangyo Korean restaurant lunch with eobokjaengban: Useum

Useum Pangyo Branch is open year-round with no break time. Hours are 11:00–23:00 on weekdays (last order 22:00) and 10:00–22:00 on weekends (last order 21:00). The restroom is the building restroom, and I’d rate it 3.2/5.

Parking is available on floors 2–7 of the same building: free for 2 hours, then ₩1,000 for each additional 60 minutes.

A friend and her husband, who live in the U.S., were visiting Korea, so we finally got together for lunch. My friend used to work in Pangyo and it worked for all our routes, so we decided to meet there. They said they wanted Korean food, and while looking into what to have for lunch in Pangyo, I found that Useum—a place I used to visit often when I lived in Nonhyeon-dong—also had a Pangyo branch. So we picked Useum Pangyo Branch.

Location and parking in front of Pangyo Station

It is right there once you cross the street from Exit 1 of Pangyo Station. You can park in the same building for free for up to 2 hours. An extra hour is only ₩1,000, so I parked for the full 3 hours.

A relaxed restaurant after the lunch rush

The restaurant is neat and tidy. We went after lunch hour, so it was pleasantly quiet.

It has the kind of atmosphere where a daytime drink at a terrace table would be perfect on a nice day, haha. The staff were kind too, so we felt comfortable the whole time.

Eobokjaengban and dumpling menu prices

• Korean beef eobokjaengban ₩78,000 / Korean beef knee tendon hot pot ₩45,000 / Korean beef bulgogi hot pot ₩45,000 / Korean beef hangover hot pot ₩37,000 / North Korean-style dumpling hot pot ₩35,000
• Korean beef and cow-foot assorted boiled beef ₩85,000 / half-and-half boiled beef ₩55,000 / Korean beef knee tendon boiled beef ₩52,000 / Korean beef boiled beef ₩43,000
• Braised beef short ribs (soy sauce) ₩56,000 / spicy braised beef short ribs ₩58,000 / stir-fried Korean beef cow feet ₩29,000
• Crispy cheese potato pancake ₩18,000 / spicy chili chive pancake or kimchi pancake ₩18,000 each / North Korean-style dumplings (4) ₩8,000 / giant dumplings ₩7,000 / jeonbyeong (filled buckwheat crepe) ₩12,000 / grilled short-rib patties ₩12,000
• Korean beef yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) ₩27,000 / chilled yukhoe ₩29,000 / seasoned collagen ₩9,000 / frozen persimmon ₩13,000 / scorched rice with Häagen-Dazs ₩18,000
• Korean beef minari gomtang (beef soup with water parsley) ₩14,000 / clear gomtang or milky gomtang ₩13,000 each / hangover gomtang ₩14,000 / knee tendon soup ₩19,000 / rice-cake dumpling soup ₩13,000 / bulgogi in an earthenware pot ₩16,000 / yukhoe bibimbap ₩14,000

There are quite a lot of menu items. I went back and forth between the knee tendon hot pot and eobokjaengban, then ordered eobokjaengban for the first time in a while. We added North Korean-style dumplings and said we would order more if we needed to. But to give away the ending, we were so full that we could not order anything else. The mini yukjeon (pan-fried beef) is available only at lunch, so it looked like a nice light extra if you stop by for lunch in Pangyo.

The banchan (side dishes) came out neatly too. The kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) suited my taste, and having some of the salted seafood that comes with it here and there keeps things from getting tiresome. Dried shrimp and roasted seaweed are included as well.

Korean beef eobokjaengban, ₩78,000

Not long after we ordered, the eobokjaengban arrived. It was served on a brass platter, with white wood ear mushrooms and shiitakes in the middle, surrounded by minari (water parsley) and perilla leaves. What a great look.

The meat comes in a variety of cuts and items, including aroong satae (beef shank), beef tongue, jeonbyeong, and yukjeon. Underneath are vegetables such as napa cabbage and bean sprouts, so it is much more filling than it looks.

It had been a while since I last had eobokjaengban, which made it even more welcome.

Dip it in the three sauces served alongside and it is so good..! My friends enjoyed it so much too, which made me happy.

I ate my beloved beef tongue with tender napa cabbage, and wrapped the springy boiled beef in vegetable ssam (wraps)—it just keeps going down. It made me want a drink, but I drove, so I had to hold back, haha.

I liked this eobokjaengban even more because we could eat plenty of vegetables. As the broth continued to steep, the flavor grew richer and richer. It starts out clean and light, then develops quite a deep flavor later on. When the broth runs low, you can request a refill through the kiosk, which was convenient.

North Korean-style dumplings, ₩8,000

The dumplings arrived just when I was beginning to wonder if our order had gone through.

They come in a bamboo steamer, with thin wrappers and lots of filling. Each one is fairly large, so even one did not feel disappointing. I think they would be delicious dropped into the eobokjaengban too.

Added buckwheat noodles, ₩3,000

Partway through, we added buckwheat noodles for ₩3,000, and they went so well with it. They are buckwheat noodles rather than thin wheat noodles, so they cling to the broth nicely.

If you refill the broth before adding the noodles, you can enjoy them generously. Slurp them up before they get soft, and it feels a little like eating warm noodle soup—comforting and savory.

Useum feels like the kind of place I will think of when I want a tidy Korean meal. Our group, who had wanted Korean food for the first time in a while, and I were both happy with this lunch.

It is right in front of Pangyo Station, making it convenient for a Pangyo lunch appointment, and it has parking too, so I think I will come back when I am in Pangyo. We ate well.