Suwon shabu shabu restaurant for a family meal: Sodamchon Jeongja

These days I'm hooked on the fun of taking my mom out to find good restaurants. (Actually, it's more her than me...)

When I'm with my parents, I tend to look for Suwon shabu shabu restaurants where we can eat meat and vegetables together without anything too intense, plus enjoy the kalguksu (noodle soup) my mom loves. So this time I went with my mom and a longtime hometown friend to Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch.

What we ordered at Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch: spring roll shabu and mushroom shabu

At Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch, we chose one serving of Vietnamese spring roll shabu and two servings of mushroom shabu. Some menu items allow single-serving orders while others require a minimum of two servings. The menu is quite varied — mushroom shabu, wagyu shabu, premium hanwoo shabu, Vietnamese spring roll shabu, spicy minari shabu, special shabu, and more — so you can pick according to your taste.

The meat comes in brisket or pork neck, so you can order according to preference, and the broth options are just as varied — not only mild and spicy but also milk mala, tomato shabu, spicy minari shabu, and more — so people of any age can find a shabu shabu that suits them perfectly.

Why shabu shabu was easy for a mother in her 80s

No matter what, the biggest advantage of shabu shabu is being able to eat a wide variety of meat and vegetables in one meal.

Once the broth boils, you cook vegetables, mushrooms, and various other ingredients along with meat, warming everything through — and that style worked wonderfully not just for my hometown friend and me, both in our 60s, but also for my mom, who's in her 80s.

It's much lighter than a meal that's all meat, and you naturally end up eating plenty of healthy, fresh vegetables too — which is exactly to my taste. I thought it would make a great family dinner choice.

Above all, the advantage was getting to experience so many colorful ingredients at one table.

Honestly, preparing this many different ingredients at home would be way too much hassle, so being able to enjoy such a hearty meal here was satisfying in every way.

The course, from spring rolls to kalguksu noodles and porridge

At Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch, a Suwon shabu shabu favorite, we also got to enjoy Vietnamese spring roll shabu, wrapping meat and vegetables in rice paper — that part was a lot of fun too.

Maybe because we chose the mild broth, the soup picked up the flavor of vegetable juices, meat, and mushrooms, tasting rich and deep rather than harsh.

Best of all, my mom really enjoyed the food, which made me happy just watching, and I felt full just from that. With kalguksu and porridge on top, it truly became a full course meal.

Why Sodamchon suits a family with different tastes

When you eat out as a family, someone likes meat, someone likes vegetables, someone likes bold flavors and someone doesn't — everyone's palate is different.

In that sense, Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch, with its self-serve bar full of extra dishes, was a place where everyone could be satisfied.

Since you can each pick your favorite ingredients, cook them in the broth you like, and eat meat and vegetables together, it also made for a well-balanced meal.

Is Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch near Starfield Suwon?

I imagine a lot of people visit the currently popular Starfield Suwon and then wonder where to eat after shopping or looking around. Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch is located in Jeongja-dong, making it a good option for a meal before or after visiting Starfield Suwon.

That said, it's not actually inside Starfield Suwon, so don't get that mixed up. Think of it as spending time at Starfield, then moving a bit further to enjoy a warm bowl of shabu shabu.

Where to park: Sunil Parking Town, entrance across from Lotteria

If you're visiting for the first time, check the parking location in advance. Parking for Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch is directed to Sunil Parking Town, and its entrance is across from Lotteria. There's one thing to watch out for here — when I visited, I noticed the location shown on Naver Maps could be confused with the actual parking lot entrance. If it's your first visit, don't just navigate to the restaurant's location; check in advance where Sunil Parking Town and the entrance across from Lotteria actually are.

Would we go back to Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch?

This visit to Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch was nice for enjoying good food with a friend, but what I'll remember most is how much my mom enjoyed her meal. Cooking meat and vegetables together made for a hearty meal, and the clean broth meant we could eat without feeling weighed down. It was also a great place to chat slowly with my friend and enjoy dessert afterward.

So if you're looking for a place to dine out with your parents, or your family is struggling to agree on a menu, shabu shabu could be a great option. Especially if you're searching for a Suwon family restaurant where you can eat meat and vegetables together, Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch is worth checking out.

Next time, I want to try the menu items we didn't get to this time, so I plan to visit again.

• Looking for a place to eat out with parents → shabu shabu makes it easy to eat meat and vegetables together
• If everyone in the family has different tastes → shabu shabu lets each person pick their own ingredients
• Looking for a place to eat after Starfield Suwon → consider Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch in Jeongja-dong
• Worried about parking → check Sunil Parking Town and the entrance across from Lotteria in advance