Busan shabu kalguksu restaurant, weekday lunch red broth: Yunujae

Whenever I crave a warm noodle dish in Busan, I find myself looking for kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup) or shabu-shabu. This time I visited Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu, located between Munhyeon Station and Jigegol Station. I'd come across it while searching for good restaurants in Munhyeon-dong, and the setup — shabu-shabu, kalguksu and fried rice all in one course — looked good for both a lunch outing and a dinner out.

Location and hours of Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu

26 Suyeong-ro, Nam-gu, Busan, South Korea (Daerim Munhyeon City Plaza, Units 158-161) Hours: 11:00 - 20:50, last order 20:00 Weekday break time: 15:00 - 16:30

Parking and weekday lunch waiting

The restaurant sits inside Daerim City Plaza, and there's a basement level 1 mall parking lot, which made it easy to visit by car. Parking is free for up to two hours — you just give your license plate number at the counter after eating and they take care of it.

Even though I visited on a weekday lunchtime, there were quite a lot of customers. People kept coming in the whole time I was eating, and by the time I left there was already a bit of a wait. This place doesn't take reservations and runs on walk-in waiting only, so if you're planning to visit, it might be worth giving yourself some extra time.

Baby chairs, mild broth, and solo dining

The restaurant has baby chairs on hand and offers a mild broth option, so it looked like a good spot for families too. The menu isn't intimidating for solo diners either, and it was convenient that if you come with a group, everyone can choose their own spice level for the broth.

What's in the single-serving shabu kalguksu set?

The main menu item at Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu is the shabu kalguksu. For one person, you get 70g of sirloin, vegetables, mushrooms, house-made kalguksu noodles, and then fried rice at the end — a full course you can enjoy from start to finish.

Choosing the red broth

You can pick between red or white broth, and you can also choose the spice level for each, so it was nice to be able to order to my own taste. I went with the red broth this time, and it had a deep flavor on its own that paired really well with the shabu-shabu.

The texture of the meat

The meat comes out together with the vegetables, and since it's sliced thin, it cooks quickly in the broth. Above all, the meat was really tender. With shabu-shabu, it's a letdown when the meat is tough, but here it was tender to chew and I barely noticed any gamey smell — very satisfying.

House-made kalguksu noodles and fried rice

Once you've eaten your way through most of the shabu-shabu, it's kalguksu time. This place uses house-made noodles, so I had high expectations for the texture — and eating them, I liked how chewy and springy they felt.

You add the noodles, loosen them up well, and let them cook — and as the noodles go into the broth, the soup itself seemed to get even richer. The spicy broth and the chewy kalguksu noodles went so well together that even after finishing the shabu-shabu, I kept eating.

And of course, the fried rice comes last. Using the broth left over from the shabu-shabu and kalguksu, it fries up in a way that naturally brings together the flavors of everything eaten before. Being able to go through meat, vegetables, noodles and fried rice in order, all in one meal, feels like the biggest strength of this menu.

A meal rounded out with seafood pajeon

The seafood pajeon (savory seafood pancake) was crispy too, and it really went well with the shabu-shabu!

On chilly days, or any day I'm craving warm broth, this kind of menu feels especially right. It's not just a bowl of kalguksu — starting with meat from the shabu-shabu, then moving through the noodles and finishing with fried rice, it made for a hearty, filling meal.

Overall, the portions felt generous for the price, and the order of the courses wasn't complicated, so even a first-time visitor could eat comfortably. I think it's a solid choice whether you're looking for lunch in Munhyeon-dong, a family meal out, or somewhere to eat with friends.

Having tried it myself, I get why it's mentioned so often as a good restaurant in Munhyeon-dong. What I was most satisfied with was being able to enjoy the tender shabu-shabu meat, the chewy house-made kalguksu noodles, and the fried rice at the end, all in one sitting. If you're craving a warm, hearty meal and looking for a good spot in Munhyeon-dong, it's worth trying the shabu-shabu through kalguksu course at Yunujae Munhyeon Shabu Kalguksu.