Yongin kalguksu restaurant with self-serve snack bar: Yubok Kalguksu

Last weekend I took a trip to Yongin with my parents. Yongin always has famous spots like Everland, the Korean Folk Village, and IKEA, so there's plenty to see and do as a family 🌟 Parking is easy too, so I came to a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) place that's really great for a family meal.

Pufferfish — such a great fish for building up your health!! They say this is one of the country's top 5 kalguksu spots because you can eat noodles cooked in precious pufferfish broth. Why did it take me this long to try it 👅 I've been really into skin health lately, and one of the benefits that jumped right out at me was improving skin health 🤩

Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch hours and parking

• Hours: Daily 11:00am–10:00pm
• Parking: Free parking available 🙆‍♀️

Yubok Kalguksu has a really spacious private parking lot right in front of the restaurant, so everyone who visits seems to find it very convenient.

From the sign to the exterior, everything is really clean — the kind of place that makes you want to walk right in 😆

As soon as you walk in, there's a photo of comedian Kim Jun-hyun up top!! Apparently this place appeared on the show Tasty Guys 📺

The self-serve snack bar in the entrance waiting area

Opening the door doesn't drop you straight into the dining area — there's a comfortable waiting space and a self-serve snack corner. The confidence to use space this generously 💪

The dessert corner has all sorts of old-school puffed rice snacks.

Besides the sweet mix coffee that's a bestseller with the older generation, you can also enjoy an ice machine full of ice and Starbucks bean coffee ☕️

The self-serve snack bar at the entrance totally won my heart from the start 🥰

Store atmosphere, seating, and how to order

The inside of the restaurant was packed with customers. There are floor-to-ceiling windows, so trees gather outside and it feels bright, green, and full of energy 🌳

The restrooms are indoors with separate men's/women's rooms, and there are plenty of baby chairs ready to go 👶

I like window seats, so I picked one by the window 🪟 There's sauce and cups already set on the table.

You order easily using the kiosk attached to the table ✅

Menu

• Pufferfish seafood kalguksu set
• Octopus seafood chive pancake
• Pufferfish seafood kalguksu (single)
• Pan-seared spicy octopus
• King meat dumplings
• Free baby rice (age 7 and under)

There's even a set menu made just for solo diners, so it's a fine place to visit alone too 🍚

Pufferfish seafood kalguksu set for 3, here's what you get

< Order > Pufferfish seafood kalguksu set x3

Two kinds of kimchi came out first.

Then a bowl of barley rice per person came out, along with a mountain of seafood in one big bowl — clams, sea squirts, mushrooms, zucchini.

My mom really loves barley rice, and eating it with the fresh kimchi hit the spot right away 🤤

The cabbage still had a crisp texture, and it went really well with the seasoning. A total rice thief has arrived 🌟

If you need more kimchi, you can grab extra from the self-serve bar.

Kimchi made with domestic radish and cabbage — I wish I had a kimchi fridge like this at home every day 🤣

Three minutes on the hourglass, the broth boiling time

While we were eating our barley rice, the broth came out soon after. The noodles were already in it.

This is where the seafood gets dropped in 🦪

They said the hourglass is 3 minutes ⏳

It's funny how at home, time flies by while watching OTT, but when you're hungry, even 3 minutes feels so long ⏰

While waiting 3 minutes for the broth to come to a rolling boil, there's still something that hasn't come out yet ‼️

The pan-seared spicy octopus included in the set

Here's the octopus stir-fry that comes with the set 🐙 Chewy, and that red sauce visual looks like it'll really wake up your appetite.

Barley rice + kalguksu + octopus — a lunch spread everyone, young and old, will love 🍽️

The spicy, smoky sauce pairs so well with the springy octopus 🔥

It's also the best combo eaten together with the barley rice 😋 And the cabbage is in there in big, generous chunks.

How does the pufferfish broth seafood kalguksu taste?

Now it's finally time to eat today's main event 👩‍🍳 There's a pleasant seafood aroma, and the broth's clear color makes it look even more refreshing.

The natural umami from the clams and sea squirts soaked right into the noodles.

My dad ladled out generous portions for everyone. Not a single noodle was mushy — they were really bouncy.

There were also a lot of clams in it, so it's a perfect match for anyone who loves clam kalguksu.

Eating it together with the slightly spicy fresh kimchi made for a fantastic balance.

Chewy noodles, refreshing pufferfish seafood broth, and the octopus stir-fry on top — every family member who came along was completely satisfied with this meal ❤️