Dongtan noodle restaurant with make-your-own sujebi dough: Deungchon

A mushroom-and-minari shabu-shabu course the whole family can enjoy — here's my record of Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu near Dongtan Lake Park.

Where Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Gran Passage is, plus hours and parking

• Address: 9 Dongtandae-ro 5-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, Gran Passage Green Zone 2F, Units 2004–2005, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00 (last order 14:00, 20:00)
• Parking: Building basement parking (B1–B2), free up to 3 hours

A look around Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu

How long is the weekend 7pm wait at Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu?

Ueong-hai 〃'ᴗ'〃 I suddenly craved something spicy over the weekend, so here's a shabu-shabu review from Dongtan I haven't posted in a while! It's Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Gran Passage Branch, a spot where waiting is basically required. I showed up at 7pm on a weekend and waited 30 minutes before getting in 😮 The line itself told me this branch is seriously popular.

The inside was bigger than expected, and tables turned over fairly quickly. The moment we sat down, that signature Deungchon smell filled the air and I couldn't wait to eat. This is exactly what makes waiting worth it, ㅜㅜ

Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu menu: five broths, and why we picked spicy

On the kiosk menu, you can choose from five broths: spicy, clear, perilla, fish roe, and spicy freshwater shrimp. The base set already includes mushroom, minari (water dropwort), dumplings, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), and fried rice, and you can add shabu beef, vegetables, or glass noodles depending on your taste.

Today's Ueong pick!

• Spicy mushroom kalguksu for 3
• Extra kalguksu noodle
• Extra sujebi (hand-torn dough)

They started by setting down the soy sauce dip that's essential with shabu-shabu

The staff brought everything out so quickly, one after another, that the wait for food never felt boring.

The base pot: minari, bean sprouts, oyster mushrooms and garlicky kimchi

Next came the pot with the base broth, loaded with minari, bean sprouts, oyster mushrooms, and potato. Just looking at the ingredients got me excited for the flavor. You all know minari and kimchi are what define Deungchon, right? The garlic-heavy kimchi is a must-eat alongside everything else. If you're looking for a Dongtan shabu-shabu spot, this kimchi alone is reason enough 👍🏻

The 3,000 won sujebi add-on you tear by hand at the table

Once the broth starts boiling, in goes the homemade sujebi. I'm not a fan of places that use pre-made sujebi, so I loved that here, paying ₩3,000 extra gets you the real, hand-torn kind.

While the sujebi cooked, I fished out the vegetables first — even just the vegetables had soaked up so much broth flavor, they were incredibly good.

The sujebi cooked through in about 5 minutes. I ate it with the kimchi and spooned up the broth too — that spicy, sharp flavor is really something else.

When should you drop the kalguksu noodles into the broth?

Now it's time for the kalguksu noodles! Deungchon's noodles are on the thicker side, so they need more time to cook — put them in earlier than you'd think, so the flow of the meal doesn't stall, haha.

In the meantime, I grabbed a dumpling — and wow, these dumplings are seriously good!! The wrapper was chewy and the filling was packed full.

It's good to give the noodles a little attention with tongs so they don't stick to the bottom. This garlicky kalguksu-and-kimchi combo is one no Korean could ever dislike, lol.

I really loved how the broth thickened with the starch from the noodles. Scooping it up with a spoon, that thick texture was exactly my taste.

One thing to do before you ask for the fried rice

Once you're about done with the noodles, just ask a staff member for fried rice. Keep in mind, they'll take the whole pot away to cook it and bring it back, so scoop out any leftover broth and ingredients beforehand!

They made the fried rice nice and fluffy, lol. Mixing in a bit of mashed potato doubles the nutty flavor — total win.

That day, this fried rice was truly the MVP. Even split three ways, the portion was just right — we cleaned the pot completely 〃'ᴗ'〃

Is Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu in Dongtan worth it? Final verdict

With convenient basement parking and a solid waiting system, the wait didn't feel wasted, and the whole spread is especially satisfying if you're a carb lover — I'd recommend giving this place a try at least once 👍🏻