9 AM opening run for kalguksu in Anjung, Pyeongtaek: Songdam Kalguksu

Before heading out early for a drive! I decided to stop by a famous kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) spot in Anjung for breakfast-slash-lunch — this place is a guaranteed local favorite.

We arrived at Songdam Kalguksu in Anjung. This is the place to try old-style hot pot kalguksu! Anjeong-ri has a lot of great restaurants, and this one is a longtime favorite among locals too.

Songdam Kalguksu hours and parking: arriving at the 9 AM opening

Songdam Kalguksu opens at 9am and closes at 9pm. We arrived right at opening and the parking lot was completely empty!! Wow, that's a first for me~~ This is normally the kind of famous restaurant where the lot fills up before lunchtime even starts, so I really recommend the opening run haha!!

The parking lot is also huge, so you wouldn't feel bad showing up in a group of cars!

Beef kalguksu and fresh clam kalguksu, 8,000 won each

Apparently Songdam Kalguksu's shabu village broth is made by simmering various seafood, dried pollack, vegetables, and sangwhang mushroom for a long time as their all-purpose cooking broth — and honestly the broth here is just incredible. The broth!!! It's incredible!!

So we ordered 2 beef kalguksu and 2 fresh clam kalguksu. Kalguksu for 8,000 won — the value here is off the charts~~~ Best kalguksu, such a good-hearted restaurant.

Corn bread before the meal, and again as dessert

And so this really generous meal begins, starting with corn bread!! This is so unbelievably good that when you're leaving and having your after-meal coffee, eat it together and it's mind-blowing haha. If you didn't eat it before the meal, don't forget to take it with you on your way out!! It's a flavor that stays with you~~

Barley rice with chojang and a bowlful of yeolmu kimchi

Then the barley rice came out!! This is also amazing. Drizzle chojang (vinegar-chili sauce) over the barley rice, pile yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) on top, and it's absolutely delicious!!! It comes out simply as an appetizer before the meal, but it's so good you'd feel like you were missing out if you skipped it!! Have a scoop of this before the meal and you're off to a solid start.

No shabu-shabu on weekends? What actually changes at Songdam Kalguksu

After the barley rice, the full spread came out together — generously portioned for 4 people, with the fresh clams and beef starting things off. We'd heard shabu-shabu wasn't available on weekends, so we thought we'd have to eat it as plain kalguksu bowls each — but it turned out identical, the only difference being that the shabu-shabu vegetables aren't served!! Someone who's only ever come on weekdays would be shocked!!

There's a scoop of broth that comes along with it haha. Add vegetables to this and it's no different from shabu-shabu. It's not the visual you're picturing when you think of ordering 'a bowl of kalguksu' — but that's exactly what makes it so overwhelming!!

House-made noodles with chives, pulled fresh that morning

The kalguksu noodles come out together too — enjoy the vegetables, beef, and clams first, then finish with the noodles at the end, and it's perfect. The noodles are house-made with chives mixed in, pulled fresh each day — you could call this Songdam Kalguksu's identity.

The visuals at this Anjung, Pyeongtaek Korean restaurant favorite are just the best~~ If you order shabu-shabu, meat, kimchi, and dumplings come with it too — but unfortunately dumplings aren't included with the kalguksu, so keep that in mind!! Of course you can order them extra, so mandu (dumpling) lovers, I recommend adding them!!!

Broth running low? Refill it at the self-serve bar

A truly generous meal with nothing lacking. The broth is so incredible that you keep sipping it and it disappears fast. But don't worry!!! Just grab a refill from the self-serve bar!! The owner's thoughtfulness here is amazing~

Then just neatly pile on more beef and wait for the shabu-shabu vegetables and meat to cook through. Honestly, where else can you get this kind of taste and portion for 8,000 won!!! There's a reason this place earns its good reputation.

That's probably why there were so many elderly customers — the vegetables are easy on digestion and good for your health, so you can enjoy it without any worries. Of course, it's not just for elders — this is a flavor that people of all ages and genders would love!!!

Why the fresh clam kalguksu broth is the cheat code

I tried the clam kalguksu for the first time that day, and wow... the clam meat was plump and satisfying, and thanks to the clams the broth felt even more refreshing!! Honestly the broth itself is a total cheat code.

Self-serve side dishes and the last of the kalguksu noodles

This Anjung, Pyeongtaek Korean restaurant favorite comes highly recommended!! It'd be a great place to bring your parents, and it seems perfect for family gatherings too. The self-serve bar had yeolmu kimchi, napa kimchi, and cheongyang chili peppers — if you want it spicier, grab the cheongyang peppers! But it's already so perfect without them that I, a spice lover, skipped them this time.

We finished it all off with the kalguksu noodles~ The kimchi was so delicious that it paired perfectly with the noodles, and the noodles themselves were already well-seasoned, so it was really good. The combination with the rich, mellowed-out broth was fantastic too!!! Kalguksu, such an everyday dish, felt special somehow. Especially since you get to enjoy it as kalguksu after having it as shabu-shabu, it felt like a somewhat healthier meal too haha.

On the way out: mini puffed rice snacks, corn bread, and soybean broth

On our way out we came across these mini rice puffs, and couldn't help but drag this little snack along on our trip too. A great simple treat.

They also sell corn bread and soybean broth, so it's worth picking some up as snacks!! It's no secret that the soybean noodle soup here is creamy and really delicious too haha.

A regular's tip: lines form after 12 PM

Songdam Kalguksu, this Anjung, Pyeongtaek Korean restaurant favorite — it was so great to finish a meal full and satisfied for 8,000 won. They even hand you coffee on the way out!! haha. I ended up in small talk with a customer just walking in, who told me that after noon here you can't even get a table without lining up — and I immediately thought, ah, this person must be a regular.

They also told us that if it's crowded, you can just rest at the little rest area here haha. Songdam Kalguksu feels like it's going to become a place I come back to often. It really was a delicious, generous meal that made for a good day!! Wishing this Anjung favorite, Songdam Kalguksu, even more success!!!