Yeongjong buffet self-serve bar with tteokbokki: Pyeonbaek Hoegwan

From the kids' playroom to the loaded self-serve bar, this is a must-visit Yeongjong course for a whole family to eat until they burst and unwind.

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Main Branch hours and amenities

• ⌚ Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00
• 🅿️ Parking available (free)
• 🚻 Gender-separated restrooms
• ♿ Wheelchair accessible
• 🪑 Baby chairs available
• 🛜 Free wifi

Finding the entrance: 2nd floor, elevator available

I visited Pyeonbaek Hoegwan, a hearty and generous restaurant that's perfect for a family meal or gathering spot on Yeongjong Island!

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, but there's an elevator so you can get there easily haha.

What's on the self-serve bar at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan?

Walking in, you're greeted by an open, spacious, pleasant hall, and

the self-serve bar packed with fresh ingredients is the first thing you see! From shabu-shabu vegetables to rice-paper roll vegetables, all kinds of ingredients are neatly laid out. Even the glass noodles (bunmoja) are all-you-can-eat. Glass noodle lovers are going to love this!!!

On the other side is a fried rice section and broth zone you can enjoy after the shabu-shabu

And there was a variety of appetizers ready too. Mostly the kind of food kids go crazy for, haha

Tomato spaghetti, tteokbokki, and even soup..! Pretty excellent for a weekend family outing course, right?!

The kids' playroom

There's a kids' playroom on one side of the restaurant, and it was kept quite clean. Perfect for when the adults want to eat and chat while the kids play among themselves haha.

Where do you park in Yeongjong?

Besides the building's own lot, you can also use the parking lot of Jinro Mart right next door, so you can eat, do some grocery shopping, and drive straight home. Nice that you can knock it all out in one short trip.

What we ordered, starting with the cypress steam

It's best to order the hot pot broth you want first, then go grab the appetizers and rice-paper roll ingredients!

Once you order your broth, they bring out a simple appetizer plate — the tteokbokki and tomato spaghetti were so good..! I almost filled up on appetizers alone haha.

The gorgeous-looking cypress steam gets set up..! The amount of meat was really surprising!

While the steamer works its magic for 10 minutes, you go grab the rice-paper roll ingredients and enjoy the appetizers, and the time flies by haha.

The pretty (?) and delicious cypress steam, done..! The subtle cypress wood scent was so nice.

Dipping the well-steamed meat with vegetables into the special sauce was seriously delicious.... a flavor you could inhale endlessly without regret.

I also rolled up some rice-paper rolls, and it was great to be able to eat so many fresh vegetables. All the sauces were tasty too.

Spicy mushroom and beef-bone mala: two of the five broths

After finishing the cypress steam, they prepare a hot pot with whichever broth you like from a whopping 5 options: katsuo, spicy mushroom, doenjang chicken, beef-bone mala, and beef-bone tomato,

and the broths I ordered were spicy mushroom and beef-bone mala! For the beef-bone mala, they give you the mala sauce separately so you can add as much as you like! If you're visiting with kids, I'd recommend the katsuo broth, and for adults who like a spicy, hearty flavor, the beef-bone mala or spicy mushroom broths!

The spicy mushroom broth had a clean, spicy taste, while the beef-bone mala had a slightly richer, deeper flavor. Both were different kinds of spicy but really delicious!!

Piling in generous amounts of the fresh napa cabbage and mushrooms from the self-serve bar and simmering it makes the broth so much deeper and more refreshing. Lightly cooking the lean beef eye of round and savory beef brisket, the two meat options, and eating them together..! Kya.. it's chopsticks on repeat, non-stop.

Make sure to try the perfectly cooked, glossy glass noodles too!

I cleaned my plate as much as I possibly could haha. I was so full I couldn't manage the fried rice, which was a bit of a shame. Neighbors, please make sure to go and enjoy the Korean dessert too haha.

Is Pyeonbaek Hoegwan worth it? Final verdict

At a reasonable price, you get to enjoy a full Korean-style course of all-you-can-eat cypress steam, shabu-shabu, rice-paper rolls, and even kalguksu noodles and porridge! It was a truly satisfying meal. The owner was also incredibly kind and explained in detail exactly how to eat everything. The restaurant is spacious and pleasant, so if you're looking for a spot for a group gathering or family meal on Yeongjong Island, definitely pay a visit!