Suwon bar for chilled Korean beef tartare: Yukhoe Dokjon

Here comes the gorgeous chilled Korean beef tartare platter ✨️ You can try both yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and beef sashimi! Because it is chilled Korean beef, not frozen tartare, it felt fresh and tender to chew! By the way, the restaurant is currently running a receipt-review event too, so don't miss it if you visit~

Yukhoe Dokjon Suwon Station Branch: location and hours

It is at Unit 109, 1F, Dream Plaza, 30 Hyanggyo-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do. They say it is 100% handmade chilled Korean beef tartare, not dairy-cattle beef tartare.

• Mon–Thu: 16:00–02:00 the next day
• Fri–Sat: 15:00–03:00 the next day
• Sun: 15:00–02:00 the next day
• All menu items are available for takeout

The exterior on Suwon Station Rodeo Street

I stopped by Yukhoe Dokjon Suwon Station Branch after visiting Suwon Station Rodeo Street for a date.

Those of you who go around Suwon Station often will know... there are countless cafés and restaurants on both sides of Rodeo Street! A restaurant was there last month?! But it is gone this month?! That happens so often. Businesses change hands that frequently here, but Yukhoe Dokjon is a Korean beef tartare spot that has held its place on Suwon Station Rodeo Street for more than 10 years. It is great for a date over drinks, too. Since it stays open late into the night, have dinner somewhere first, then come here for round two—so, so delicious~

A vibe with a bit of an izakaya feel.

Interior atmosphere and menu

Whenever I go somewhere from summer through early fall, I always check the air conditioning, and this place has several ceiling-mounted system AC units, so you can eat comfortably!

It looked small from outside, but the interior was long and quite spacious. It looked fine for group gatherings and company dinners, too. We arrived early for dinner almost right when it opened, but there were already tables eating; by the time we left, more than half the seats were filled, even though it was early on a weekday evening, which surprised me.

I had the ₩37,000 assorted Korean beef tartare platter, and it came with both tartare and sashimi, so I could try a variety. There were also restorative combinations like sannak (live octopus) Korean beef tartare, with sannak and tartare together, and abalone Korean beef tartare, with abalone and tartare together. Having tartare with nourishing foods such as live octopus and abalone seems like it would boost your energy right up~ They also had Korean beef sushi and Korean beef tartare bibimbap, which looked good for when you want a proper meal. After trying the cho-gochujang and sesame oil that came with the platter, I was sure the tartare bibimbap would be 100% delicious too. And in tiny print on the menu: all items available for takeout~

I love a confident banner. But really, it was on another level because it was Korean beef tartare! I looked it up and found that they trim the Korean beef that day, store it at a low temperature, then season it as soon as you order. We went for drinks during a Suwon Station date and found Yukhoe Dokjon; it was so good that we inhaled it,, After one bite of beef sashimi, we exchanged looks and were basically like, let's eat a little first, then talk.

There was a wide selection of alcohol, so you could choose whatever you wanted. I like Byeolbit Cheongha, and surprisingly, many restaurants sell only regular Cheongha and not Byeolbit Cheongha—but I could order it here.

Just a heads-up: the restroom is outside.

One last thing: I only noticed as we were about to leave, since it was not winter, haha—the chairs were the kind you often see at Korean barbecue places, with storage inside for your belongings~ They seemed especially useful in fall and winter, when you often wear cardigans or padded jackets, and I thought that was a thoughtful touch.

Assorted Korean beef tartare and beef radish soup

When you first arrive, they give you beef radish soup as a basic drinking snack. I was not going to drink, but after one taste of that refreshing broth,,, I could not resist and ordered soju. If you want a drink around Suwon Station Rodeo, go to Yukhoe Dokjon. It will be a choice you won't regret.

Steaming hot beef radish soup + tartare. Tartare is a cold dish, so it was so nice to warm my stomach with the soup. Visually, it looked a little like fish-cake broth? But it was a pleasantly spicy, refreshing radish soup. (They say the radish soup is refillable~)

Can you see that gorgeous chilled beef tartare~ It is a great Suwon Station tartare spot when you want to eat your fill! It comes with three sauces—cho-gochujang, black sesame dressing, and sesame-oil salt sauce—so dip according to your taste. They were all good, so I alternated between them, but if I had to choose one, I am a purist, so dipping it in sesame oil + salt was the best. Sometimes when I order tartare for delivery, it is frozen and still a bit icy, or maybe it was thawed poorly and feels mushy; since this is not frozen tartare, it had none of that at all!!!

Anyone who has cooked at home knows how an egg yolk spreads when it is no longer fresh! Look at that plump, bouncy yolk holding its beautiful shape.

There were Asian pear and radish sprouts too, so I tried them with the tartare. The sweet pear wrapped the flavor of the sesame-oil-dipped Korean beef tartare in a sweet, smooth way, so I kept repeating: take a sip, eat tartare, inhale it all! The black sesame sauce was an unmissable kick, too.

After saying cheers and having one bite, then two, it was all gone before I knew it, haha.

You can tell how delicious it was from the neatly emptied plate and soju bottle, right?! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try proper Korean beef tartare and beef sashimi near Suwon Station.