Group lunch for three at Todamok, a kalguksu restaurant in Ansan

Hi, this is Yujabyeol ☺️ I met up with a close older friend a while back — five years since we'd last seen each other! We were trying to figure out where to eat in Ansan, and since I was craving hot chicken kalguksu, we ended up at Todamok 😆

Where Todamok is, and its hanok exterior

Todamok is at 17 Daejaengi-gil, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do. It's behind Seonbu High School in Ansan, across from the road to Siheung!

The exterior has a traditional hanok (Korean traditional house) feel! The roof is stone tile, the walls have an earthen-wall finish, and the whole building uses a lot of wood, giving it a warm, rustic vibe.

The lighting at the entrance is pretty and the little Todamok sign is cute too. The weather was great that day, which made it even better 😆

There's a very spacious parking lot right in front of the building! No need to worry about parking 🅿️🚘 Feel free to park wherever you like~!

Inside Todamok: group tables and regular tables

Inside Todamok, group seating and regular seating are separated. Group seating is by the bright windows, while regular seating is near the TV and close to the self-serve bar! Each area is arranged to play to its own strengths!

There's plenty of spacious group seating, so if you've got a gathering, this Seonbu-dong lunch spot in Ansan is a great option ❤️

What three of us ordered at Todamok, and what it cost

The three of us ordered one two-person kalguksu bossam set (choice of 2 kalguksu — roe-and-milt kalguksu, chicken kalguksu — plus half bossam) for ₩39,000, potato pancake for ₩13,000, and dumplings for ₩7,000.

• Two-person kalguksu bossam set (choice of 2 kalguksu) — roe-and-milt kalguksu, chicken kalguksu, half bossam / ₩39,000
• Potato pancake — ₩13,000
• Dumplings — ₩7,000

That's what we ordered~! With three of us, that felt like about the right amount 🤭

Side dishes served with the set

The side dishes came out after we ordered! Kimchi, dried radish, pickled onion with chili, ssamjang, and salted shrimp. Overall the flavors were clean and pleasant. Kimchi really matters when you're eating kalguksu, right 👍 and this kimchi paired perfectly with it 🤭

Bossam and seasoned minari (water dropwort)

The bossam (boiled pork wraps) came out first~~! 🍖🍗🥓🥩 Kalguksu with bossam is a combination that just can't miss! The meat had a good mix of fat and lean cuts, giving it a chewy yet tender texture!

The minari (water dropwort) salad was especially tangy and delicious! At other restaurants, minari salad often just tastes like chojang (vinegar chili sauce) and gets boring fast, so I don't usually reach for it — but Todamok's version in Seonbu-dong, Ansan was so refreshing, with the minari's fragrance really coming through 😆

Chicken kalguksu: taste and portion size

And then the chicken kalguksu arrived! The broth was rich and savory, like it had been simmered deeply, almost like a bone broth! Plenty of meat, plenty of noodles! The portion was really generous — just right for three of us to share 🤗

This is the full spread with bossam, roe-and-milt kalguksu, and chicken kalguksu — the two-person bossam set! It's honestly plenty even for two people, so there's no way you'd run short!

Why is chicken kalguksu even better in summer..? haha Kind of like eating samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) on the hottest days — eating chicken kalguksu in summer with that rich broth somehow feels like it's restoring your energy 💪 Fighting heat with heat! A way to beat the summer heat!

Potato pancake, 13,000 won

The potato pancake came out too! Made with julienned potato, it was nutty and delicious! I liked that it was just the right amount of oily and crispy!

Here's the potato pancake I cut into pizza slices 🥔🍟 More than anything, when I wanted a break from the mild spice and saltiness of the roe-and-milt kalguksu, this potato pancake hit the spot perfectly! Total sweet-and-salty combo 👏

The best way to build a bossam wrap

The three of us chatted away while eating heartily! When eating bossam with baby napa cabbage, try bossam + minari + ssamjang + salted shrimp; when eating it plain, try bossam + minari — I recommend both combos 👍 The minari salad was sooo good it made me happy 💖

How spicy is the roe-and-milt kalguksu?

Roe-and-milt kalguksu! Does everyone like roe and milt? I wasn't really a fan before, but I've grown to love it as an adult!

The roe pops in your mouth and pairs with the spicy broth for an extra hit of umami! The noodles in the roe-and-milt kalguksu especially have that spicy, tangy kick like jang-kalguksu, and I broke a sweat 💦 Still, it wasn't overly spicy — just the right amount of pleasantly spicy 😉

Dumplings are best dropped into the chicken kalguksu

Last up, dumplings 🥟 I love dumplings on their own, or as dessert — basically I just love dumplings in general! Even the dumplings at this Ansan Seonbu-dong kalguksu spot Todamok were delicious~~! My tip for these dumplings: drop them into the chicken kalguksu and eat them together! That's the combo I, a certified dumpling addict, recommend — try adding dumplings to a hot bowl of chicken kalguksu for the ultimate dumpling kalguksu 🫡

After we finished eating, on the way out I spotted this cute little miniature figure on the counter 🥰😍

Todamok in Ansan, summed up

• ✅️ Recommended as a group gathering spot in Seonbu-dong, Ansan
• ✅️ Recommend the hot chicken kalguksu and the spicy roe-and-milt kalguksu
• ✅️ Bossam and potato pancake are essential side dishes — don't skip them!