Yesulhoegwan Station abalone set menu for two: Jeonbokchon, Incheon

While looking for a Korean restaurant in Incheon, I ended up at Jeonbokchon (전복촌). I'd heard they use fresh live abalone shipped daily from Wando, so I went in with high expectations — and honestly, the variety of dishes was even bigger than I imagined, and every single one tasted great. I was satisfied the whole meal through.

Where Jeonbokchon is, opening hours and the lunch special price

Jeonbokchon is on the 1st floor of Haein Building, 35 Yesul-ro 204beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon. It's open Tuesday–Saturday 11:30–21:30 and Sunday 11:30–21:00, with a break time from 14:40 to 17:00. It's closed every Monday, so worth checking before you go.

This is the exterior of the restaurant. Right from the entrance you get a clean, upscale vibe.

I checked out the standing sign at the entrance too — the lunch special is ₩14,900, limited to 100 servings a day. The composition looked good and the price felt really reasonable. There's also a dinner special for ₩19,900, orderable weekdays from 5pm. I'd love to try the dinner special next time.

Parking at Jeonbokchon

There's a dedicated parking lot behind the building, so it was easy to visit by car.

The restaurant that appeared on TV

Right at the entrance I noticed it's been featured on SBS Saeng Bang Song Today and KBS Saeng Saeng Jeong Bo Tong. As a well-known spot in Guwol-dong, I was already excited before even walking in.

Just a note — they're closed on Chuseok Day and the day before this year.

What are the private rooms like?

The interior of Jeonbokchon overall felt upscale and clean, with hall seating available too.

On both sides there are private rooms that seat 4 to 8 people, and they also have banquet rooms for 16 to 20 — I thought it'd work well for family gatherings or company dinners.

We were guided to a private room. It had floor chairs with an open space underneath for your legs, which was comfortable even for a long meal. There was air conditioning inside the room too, so we could set it to whatever temperature we wanted.

The table was set neatly with dishware and utensils. Soy sauce and vinegar-chili sauce were already prepped.

The menu and the abalone set menu price

Looking at the menu, there were quite a few course options. We went with the 39,000-won-per-person abalone course. There are also à la carte items, so you can pick based on your taste or purpose.

Geuju-juk (abalone innard porridge) opens the course

First out was geuju-juk (게우죽), a porridge made with abalone innards.

Eating it warm before the meal was a nice way to ease into things — I could taste the rich, savory flavor of the abalone innards. Starting off with a dish like this already gave me a great first impression of this Incheon Korean course.

While we were finishing the porridge, the full abalone course spread was quickly set out. Looking at the video, the sheer variety of food is pretty impressive, right?

What comes with the abalone set menu

The table was fully loaded with the course. Rather than dishes coming out one by one, we got to enjoy a bunch of dishes generously all at once. Since we'd reserved ahead, the food was ready right on time and we didn't have to wait at all.

Sesame oil dipping sauce, wasabi, pickled radish, and baek-kimchi (white kimchi) came out alongside the raw abalone.

A clean salad and shrimp tempura also came out. The salad had a black sesame dressing that was nutty and light.

Raw abalone (jeonbok-hoe)

Still, the thing I wanted to eat first was the raw abalone. The pieces were big, cleanly prepped, and cut into easy-to-eat sizes.

They said it's fresh live abalone shipped daily from Wando — and you could really tell from the size alone.

I dipped a thick slice into the sesame oil sauce and tried it — the crunchy texture was so good. The sweetness that comes through as you chew was great too, so good that I went straight back to the menu to check if I could order extra.

The food was so good that day that we had a shot of soju each. With delicious dish after delicious dish coming out, the drinks just kept flowing.

Braised abalone (jeonbok-cho)

Next was jeonbokcho (전복초) — abalone lightly cooked and tossed in a sweet-and-sour sauce. The sauce was great, but what I liked especially was the chewy texture of the abalone.

Two whole abalones came in the dish, so my husband and I split them evenly.

The sauce had a yuzu note that was tangy and refreshing, and the lightly cooked abalone was nice and chewy. I loved being able to taste abalone prepared so many different ways.

Steamed abalone (jeonbok-jjim)

This is jeonbokjjim (전복찜). The big abalones had the innards removed and just the meat served back in the shell for easy eating. In the middle was a sauce made from abalone innards — dipping the abalone in it was so good you didn't need any other sauce.

Dipping it into the sauce, the abalone's distinct ocean scent and nutty flavor filled my mouth. I kept reaching for more.

Abalone sushi

Sushi topped with abalone meat also came out.

Dipped in soy sauce mixed with wasabi, the chewy abalone paired perfectly with the sushi rice. It was bite-sized and easy to eat.

Seasoned abalone innards

There was also a dish of cooked abalone innards tossed with lettuce and sesame seeds. At first I worried the innards might have a fishy taste, but there wasn't any at all. It was nutty and light, and my husband enjoyed it too.

The staff were really kind too. They explained each dish as it came out, which made everything taste even better since we knew what we were eating.

Japchae came out too, along with freshly fried shrimp tempura. The batter was crispy and the shrimp inside was plump — this was delicious as well. Having so many different dishes coming out in between made the meal feel even more abundant.

Bulgogi (marinated beef)

Bulgogi came out too, kept simmering warm over a solid fuel burner underneath the whole time we ate.

The portion was generous and the seasoning was spot on — not too sweet, not too salty, and it went really well with rice. Every single dish tasted great, so this is a place I'd recommend to anyone looking for a spot for Incheon Korean dining.

Pollock salad (myeongtae-hoe-muchim)

Myeongtae-hoe-muchim (명태회무침), spicy seasoned raw pollock, came out too, served with napa cabbage to wrap it in.

Eating the pollock salad on its own, without the cabbage, it was spicy with great umami — perfect as a drinking snack. Thanks to this we ended up ordering one more bottle of soju.

Piled onto crisp cabbage leaves, the combination was excellent. The spicy flavor kept pulling me back for more.

Seafood scorched rice soup (samseon-nurungji-tang)

Samseon-nurungjitang (삼선누룽지탕) came out too, served piping hot.

It was packed with tender seafood, mushrooms, and nutty scorched rice. With the warm broth too, it really filled us up. Genuinely not a single dish felt like a weak link at this place.

Braised half-dried pollock (kodari-jjim)

Kodari-jjim (코다리찜), braised dried pollock, couldn't be left out even at the very end.

Looks delicious even just from the photo, right? The seasoning was spot on and the sauce was tasty, so we finished this one completely too. Starting with abalone but carrying such variety all the way through to the end of the course — it really earned the word 'generous.'

Finishing the meal: seaweed soup and three side dishes

Around the time we were finishing the main dishes, seaweed soup, three side dishes, and rice came out.

The side dishes were napa kimchi, mung bean sprouts, and salted squid. The bean sprouts were tasty too, so we finished them completely. Not just the abalone dishes but even the basic side dishes were good — overall, it felt like a Guwol-dong restaurant with real skill in the kitchen.

Glossy rice and seaweed soup loaded with abalone. Even the finishing meal was seriously generous.

The seaweed soup had perilla seed powder mixed in, giving it a soft, nutty flavor. We also piled some of the bulgogi from earlier onto the rice and ate it together — it was delicious and filling, a satisfying way to wrap up the meal. Being able to enjoy such variety made this Incheon Korean course meal all the more satisfying.

For dessert, plum tea came out too, wrapping things up nicely.

Who is Jeonbokchon best for?

There were so many dishes at Jeonbokchon, and each one felt made with care and tasted great — a really satisfying meal. Above all, with the private rooms so well set up, I found myself thinking I'd want to come back with my parents. The quiet, clean atmosphere would also work well for family gatherings, even for a sangyeollye (formal meeting between families before marriage).

If you like abalone, I'd recommend visiting Jeonbokchon for a chance to enjoy so many different abalone preparations in one Incheon Korean course. Overall the food was delicious and the portions generous — this is a Guwol-dong restaurant I'd love to visit again.