Paju dumpling restaurant at 4pm with extra steamed mandu: Bubyeokjeong

Hello, this is Mingming Chew!!

In Paju, after visiting Yakcheonsa Temple and the Lotte Outlet, my last stop was a dumpling hot pot restaurant. I'm recommending this as a Paju must-eat, so if you're shopping at the outlet in Paju, definitely stop by.

Where Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu is and when it opens

• Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu, Paju Book City Heyri Village Unjeong-Ilsan main branch
• Location - 129 Jimok-ro, 1F Building La, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours - Daily 11:00–21:00
• Weekday break time 14:30–17:00 / no break time on weekends

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu was less than 10 minutes by car from the Paju Outlet. I visited around 4pm on a weekend, thinking there wouldn't be many customers at such an in-between time (?), but there were actually quite a lot of people.

Is there parking, and how long is the wait?

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu has a large parking area right in front, so there was no problem parking! Parking is free, and you just need to give your car number when you pay after eating!

You can register for a wait using Catch Table, and it seems like there's basically always a wait if you visit during weekend lunch or dinner time. The water makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) I was most looking forward to was already sold out.. so disappointed I couldn't try it.

The waitlist registration instructions were kindly posted, which was nice! I got in without any wait at all.

Inside Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu: the dining room and tables

The inside of Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu is spacious and clean. The tables are wide too, so it seems great for families to visit.

It looks like there are only 4-seat tables, but there are also 6-seat and 8-seat tables, so it works fine for large families too! I was surprised at how clean everything was — maybe the interior was renovated not long ago!

Each table has red pepper flakes, vinegar, a spice-soy sauce, and a 5-minute sand timer! The spoons and chopsticks came hygienically wrapped, which made me feel like they really care about cleanliness.

The self-serve corner and free side dish refills

First thing I ran to was the self-serve corner! They also had takeout containers ready for leftovers.

They even had baby dishware, which makes it super convenient to visit with kids!! The mandu hot pot broth comes in a spicy or a clear version, and if you need more you can just grab it yourself at the self-serve corner.

They bring out 3 side dishes, and these are also unlimited refills!! Pickled radish, white kimchi, cabbage kimchi.

The white kimchi was so good I kept going back for refills..

There was an introduction about Pyeongyang mandu (Pyeongyang-style dumplings) so I read it, and it got me even more excited!

They said if you fill out a survey, you get one free drink per table, so I did the survey and got a zero-sugar cider!!

Mandu hot pot for two: price and what comes with it

We ordered the mandu hot pot for two! It comes with mandu, boiled meat, vegetables, and knife-cut noodles too. The price is ₩14,000 per person, which feels like amazing value for what you get!!

Bibim makguksu, ordered because water makguksu was sold out

Since water makguksu was sold out, I settled for bibim makguksu (spicy mixed buckwheat noodles) instead! They mixed it up so the seasoning coats everything evenly!! It smelled deliciously nutty.

Wow... first of all, the buckwheat noodles were so good!! How can it be this nutty and delicious?!

They said the noodles are made with 100% buckwheat, and the seasoning sauce was also amazing — I definitely recommend getting the bibim makguksu. RK raved about it too. In the end, we finished every last bite..

How to eat the mandu hot pot, and how it tastes

For the mandu hot pot, once the broth starts boiling, they add the vegetables first. The vegetables include bean sprouts, cabbage, perilla leaves, and mushrooms! Then they added the mandu and beef shank on top.

After 5 minutes, the broth starts boiling hard again, and that's when you should eat! The broth's umami was insane ~~ with the moisture from the vegetables mixed in, the flavor turned clean and mild and so delicious.

The moment the Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang mandu arrived.. it was clearly a whole different level from Bibigo mandu.. First off, there's quite a lot of tofu inside, so you can really taste the tofu. It was so clean-tasting and delicious that I kept eating!

RK makes an amazing dipping sauce.. the balance of soy sauce, vinegar, and red pepper flakes has to be just right, and he really nails it!! The mandu are quite mild/bland (seumseumhan) on their own, so dipping them in this sauce makes the seasoning fit perfectly? (Apparently Pyeongyang-style food, whether it's Pyeongyang naengmyeon or Pyeongyang mandu, is meant to be eaten mild..!)

The mandu was so good that someone (me) ordered more!! I ordered because it was so delicious, and the steamed mandu was insanely good too..!!

Takeout mandu and misutgaru at the dessert zone

If you're disappointed by the long wait at Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu, or if it's so delicious you want to take some home, takeout is also available!! They also prep the takeout in advance, so you can grab it right away with no wait, which is really nice!

Lastly, the dessert corner — a dessert zone with Korean desserts.

There's a misutgaru (roasted grain drink) machine, and it's as ridiculously cold as a slushie, with fine ice floating in it..!!

Hahaha, it was so good I drank 2 whole cups.

There was also a variety of rice crackers and traditional sweets, which were great for a palate cleanser!! From start to finish, even down to dessert, this Paju Unjeong must-eat, Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu, was perfect — I highly recommend visiting after shopping at the Paju Outlet!!