Lotte Department Store Korean restaurant for makguksu sets: Yangjaeok

How to reach Yangjaeok Lotte Department Store Main Branch from Euljiro 1-ga Station

Yangjaeok Lotte Department Store Main Branch is a Korean restaurant on the basement food floor of Lotte Department Store's main branch. It's connected to Euljiro 1-ga Station, so it's easy to get to, and I stopped by while looking for somewhere to eat in the department store, craving some clean, well-made Korean food.

Yangjaeok is inside the department store's basement food court, but it's not just tables set up food-court style. The interior has a hanok (traditional Korean house) feel, with wood and roof-tile style decorations, and the overall atmosphere was clean and tidy.

The seating was more spacious than I expected, so it also seemed like a decent spot to grab a meal while shopping at the department store. When I visited, I saw quite a few foreign customers too — makes sense, since a place that serves such a neat, well put-together Korean set meal seems like a great spot for foreigners to experience Korean food. Sure enough, the menu had Korean, English, and Japanese all listed together, so it looked easy for first-time visitors to pick something. Personally, I think this is a great place to find near Euljiro 1-ga Station whenever you want clean, proper Korean food.

What comes on the mul-makguksu set tray at Yangjaeok?

Mul-makguksu set

This is the mul-makguksu set I ordered. The first thing I noticed once the food arrived was that the set came out way more substantial than I expected. It wasn't just the noodle soup — bossam, dumplings, and various side dishes all came together, making it a pretty hearty meal on its own. Even in the photo, the plate looks packed. Since you get to eat makguksu alongside bossam and a variety of banchan, there's a fun element of picking and choosing what to eat next. I ended up quite full after finishing it.

How salty is the mul-makguksu broth?

The mul-makguksu was milder than I expected. The broth itself wasn't salty — it was light and savory, with that cool, subtly seasoned flavor typical of mul-makguksu done well. The buckwheat noodles paired nicely with the broth, and eating it with the meat, cucumber, and egg on top added some texture variety on top of that clean flavor.

When I eat mul-makguksu, places with overly salty or strongly flavored broth can feel like a bit much, but Yangjaeok doesn't go that route — it keeps the seasoning light overall, so you can enjoy it in a savory, clean way, which I liked. So if you're looking for Korean food near Euljiro 1-ga Station and want something other than gukbap (soup with rice) or meat dishes — something cool and noodle-based — I think mul-makguksu is a solid choice.

Are 6 extra dumplings enough for two people?

And here are the dumplings I ordered separately. You can tell from the photo, but each dumpling is quite large. I ordered 6, and the plate came out fuller than I expected — the wrapper wasn't too thick, and the filling was packed in tight. Cutting one in half, I found a good mix of meat and vegetables inside, and the filling itself was pretty generous.

With each bite, it wasn't just wrapper you were chewing — the meat and vegetables inside were packed in enough that it felt like a properly made meat dumpling. Given how big each dumpling is, adding the mul-makguksu set on top means 6 dumplings turn out to be more food than you'd think. If you're visiting with someone, ordering 6 dumplings to split should be plenty filling.

The bossam and side dishes served with the set

The bossam that came with the set was pretty good too. It's served in thick slices of pork with a good balance of lean meat and fat, making it easy to wrap in lettuce with garlic or sauce. Personally, what I liked was that it wasn't just the main dishes — the side dish spread was well done too.

From kimchi to pickled vegetables to little side dishes, eating through them one by one kept the meal from feeling one-note. Having it all laid out as a full spread like in the photo made it feel like a proper meal rather than just a bowl of noodles.

Is Yangjaeok worth a meal in Lotte Department Store? Final verdict

Overall, what I liked most about Yangjaeok was being able to eat clean, well-made Korean food in generous portions. In particular, the set menu was quite satisfying and filling since you get bossam, dumplings, and side dishes on top of just makguksu. The mul-makguksu wasn't salty, had a savory flavor, and kept that cool, light taste that makguksu is known for, while the dumplings were large and had a generous filling that I found satisfying.

If you're shopping at Lotte Department Store's main branch and looking for somewhere to eat, or searching for Korean food near Euljiro 1-ga Station, this kind of neat set meal is worth trying. Especially since I saw quite a few foreign customers there — it also seems like a good choice if you want to try a proper Korean spread without it feeling too intimidating.