Travel lunch at a Yeosu shabu-shabu buffet self-bar: Tongkeun Shabu

If you're looking for somewhere for a family meal in Yeosu, take a look at today's post (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)// I'm bringing you my review of Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu, which I visited with my husband and my 28-month-old daughter! It's great not just for shabu-shabu lovers but also for visiting with kids, since there's such a wide variety of food that it made for a solid family meal (๑>◡<๑)/

Where is Tongkeun Shabu, and what are its hours?

Tongkeun Shabu is located on the 3rd floor of 25 Mangma-ro, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do, and it's open daily from 11:30 to 22:00. Since it's open every day, it's easy to visit anytime from lunch to dinner. Just in case, double-check the hours before you go (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)♡

Why we chose Tongkeun Shabu for lunch on our Yeosu trip

We visited with my husband and daughter for a good lunch during our Yeosu trip :) This time we headed to Tongkeun Shabu, known as a Hakdong restaurant near Yeosu City Hall! What really got me was that it's not just a shabu-shabu place — the self-bar has such a huge variety of food that my eyes went wide the moment we walked in (⊙_⊙)!! Choosing what to eat with a kid can be tricky, but here there's so much food that it's great for family visits♡

Finding Tongkeun Shabu in Hakdong, near Yeosu City Hall

Tongkeun Shabu is located in Hakdong near Yeosu City Hall, so it's convenient to visit during a Yeosu trip or when you're looking for somewhere to eat nearby. The address is 25 Mangma-ro, 3rd floor, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do! It's on the 3rd floor of the building, so check the address before you go :)

The self-bar you see the moment you walk in

Before we'd even sat down, we were already checking out the self-bar. Wow… there's really so much food, haha! We came for shabu-shabu, but it wasn't just shabu-shabu! Meat and vegetables plus all kinds of other dishes were laid out, so I actually paused for a moment wondering what to grab first (๑>◡<๑)/

How fresh are the shabu-shabu ingredients?

The most important part of shabu-shabu is the meat and vegetables, right? At Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu, both the shabu-shabu meat and vegetables were unlimited refills. You just grab as much as you want and drop it into the pot, so it's perfect for anyone who loves shabu-shabu! There was also a nice variety of fresh vegetables to pick according to your taste♡

How we ate the all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu

If you're looking for all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu near Yeosu City Hall, this is the part you'll love most. Since you can refill the meat and vegetables as much as you want, I'd recommend grabbing small portions at a time rather than piling up too much from the start, then going back for more if needed! That way you can also enjoy all the other dishes (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)♡

Pasta and pizza at the Tongkeun Shabu self-bar

There was carbonara pasta, potato pizza, and gorgonzola pizza too. At this point I wasn't sure if it was a shabu-shabu restaurant or a buffet, haha

With such a wide variety, it would be great for a group where everyone can pick what they each want to eat.

A mom's tip for eating at Tongkeun Shabu

If you eat too much shabu-shabu, you might not have room for everything else, so I'd recommend not going overboard at first — grab small amounts at a time! There's so much you'll want to try, especially the sushi, pizza, and pasta, so enjoy a little bit of everything. And definitely try making porridge at the end with egg, seaweed flakes, sesame oil, and rice♡

From pork ribs to dakgangjeong at the self-bar

And that's not even the end, haha. There's pork ribs and dakgangjeong (Korean fried chicken) too! I was honestly a bit surprised to see pork ribs and dakgangjeong at a shabu-shabu restaurant (⊙_⊙)!!

When visiting with a kid, it matters whether there's something to eat besides shabu-shabu. In that sense, I loved having so many options♡

A separate sushi zone at Tongkeun Shabu

Another thing that caught my eye — a sushi zone! We came for shabu-shabu, but having sushi prepared separately really widened the range of choices.

A bite of shabu-shabu, then a piece of sushi~ eating like that, my stomach kept getting fuller and fuller, haha

Who Tongkeun Shabu suits best

• People who love shabu-shabu
• People looking for a good restaurant near Yeosu City Hall
• People looking for a good restaurant in Hakdong, Yeosu
• People looking for all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu near Yeosu City Hall
• People looking for somewhere for a family meal with kids
• People who want to enjoy a variety of foods all at once

I think this place would suit these people well (๑>◡<๑)/

Cold noodles at the self-bar too

As I browsed the self-bar, I found even naengmyeon (cold noodles) ready to go! After eating hot shabu-shabu, a bite of cool cold noodles hits differently (๑>◡<๑)/ Being able to pick whatever you're in the mood for was one of the strengths of Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu.

Salad and fried rice at Tongkeun Shabu

It's not all heavy food — there was salad too. And fried rice on top of that! Being able to pair shabu-shabu with all these different dishes made for a really filling meal.

Why Tongkeun Shabu works for a family meal

When eating out with a kid, it can be a bit awkward if a place only has adult-oriented options. But Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu had such a wide range — from shabu-shabu to sushi, cold noodles, pork ribs, dakgangjeong, pizza, pasta, salad, and fried rice — that it was great for our family to each pick what we liked.

How to enjoy shabu-shabu properly

At first we really dug into the shabu-shabu itself. Loading up on fresh vegetables, adding meat~ simmering it and eating it hot really filled the hungry stomach we'd worked up while traveling! Shabu-shabu is really all about dunking ingredients into hot broth (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)//

Looking for a shabu-shabu spot near Yeosu City Hall?

If you're looking for shabu-shabu near Yeosu City Hall, or all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu near Yeosu City Hall, Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu is worth checking out.

What stuck with me especially was the all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu meat and vegetables, plus the variety spanning sushi, pizza, pasta, pork ribs, and dakgangjeong (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)♡

A Yeosu lunch that was easy to eat with a toddler

Above all, my daughter ate well on this visit, which made me happy as a mom. When eating with a kid, the most important thing is that they eat well♡ With so many choices, both the adults and the kid could eat according to their own tastes.

Rice paper wraps, Vietnamese spring roll style

One fun way I ate was with rice paper! There was rice paper for shabu-shabu, so I could wrap meat and vegetables in it like a Vietnamese spring roll. It's a different kind of fun from just cooking shabu-shabu in the broth (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)// Pile in your favorite vegetables, add meat, roll it up~ dip it in sauce, and it's a real treat♡

The sauces at Tongkeun Shabu

The taste of shabu-shabu also changes depending on the sauce combination, right? Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu had a variety of sauces ready, so I could mix and match to my taste. I ended up combining a few to make my own custom sauce, haha

What our 28-month-old daughter ate

Our 28-month-old daughter came along too. With such a variety of food, it was good for eating with a kid too. Especially since I could cook the shabu-shabu ingredients to suit her taste and cut them into bite-sized pieces, our daughter ate it all up happily (๑>◡<๑)♡ Seeing her eat well made this mom proud all over again♡

Finishing the broth as porridge

And the true finale of shabu-shabu — porridge, right? Haha. After we'd had our fill of shabu-shabu, we grabbed egg, seaweed flakes, sesame oil, and rice and made our own porridge. Add rice to the broth, crack in an egg, sprinkle seaweed flakes~ and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil for that nutty aroma♡

We simmered it up and polished off the porridge to the last bite. The broth's flavor, infused with all the ingredients, made even the final porridge delicious. Even though our stomachs were already pretty full, there was still room for porridge, haha. I guess Koreans really do need to end a meal with rice (๑>◡<๑)/

Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu, summed up

• All-you-can-eat shabu-shabu meat
• All-you-can-eat fresh vegetables
• A variety of sauces
• Separate sushi zone
• Rice paper wraps like Vietnamese spring rolls
• Cold noodles
• Pork ribs
• Dakgangjeong
• Carbonara
• Potato pizza
• Gorgonzola pizza
• Salad
• Fried rice
• Shabu-shabu porridge made with egg and seaweed flakes

We really got to enjoy such a huge variety of dishes all in one place♡

Our verdict on Tongkeun Shabu

Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu, visited with my husband and daughter during our trip! We got to enjoy all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu meat and vegetables, plus such a wide variety of dishes — sushi, cold noodles, pork ribs, dakgangjeong, pasta, pizza, salad — that it made for a filling meal. It was even better since my daughter ate so well♡ If you're looking for a restaurant in Hakdong near Yeosu City Hall or a shabu-shabu spot near Yeosu City Hall, this is worth keeping in mind for a family meal. Our family left full and happy, already thinking about coming back (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)//♡

While traveling, eating well, seeing your kid eat well, and having the whole family enjoy themselves — isn't that what makes a meal out a success? This visit to Tongkeun Shabu in Yeosu, with my daughter eating so happily, put my mind at ease too♡ If you're looking for a family restaurant in Yeosu or all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu near Yeosu City Hall, keep this one in mind!