Saturday morning shabu kalguksu for two in Magok, Seoul: Yangcheon

Today I'm bringing you a review of my absolute favorite restaurant near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station — Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu!

Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch

How long is the walk from Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station?

Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch is just a 2-minute walk from Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station! The access from the station is amazing, honestly the best.

We visited at 11:30am on a Saturday! Got there early on a weekend morning hahaha.

On weekday lunches there's quite a wait since it's so popular! You just write your name down on this whiteboard here!

Inside Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu: seating and amenities

The interior! This place is honestly one of the cleanest restaurants I've been to recently — the owner clearly cares a lot about hygiene haha.

The space is spacious and comfortable, and best of all, the air conditioning is blasting, so you can enjoy hot shabu-shabu even in the hot summer!

You all know a good restaurant starts with good water, right?! Here, the water is actually hutgae (Hovenia fruit) tea!!! One cool sip and my thirst was completely gone!

You order through the kiosk on the table! Whenever you want to add something, you don't have to flag down the owner — you can just do it right there, so convenient hahaha.

Something I really noticed — they put a lot of thought into customer comfort. Dental floss, blankets, aprons, all carefully prepared in case you need anything during the meal. (I was touched, honestly, TT)

And the owner is incredibly kind!!! Even during the busy lunch rush, they kept coming around asking if we needed more broth, if anything was uncomfortable — really attentive.

What two people ordered: the black garlic boyang set

For reference, the meal menu! We ordered the boyang (with black garlic!!!) set for two, plus an extra serving of shabu (200g)! And since I really love dumplings hahaha, we also added rolled dumplings!

The shabu-shabu was ready in no time!! Guys... this is what ₩20,000 gets you... the value is insane. I was shocked at how much minari (water dropwort) and bean sprouts and vegetables were piled in there! ₩10,000 per person... I genuinely don't know how they're making money on this TTTT If you're looking for a shabu-shabu spot near Magok, come here without question.

They mix the vegetables around so they cook evenly haha.

And here's the meat we added! I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be 200g but it came out looking like a small mountain of meat lol, I was so surprised! (Owner, are you sure you're making money on this?)

And here are the kalguksu (hand-cut noodle) noodles! They're fresh, unaged noodles, which probably makes it even tastier.

And there's still more!! It's the fried rice!! They bring the fried rice ingredients out so neatly and beautifully arranged, I couldn't not take a photo!!! Pretty food tastes better too hahahaha (I really love this).

When do you add the hand-cut kalguksu noodles?

Once the vegetables had wilted down a bit, they added the hand-cut noodles!!! Apparently the noodles cook in just 5 minutes!

Such a gorgeous sight...

House-made kimchi, prepared fresh each day

Guys! The kimchi here is unbelievably delicious too!!!! The secret is that the owner makes fresh kimchi every single day!!!

Here's the kimchi! It's genuinely so good... store-bought kimchi and homemade kimchi are honestly on a completely different level!!

Five rolled dumplings in the pot

And here are the rolled dumplings! Five pieces came out haha.

Just look at these dumplings... bursting with juice, the texture is unreal. The moment my friend Bambi and I bit into one, our eyes went wide and we both went "Wait, what??? This is so good!!" — non-stop exclaiming!! If you love dumplings, you absolutely must try these!! Highly recommend!

Such a gorgeous sight... the filling is packed so full it just bursts in your mouth, genuinely dreamy.

What does the black garlic broth taste like?

While we were busy eating the dumplings, the noodles finished cooking! The broth is seriously... what on earth is the secret? I honestly think this place is way, way better than the shabu kalguksu near Deungchon!! The broth has a slight kick of spice and it's so, so good!!!! Maybe it's the black garlic... so good I nearly passed out.

We normally chat nonstop while eating! But with this shabu kalguksu... we barely said a word, just had our heads down eating and letting out little gasps of amazement! Hahahahaha there's really a reason office workers keep choosing this place for lunch.

I love you, Yangcheon Shabu.

Finishing the pot with fried rice

After stuffing ourselves on shabu kalguksu, it's time for the fried rice!! They leave just a little broth, add the fried rice ingredients, and gently stir-fry it! We like ours a bit soupy, almost like porridge, so we left extra broth in hahahaha.

Personally I'd recommend adding lots of vegetables too!! As the shabu vegetables simmer they get a bit salty, and mixing them into the porridge really brings out more savoriness. We also added an egg (₩500)!

Here's the finished fried rice!

It's... the fried rice is so good I nearly passed out too! Hahahaha the spiciness, the savoriness, the texture, all on point... this place is truly our favorite. I love it so much TTTTTTTTTT.

How big are the portions, and do you need to book?

Even the portions are massive. Two grown men could easily eat until they're stuffed!!! If you're someone with a big appetite, this is the shabu place to go. If you're visiting for weekend lunch, I'd recommend making a reservation. By the time we were leaving around 12:30, the whole hall was completely full!

The plum slush on the way out

On the way out, stuffed full, they told us to have some plum before we go!

Plum slush!!! Scooped up a cup and had a sip... wow, this really is paradise... sweet and cold, it really helped ease that stuffed feeling ><

We originally planned to go to a café after the shabu-shabu, but we were so full, plus the plum slush cleansed our palate so well, that we skipped the café altogether.

All those wonderful-looking herbs that go into the shabu broth... Everyone!!! If you're looking for a lunch spot in Magok!! A restaurant near Seoul Botanic Park!! A shabu-shabu place near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station!!!! Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch comes with my full recommendation!!

That's my fan-girl review for today hahahahahahah.