Ilsan Lakeside Diner · 108 stories

Gyeonggi Restaurant Journal

I write about visits to restaurants in Gyeonggi Province. · Writes about: Restaurants · Beauty products · Cafés · Shopping · Stays · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceIcheon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Korean BBQ on the way home from Icheon: wagyu flower rib, Yuksik Wang

Yuksik Wang (육식왕) is a wagyu and beef short rib BBQ restaurant on Jungnicheon-ro near Icheon Terminal in Icheon, Gyeonggi. On the way home from an Icheon trip, the blogger ordered the wagyu flower rib platter (400g, 79,000 won) and the meat-packed Korean pork kimchi stew; the well-marbled flower rib was tender and rich, and the stew was a generous half meat, half kimchi. If you want a hearty meat meal to end an Icheon trip, Yuksik Wang is worth remembering.

Written Oct 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceIcheon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Icheon charcoal BBQ: homegrown lettuce bar & nuruk pork neck, Neul

Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch (늘고기집 이천본점) is a charcoal-grill Korean BBQ restaurant on Gyeongchung-daero in Icheon, Gyeonggi, right next to Bareun Hospital. Remembering a great dinner there after an Icheon hot spring visit, the writer returned, ordered 2 servings of nuruk-marinated (Korean fermentation starter) pork galbi neck at ₩19,000 per serving, then added 1 more. The meal also included the self-serve corner with homegrown lettuce, fresh kimchi geotjeori, yellow-rice (hwangmi) pot rice with nurungji (scorched rice), and self-serve ice cream and coffee. Thanks to the not-too-sweet nuruk marinade and fresh wrap greens, Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch was just as satisfying on a return visit.

Written Jun 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonShopping

Sokcho market jeotgal shop: regular's restock for son, Hwangbuja

Hwangbuja Jeotgal (황부자젓갈) is a jeotgal (salted seafood) shop inside Sokcho Tourist & Fish Market, also called Sokcho Jungang Market, in Sokcho, Gangwon. The writer stops at Hwangbuja Jeotgal whenever the jeotgal in her fridge runs low. This time, after tasting, she bought octopus, squid and shrimp jeotgal and shared them with her son's family. With a friendly owner, easy tastings and a wide range of jeotgal, Hwangbuja Jeotgal is a good place in Sokcho Jungang Market to pick up gifts or side dishes.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonCafés

Sokcho egg tart bakery: car snacks for the drive home, Doris

Doris Patisserie is a reservation-only egg tart bakery on the corner of the Sokcho Central Market intersection in Sokcho, Gangwon. After a Sokcho trip, the writer reserved one box of original and one box of walnut egg tarts by text, picked them up on the way home, and ate them one by one with coffee in the car. Booking Doris Patisserie takes some care, but its egg tarts are the souvenir the writer goes back for on every Sokcho visit.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangneung, GangwonCafés

Gangneung day-trip hanok café: quince garden, black latte, Cafe Giwa

Cafe Giwa (카페기와) is a hanok café in Chodang-dong, Gangneung, set in a 130-year-old traditional house with a garden of reeds and quince trees and an interior full of vintage props. On a Gangneung trip, the writer ordered Cafe Giwa's signature Giwa Black Latte (₩6,500), a coffee and the pure milk roll cake, and relaxed in the hanok atmosphere. For a quiet Gangneung hanok café that feels different from the seaside cafés, Cafe Giwa fits well into a day-trip route.

Written Oct 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho tofu restaurant under Café Neorae for dinner: Yetgoeul Sundubu

Yetgoeul Sundubu is a soft tofu restaurant that makes its own tofu, located on Wonamhaksapyeong-gil in Haksapyeong Sundubu Village, Sokcho, on the ground floor of the Café Neorae building. Right after the break time, the writer had the small tricolor tofu hotpot for 2 (32,000 won) with 2 extra cast-iron pot rice servings, and liked the pretty, soft beet and mugwort tofu and the pot rice down to its nurungji (scorched rice crust). Because Yetgoeul Sundubu shares a building with Café Neorae, it is an easy dinner stop in Sokcho to pair with coffee in one outing.

Written Oct 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHoengseong, GangwonShopping

Hoengseong butcher revisited: ribeye for a grandchild, son's striploin

Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom is a hanu (Korean beef) butcher shop in the Wonheung 2-cha Apartment shopping arcade on Munhwacheyuk-ro, Hoengseong-eup, Gangwon. It opened in 1979 and is now run by the second generation. The writer returned on a trip because the meat from the last visit was so good, buying 2 packs of ribeye, striploin and hanu soup beef: the ribeye went to the older son's family for the grandchild, the striploin to the younger son, who is hooked on beef, and the soup beef became seaweed soup (miyeokguk). Verdict: Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom is worth revisiting for hanu to grill or simmer at home.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceChuncheon, GangwonRestaurants

Tonkatsu dinner in Chuncheon after World Hot Spring: Jeongseong Katsu

Jeongseong Katsu Chuncheon Hyoja Branch is a tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant in Hyoja-dong, Chuncheon, near Kangwon National University, serving domestic Korean pork. After unwinding at Chuncheon World Hot Spring, the writer waited briefly for a table at the full restaurant, then ordered the Jeongseong mixed katsu set and the Western-style king tonkatsu set for ₩13,900 each. Jeongseong Katsu offers crispy Japanese-style katsu and nostalgic Western-style king tonkatsu in one meal, with portions and value that both satisfy.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, IncheonRestaurants

Shabu-shabu buffet a walk from a Yeongjong hotel: Pyeonpyeonjip

Pyeonpyeonjip Yeongjong Sky City branch (편편집 영종하늘도시점) is an all-you-can-eat cypress steam pot, shabu-shabu and rice paper roll restaurant near Guyeupbaetteo ferry pier in Yeongjong Sky City, Jung-gu, Incheon. During a one-night hotel stay on Yeongjong Island, the writer walked to Pyeonpyeonjip and ate the cypress steam pot, a half seafood, half spicy seafood shabu-shabu and rice paper rolls, and was pleased with the fresh vegetables, clean meat and amenities such as the kids' play room. Pyeonpyeonjip Yeongjong Sky City branch is a recommended, filling meal within walking distance during a Yeongjong hotel getaway.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGimpo, GyeonggiRestaurants

Gimpo BBQ lunch revisit: beef rib set, kimchi stew: Donpu The Grill

Donpu The Grill is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Janggi-dong, Gimpo, known for pork belly and beef short ribs. After first visiting Donpu The Grill when it opened, the writer returned for lunch and ordered the aged beef short rib set (₩19,900) and the stone-pot kimchi stew (₩8,900); the sweet marinated beef short rib with black rice and the meat-packed kimchi stew beat expectations. Donpu The Grill is a Janggi-dong BBQ spot with a lunch set menu as solid as its dinner grill.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangneung, GangwonRestaurants

Gangneung cockle bibimbap & old soju bottle display: Yeonhwa Maeul

Yeonhwa Maeul Kkomak Bibimbap is a cockle bibimbap and mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) restaurant beside the lotus fields of Pungho Village in Gangdong-myeon, Gangneung. To avoid the parking trouble and long waits at famous spots, the writer drove there on a weekday. The writer had the savory cockle bibimbap and an assorted seasonal-fish mulhoe in slushy, ice-cold broth, finished with somyeon (thin wheat noodles), with sets starting at 48,000 won for two. Yeonhwa Maeul Kkomak Bibimbap is a good fit if you want cockle bibimbap and mulhoe together, with no wait, in a quiet countryside setting.

Written Oct 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGimpo, GyeonggiCafés

Rice paddy view brunch in Gimpo: burger and ricotta salad at Nillai

Nillai (닐라이) is a rice paddy view brunch café in Wolgot-myeon, Gimpo, on the road to Ganghwa. After a trip to Yeongjongdo, the writer stopped at Nillai on the drive and had the Nillai Original handmade burger (17,900 won) and a ricotta cheese salad (12,900 won), with green paddies, a canal and fountains beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Food took a little while on a weekday, but the burger and the paddy view alone make Nillai worth another stop.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored