Paju dumpling restaurant, weekday dinner with 2 kids: Bubyeokjeong

Every time we drove past, I wondered about Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu (부벽정평양만두) in Paju: huge restaurant, tons of cars. So we finally went on a weekday evening with the kids, a good pick near Paju Lotte Outlet! There are also lots of big, atmospheric cafés nearby, so I'd definitely make it a course: dumplings first, then a café~~~

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu hours and break time

This Paju Unjeong dumpling spot is open daily from 11 AM to 9 PM. On weekdays, the break time is 3 PM to 5 PM.

Is Bubyeokjeong busy on weekday evenings? What we ordered

It was a slightly early weekday evening, but plenty of diners were already eating, and it got busy once dinner time hit. We ordered the hot Pyeongyang mandu hot pot (mandu jeongol) as the main, and I felt it would be a shame to skip the cold buckwheat noodles, so we added one mulmakguksu. I debated getting a jeon (savory pancake) too, haha, but somehow I figured my kid would eat the noodles well, lol.

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu has a clean feel. The dining hall is spacious and the staff were attentive!

Why Bubyeokjeong works with kids: high chairs, kids' mandu soup, self-service corner

There are plenty of high chairs, so it's easy to bring babies. Mild dumplings, broth, noodles, rice, tofu... lots of menu items you can feed kids without worry, right? They also sell kids' mandu soup separately.

At the self-service corner, you can pick up extra side dishes, broth, and kids' tableware.

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu menu

The main is of course the dumplings!!! Besides the Pyeongyang mandu hot pot, where you get vegetables, dumplings and even kalguksu, and the clean-tasting Pyeongyang mandu soup, there's spicy mandu jjabagi and Korean beef jjabagi (both braised stew-style dishes), plus seasonal makguksu (buckwheat noodles), and sides like bindaetteok (mung bean pancake), tofu and sliced beef shank (suyuk).

The menu has descriptions and tips on how to eat each dish, so I read the whole thing while we waited.

Every table has seasoned soy sauce, vinegar and chili flakes. And there's even a 5-minute hourglass to use when boiling the kalguksu!

How was the mulmakguksu (cold buckwheat noodles)?

The mulmakguksu seems bland at first, but the more you eat, the stronger the beef flavor gets. My kid ate the cold noodles really well!! And when you're a little hot in front of the hot pot, gulping down that broth is so good, haha.

Pyeongyang mandu hot pot for 2 and the clear broth

Soon the Pyeongyang mandu hot pot was set up! Ordering for 2 got us a mountain of assorted vegetables, beef shank, 8 dumplings and kalguksu, such a generous spread, haha. I figured we couldn't finish the dumplings, so I took the rest home.

You can choose clear or spicy broth for the hot pot, and clear is definitely my taste~~ It's good for eating with kids too!

One kid started slurping the mulmakguksu first, while the other polished off a bowl of rice with no side dishes at all, then asked for more, so we ordered another, hahaha.

Nutty 100% buckwheat noodles plus Korean beef broth make a perfect combination!

You could add things bit by bit like shabu-shabu, but I was too impatient so I just dumped everything in, lol.

The mushrooms alone are so varied: wood ear, white wood ear, enoki, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, haha. Plus bok choy, bean sprouts, napa cabbage and perilla leaves. A truly healthy hot pot! And then the beef shank and dumplings on top!!

What Bubyeokjeong's Pyeongyang dumplings taste like

The Pyeongyang mandu here are mild but the ingredients really come through. They're filled with lots of soft tofu, and the crisp vegetables inside crunch as you bite, a subtle but addictive flavor.. The wrappers were nicely chewy too.

Finishing the hot pot with kalguksu

My kid, a total kalguksu fan, was begging for the noodles already.. so in go the noodles right now!!

The bean sprouts, enoki and noodles got tangled so picking them out was a bit of work, lol, but the kalguksu simmered in the rich broth turned out delicious.

The kalguksu lover slurped away, totally satisfied, and the makguksu-loving kid, after the noodles, ate the dumplings and kalguksu well too!

Does Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu do takeout?

Yes, takeout is available. It's an easy, tasty meal at home too, so buying some to go sounds good, haha.

Waiting-area dessert corner: misugaru and puffed rice snacks

And the dessert corner in the waiting area. This is a total trap.. We'd eaten, but of course there's still room for dessert, haha.

Have a cold glass of misugaru (roasted grain drink) and enjoy the puffed-grain snack buffet! My kid ate tons of the cherry cone snacks and went home very happy!

Steaming the leftover dumplings at home

We steamed the dumplings we brought home, and I could focus on the dumplings themselves rather than the hot pot, so they were much tastier, haha. Next time I want to just buy dumplings to go~~~~

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu near Paju Lotte Outlet is good for taking elders and good for kids too. Its full name is a mouthful: Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu Paju Publishing City Heyri Village Unjeong Ilsan main branch, haha. Phew, I'm out of breath~~