Yongin Korean buffet with standout janchi-guksu: Daedong

Daedong Korean Buffet & Dosirak in Yangji-eup, Yongin

I had been meaning to visit this place for ages, but it is a bit of a drive, so laziness? kept making me put it off. This time, I set off early in the morning.

When I got to the parking lot, I was already surprised that there was a restaurant out in a place like this. Then I saw the spacious lot and landscaping and wondered, “Is this really a value-for-money Korean buffet?” The landscaping is so beautifully done that it makes you curious: what used to be here?

My dear Cherry, getting me around again today! (That is her nickname.)

Wait, why is there a caravan here?

There is a café out front, but the Korean buffet provides food, coffee, and sikhye (sweet rice punch) inside. Would you ever need to go to the café?

A list of companies that use the restaurant for lunch. Wow, there are quite a lot?

They offer coffee and sikhye as a little finish, but we were planning to go to a café, so we passed!

Surprisingly? For the size of the place, the tray-return area is on the small side. Well... as long as they clear things quickly, it should not be inconvenient.

Self-serve stations at the ₩9,000 buffet

Ramen at a ₩9,000 buffet too? I wanted to have some, but it was so crowded, and lining up because of it was hard, so I just passed ㅠ

There is cereal and milk ready to go, and even a toaster?

Broth for janchi-guksu (banquet noodles), and...

I will say it now: the star here is the janchi-guksu! (See below.)

At a street tent bar or an old drinking spot, if there are just cucumber and carrot sticks before the snacks arrive, one bottle of soju is gone!! But we came to eat today, so I only looked. Still, surprisingly, so many people were eating these?

There are not a huge number of side dishes, but everything laid out is something they can really push as a main attraction.

What are the staples of a Korean buffet? Spicy pork stir-fry and sweet crispy chicken, surely. Spicy pork alone makes two bowls of rice totally doable!

There are scrambled eggs too.

And japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and shredded radish. I love Korean buffets and have been to many, but this one is enormous. I mean, it is out in the middle of nowhere and hard to reach without a car—could a place this big really make financial sense? But after 11 a.m., I was amazed to see it nearly full.

My partner had a cup of makgeolli (Korean rice wine) early in the morning! No... everyone was staring because they were drinking makgeolli with an early weekend breakfast, haha. I had to drive, so I could not drink, but daytime drinks... no, morning drinks are the best!

Trying the janchi-guksu and seaweed soup

There are two kinds of trays, so you can choose a regular cafeteria tray or a plate. I chose a plate, but people kept crowding up behind me, so I loaded it quickly, quickly—and it does not look like much.

This, I loved! At Korean buffets or hotel buffets, soup bowls are usually way too small ㅠㅠ I need hangover soup, so why!! make me come back two or three times? But here, the soup bowl is—oh wow—huge, haha. It is big enough to cure a hangover in one go, and the seaweed soup is not salty, just nicely seasoned, so it is great to gulp down for that purpose too!

My partner’s tray. Spicy pork stir-fry is always right!

Why the janchi-guksu was my favorite at this Korean buffet

The janchi-guksu here is seriously good. I mean... why are the banquet noodles at a Korean buffet this delicious? They are faaaar better than the janchi-guksu usually sold at snack bars.

Guests kept arriving after 11 a.m. From what I could see, most were families, and there were lots of elderly diners too. Maybe they come for a generous, tasty meal at a low price instead of eating breakfast at home.

And what surprised me was looking at the elderly diners’ and other guests’ plates: “Wow... they really eat a lot? We gave up after one plate!” The only thing we refilled was the janchi-guksu! I think people eat that much because none of the dishes are overly salty—some Korean buffets make their tasty dishes too salty—and every single one keeps you reaching for your chopsticks.

Why do I like Korean buffets? First, the value! Second, you do not have to choose a menu (that is the biggest reason). Third, there are all kinds of restaurants nearby. Rather than somewhere special, it is a nice place to drop in for the comfortable feeling of a home-cooked meal. If you had somewhere like this near home, I would recommend it as an easy weekend-morning stop.