Suwon Station yukhoe restaurant with seaweed wraps: Yukhoe Dokjon

Fall is the season to keep enjoying sashimi (so I've been eating a lot of it lately).

But if I only eat fish sashimi, the meat might get jealous, so I went out to properly enjoy some yukhoe (raw beef tartare) too.

I had plans near Suwon Station and looked up yukhoe spots there — "Yukhoe Dokjon" seemed to be the number one pick, so I went in with high expectations!

What is Yukhoe Dokjon Suwon Station Branch like inside? Japanese izakaya mood

Yukhoe Dokjon Suwon Station Branch is on the 1st floor of Dream Plaza on Hyanggyo-ro, and the exterior has a real Japanese izakaya feel. This was my first visit, and I loved that the storefront gave off that izakaya-style vibe.

Honestly I wasn't expecting much from the atmosphere since we were just there for yukhoe, but with the cooler weather and this kind of aesthetic, the place just radiated a hip energy haha.

The interior also had that comfortable izakaya-like feel, and it was bigger than it looked from outside!

There were plenty of seats and the tables were nice and wide, so we could eat comfortably!

Why Yukhoe Dokjon is called a top yukhoe spot near Suwon Station

As I mentioned above, just from the reviews you could tell Yukhoe Dokjon is the number one yukhoe spot near Suwon Station, because —

• It's said to be the only place near Suwon Station that specializes in chilled hanwoo yukhoe.
• They use 100% handmade chilled hanwoo yukhoe.
• They don't handle frozen yukhoe at all.

Sticking to and upholding these three things seems to be exactly how they keep their spot as the number one yukhoe restaurant near Suwon Station!

They've even held the same spot near Suwon Station as a "yukhoe specialist" for over 10 years, so I think that says it all.

What two people should order: live octopus hanwoo yukhoe + hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap

Yukhoe Dokjon sells yukhoe, sashimi, and live octopus in various combos, and that day we ordered the live octopus hanwoo yukhoe combo and hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap. True to a yukhoe-focused restaurant, they had yukhoe, sashimi, and live octopus available in a bunch of different combinations.

I like sashimi too, but that day I was craving the yukhoe + live octopus combo haha. And since my boyfriend who came with me wanted yukhoe bibimbap too, we ordered the live octopus hanwoo yukhoe + hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap combo!

The dashi broth that arrives as soon as you sit down

As soon as we sat down, they brought out this dashi soup on what looked like a solid-fuel burner, with radish and a bit of meat in it...

But this broth was really, really, really good. Just this soup alone was enough to knock back a whole bottle of soju...

How does the live octopus hanwoo yukhoe taste? Chewy beef and octopus in sesame oil

From now on, I don't think I want to talk yukhoe with anyone who hasn't tried the yukhoe at Yukhoe Dokjon.

The chewy texture was genuinely insane, and the freshness barely needs mentioning! The live octopus was so good too — dipping it right into the sesame oil sauce was the icing on the cake.

Why extra seaweed is a must at Yukhoe Dokjon, plus the black sesame sauce

At Yukhoe Dokjon, adding seaweed sheets is absolutely essential. Laying yukhoe and live octopus on the seaweed with a touch of chojang sauce was the highlight of the day.

Any yukhoe lovers will get this — that satisfying moment of cracking the egg yolk on top and mixing it all in...

They surprisingly gave us a black sesame sauce, and it went so, so well with the yukhoe, so nutty and rich!

And we added seaweed sheets — this add-on is absolutely, positively a must!! They even give you free seaweed if you write a Naver review event post, so make sure to add it!

Put yukhoe on the seaweed, add live octopus, a bit of chojang sauce... I'm drooling just writing this...

Finishing the meal with hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap

Finally, once you're through with the yukhoe, they bring out the yukhoe bibimbap loaded with vegetables and raw beef...

Mixing it up well and putting a bit of octopus or extra yukhoe on the seaweed we'd added earlier made me so, so happy... this is exactly why office workers work hard and grab a drink after work haha.