House-made noodles and clam shabu-shabu, Pyeongtaek: Songdam Kalguksu

Songdam Kalguksu, a well-known spot in Anjung, Pyeongtaek, is a hot pot and shabu-shabu Korean restaurant at 129 Gangbyeon-ro, Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It's open daily from 09:00 to 21:00, last order 20:10, and there's a wide dedicated parking lot right in front.

I was looking for something warm and filling in Pyeongtaek and ended up at Songdam Kalguksu. I'd assumed it only served kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), but it turns out they also have shabu-shabu with clams, beef, and octopus. We ordered the clam shabu-shabu and added octopus and beef on top, so we ended up with a really generous spread.

Songdam Kalguksu exterior and parking: is it easy to reach by car?

Songdam Kalguksu sits right along Gangbyeon-ro, so it was easy to get to by car. There's a spacious dedicated lot out front, so parking wasn't a worry at all.

The building was bigger than I expected, and the open surroundings gave it a relaxed feel. It seemed like a great spot for a family meal or a get-together with a group.

Inside Songdam Kalguksu: are the seats roomy enough for groups?

Inside, Songdam Kalguksu has plenty of tables with generous spacing between them, so it never felt cramped. It looked like a solid choice for both family outings and larger group meals.

Walking in, the interior was just as spacious as the exterior suggested.

Overall it was clean and pleasant, and with so much space, it felt comfortable even with a lot of customers around. The staff were attentive too, from taking our order to checking in throughout the meal, which made the whole visit pleasant.

Songdam Kalguksu menu and prices, including weekday-only shabu-shabu

Songdam Kalguksu's menu ranges from ₩8,000 hot pot kalguksu to ₩11,000 weekday-only shabu-shabu, plus kongguksu (cold soybean noodle soup) and red bean kalguksu. Note that the shabu-shabu options are only available on weekdays.

• Clam hot pot kalguksu ₩8,000
• Beef hot pot kalguksu ₩8,000
• Meatball dumpling hot pot kalguksu ₩8,000
• Vegetable hot pot kalguksu ₩8,000
• Weekday-only beef shabu-shabu ₩11,000
• Weekday-only fresh clam shabu-shabu ₩11,000
• Weekday-only mild octopus shabu ₩14,000
• Black soybean noodle soup (kongguksu) ₩10,000
• Jeolla-do red bean kalguksu ₩10,000
• Jeolla-do red bean ongsimi ₩12,000

There's also a self-serve corner where you can freely grab extra kimchi and cheongyang chili peppers as needed.

What comes with the fresh clam shabu-shabu set?

We ordered the fresh clam shabu-shabu. It comes standard with two types of kimchi, vegetables, and two gullim mandu (rolled dumplings) per person.

Clams alone are great, but adding octopus and beef makes the spread much richer, giving you seafood and meat all at once! Broth and vegetables were set up at the table, and we cooked things in order — clams first, then octopus, then beef.

Tasting the fresh clam shabu-shabu broth

As the clams simmered in the broth, their briny sweetness came through and the broth deepened. The clams themselves had a nice plump bite that paired well with the soup. If you like clean, refreshing broth, the basic clam shabu-shabu alone would be satisfying.

Adding octopus and beef to the pot

Adding octopus made the seafood flavor deeper and gave more texture to chew on. If you cook it too long it can get tough, so it's best to pull it out as soon as it's just cooked.

We cooked the beef by dipping it briefly in the boiling broth, and it came out tender and savory. Where the broth started out light and refreshing thanks to the clams and octopus, once the beef went in it turned richer and fuller. Every time we added a new ingredient, the broth's flavor shifted, so it never got boring to the end.

House-made kalguksu noodles flecked with green

What stuck with me most at Songdam Kalguksu was the hand-cut kalguksu noodles we added at the end. Looking closely, unlike typical plain white noodles, these had green vegetable-looking bits pressed right into them.

Being handmade noodles, they had a soft yet nicely chewy texture.

Once the noodles went into the broth — now deepened from the clams, octopus, and beef — the soup soaked in beautifully and it was genuinely delicious. Even after filling up on shabu-shabu, it felt like a waste to leave any of the noodles behind.

Every table also gets corn bread. I notice it every time I come — the soft, fluffy corn bread here is genuinely good!

Is Songdam Kalguksu worth a visit? Final verdict

If you're looking for a great spot in Anjung, Pyeongtaek, I'd recommend Songdam Kalguksu for its generous lineup of clams, octopus, beef, and kalguksu. The space was spacious and pleasant, and the staff were kind throughout, making for a comfortable meal from start to finish. The hand-cut kalguksu with green bits especially stood out, with the noodles and broth coming together perfectly right to the last bite. With plenty of parking too, it's a great Anjung, Pyeongtaek restaurant to visit for a family meal or a group get-together.