Suji kalguksu restaurant with black sesame ice cream: Dongchundang

Today's story is about a shabu-shabu spot in Suji's Sinbong-dong that left my whole family very full and very happy: Dongchundang Shabu Kalguksu. The address is 336 Sinbong 1-ro, 1st floor, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, and it's open Monday 10:00–15:00, Tuesday through Sunday 10:00–21:00.

Parking and waiting at Dongchundang in Sinbong-dong

We visited on a lovely day! There was so much parking space right in front that parking was genuinely easy.

Before going in, I happened to read a sign that caught my eye. This Suji shabu-shabu favorite doesn't use a kiosk waiting system because so many elderly guests visit. Having heard my own parents struggle with kiosks before, this note felt really warm to me.

What's at the entrance self bar: black sesame soy milk and cordyceps tea

Walking in, I spotted black sesame soy milk and cordyceps tea on the left! On the right was ice cream, waiting for dessert — more on that below 😊

Black sesame soy milk sounded intriguing, so I tried a sip — first surprise, it was warm; second surprise, so nutty and rich! It made a lovely little appetizer.

The interior of Dongchundang Shabu Kalguksu is really spacious, perfect for a big family outing. Above all, there were so many elderly guests that it made me think of my own parents.

They'd also set up plenty of waiting seats, comfortable for hot or cold weather, with a display telling you how many minutes you'd wait based on your number. You could feel the thoughtfulness toward guests everywhere in this place.

We came for lunch so I couldn't try it, but I was dying for the makgeolli (rice wine)! I promised myself I'd come back for dinner just for that. It was so cute watching the older guests fill up those little kettles to the brim 😂

Dongchundang's shabu kalguksu menu and topping choices

The star of the menu at this Suji shabu kalguksu favorite is, of course, shabu kalguksu! But it comes with yeolmu barley rice + mugwort kalguksu + fried rice included! And uniquely, you can add toppings to the shabu kalguksu like tofu sandwich, whole octopus, mushrooms and more for an even heartier meal.

On one side of the table, they'd laid out really detailed instructions on how to enjoy the meal best.

No one-order-per-person rule and 1,000 won off for ages 70 and over

The warm greeting printed on the back of the menu was lovely too. I was surprised to read 'One order per person is not required.' I've seen plenty of 'one order per person required' signs, but this was the first time I saw one explicitly saying the opposite. And on top of that, customers 70 and older get ₩1,000 off!!

This was my first time here, but the family members I came with had already visited a few times. What we all loved was that they dip your spoon and chopsticks in warm water for you! (There were so many moments to be touched by at this restaurant 😭)

Yeolmu barley rice, geotjeori and free self-bar refills

Our big table filled up in an instant. Doesn't it look like a really generous spread?

We started with this yeolmu barley rice! It had been a while since I'd had yeolmu barley rice, and it made me feel so healthy just eating it 😍

Kimchi is everything at a kalguksu place! The geotjeori (fresh kimchi) was so good I ended up eating way more than I meant to 🤣

You could easily grab more geotjeori, broth, and sauces from the self bar near the entrance.

How the shabu kalguksu with tofu sandwich tastes

The tofu sandwich at Dongchundang's shabu kalguksu! Cute little triangles of tofu packed full of beef inside. I'd never seen a topping like this before, so my expectations were high!

After a short wait, the shabu kalguksu arrived bubbling away! The broth looked red but wasn't spicy at all — actually quite mild and clean.

Besides the tofu sandwich, it was packed with potatoes, minari (water dropwort) and even chewy rice-flour dumplings (ongsimi), so there was so much variety to enjoy. The meat wasn't sliced too thin either, giving it a nice bite.

Mugwort kalguksu and hongmi fried rice to finish the pot

After enjoying the shabu-shabu, next came the mugwort kalguksu! The noodles made with mugwort had such a pretty color.

The noodles weren't too thick, just the right thinness with a great texture. My family usually prefers porridge or fried rice after shabu-shabu and leaves the noodles, but we finished every last strand of Dongchundang's mugwort kalguksu!

This Suji shabu kalguksu favorite isn't ordinary even with its fried rice. It's made with hongmi (red rice), giving the rice a gorgeous pink color!

On top of that, you could really taste the 100% domestic sesame oil, so we cleared the fried rice completely too!

Aside from the broth, we ate everything, completely clean 🤣

Dessert: puffed-rice black sesame ice cream

But it's not over yet! On the way out, black sesame ice cream was waiting for us as dessert.

Puffed rice ice cream that produces zero trash! We didn't get greedy and each scooped just as much as we could eat.

We were so full, but you just can't resist puffed grains! Topped it off nicely and dug in, nom nom!

Dongchundang also runs a Naver review receipt event. They give out points, so everyone should join in!

Who should eat at Dongchundang?

• Anyone looking for a great shabu-shabu / shabu kalguksu restaurant in Suji
• Anyone trying to decide on a meal the whole family will love
• Anyone looking for a place with a hearty spread from appetizer to dessert
• Anyone who needs a comfortable place to dine with elderly family members