Eojin-dong, Sejong noodle restaurant with self-serve bar: Italy Shabu

Whenever I have a reason to head to Sejong lately, I end up looking up a good restaurant, and this time I was craving something hot and soupy, so I went to Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch.

I found this place while searching for Korean restaurants in Sejong, and I liked that you could have shabu-shabu and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) together, which sounded like a filling one-meal option. It's located in Eojin-dong, so it's worth keeping in mind if you're looking for good restaurants in Eojin-dong, Sejong.

Parking was easy since you can park and head straight up. Parking matters a lot when you're moving around with a kid, and being able to use the building's parking lot and go directly into the restaurant made the visit much smoother.

What Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch looks like inside and out

The entrance had a strong Korean-restaurant feel right from the start.

The tiled-roof exterior suited a shabu-kalguksu restaurant well and had a kind of cozy vibe haha. I'd gone looking for a Korean restaurant in Sejong, and the exterior alone nailed that traditional Korean atmosphere.

Once inside, the place was bigger than I expected.

Tables were spaced out comfortably, and there was even a private room, so it seemed like a good spot not just for family meals but also for company dinners or group gatherings. When you're eating with a bunch of people, having a room is so much more convenient, right?

We visited with our kid, so we ate comfortably at a roomy table.

Ordering was done through a tablet, which was convenient. Being able to look through the menu at your own pace and order right from the table made it easy to order while also handling our kid.

Perilla kalguksu for two: starting with the shabu-shabu

We ordered two servings of perilla kalguksu!

The perilla kalguksu comes as a course that starts with shabu-shabu and finishes with kalguksu, so I liked that you could enjoy several stages with just one menu item.

Once the shabu-shabu started bubbling away, we put in the meat and vegetables and tried it — the meat portion was pretty generous and the vegetables were really fresh.

There was also a sauce that's essential for shabu-shabu — a secret soy sauce — so we dipped the meat and vegetables into it.

And it went together so well haha.

Dipping the lightly cooked meat and crunchy vegetables into the soy sauce, I kept reaching for more.

Noodle refill and what is on the self-serve bar

And it didn't end with the shabu-shabu — we added the kalguksu noodles in and ate those together.

Isn't eating kalguksu right after shabu-shabu just the unspoken rule? Haha.

As the broth got richer from simmering with the meat and vegetables, adding the kalguksu noodles made the soup even more delicious.

The kalguksu was seriously — I mean it — so good that we asked for a refill and ate it again haha.

At the self-serve bar, there weren't just side dishes but also ramen noodles, kalguksu noodles, and rice, so we could grab as much as we needed if we wanted more.

Even after eating shabu-shabu and then kalguksu, if you're still not quite full, you can finish with porridge by adding rice — I liked that this was built into the course.

And there was even dessert at the self-serve bar. There was ice cream and rice puffs, so on our way out after the meal we grabbed some ice cream and rice puffs, and our kid genuinely loved it haha.

Getting to enjoy both the meal and dessert properly meant our kid left in a great mood too.

Finishing with porridge: why the perilla broth wins

At the end, we added rice and cooked it down into a proper porridge. Going from shabu-shabu to kalguksu to porridge, I was genuinely, thoroughly full.

Ordering the perilla kalguksu this time in particular felt like the right call.

With the perilla in it, the broth was nutty, rich, and piping hot, and it left me feeling somehow healthier after eating haha. It seems like it'd taste even better in this chilly weather, and it actually made me think I should come back once more in winter for the full perilla kalguksu experience.

Who is Italy Shabu Kalguksu best for?

If you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Sejong and like soup-based dishes, this place should suit you well.

Especially when eating out with a kid, shabu-shabu is great because you can serve vegetables and meat together, which makes menu choices easy, and finishing with kalguksu and then porridge made it a solid family meal too.

It's also worth recommending to anyone looking for restaurants in Eojin-dong, Sejong. Parking is easy, the space is spacious, and there's even a private room, so it seemed good for family gatherings, work dinners, or meals with a larger group.

If you're out near Sejong Lake Park and craving a hot Korean meal, this is a good option too. It'd be a nice stop for a hearty meal after an outing around Sejong Lake Park.

Personally, I liked the perilla kalguksu broth so much that I want to come back again in winter. Between the shabu-shabu, the kalguksu refill, and finishing with porridge, I left that day genuinely stuffed and satisfied haha.

If you're looking for a Korean restaurant menu in Sejong, it might be worth trying a warm bowl of shabu-shabu and kalguksu at Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch :)