Suwon shabu-shabu restaurant with kalguksu and juk: Pyeonbaek Hoegwan

I needed to have a meal with a director from one of our client companies and my husband, so after wondering where to go, we visited Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Cheoncheon Branch.

It is in Cheoncheon-dong’s central shopping district, not far from Starfield Suwon and easy enough to reach from the Sungkyunkwan University side too, so it would be good not only for family meals but also Suwon company dinners or group gatherings.

• 8F, 11-7 Manseok-ro 19beon-gil, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
• Hours 11:00–22:00; last order 21:00
• Closed every Tuesday
• Reservations available for 4–150 people
• Use the building parking; if it is full, use a nearby parking lot

Along with cypress-steamed dishes and shabu-shabu meat, there are all kinds of vegetables, Vietnamese-style rice-paper wraps, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), juk (rice porridge), self-serve bar food, and desserts, making it just right for a big meal with several people.

Location and atmosphere at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Cheoncheon Branch

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Cheoncheon Branch is on the eighth floor of Daeil Plaza in Cheoncheon-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon. There is basement parking in the building, but if it is full, you will need to park elsewhere nearby; Sehwa Parking Tower is right next door, for reference.

The elevators are split between odd and even floors, so make sure you get on the right one. I got on the wrong one, got off on the seventh floor, and had to walk up haha. Pyeonbaek Hoegwan is right there when you exit the elevator. Oh, I could catch a glimpse of the green-filled interior.

There is a sink right by the entrance, and since there are rice-paper wraps that you absolutely have to eat with your hands, you can wash up and head straight in! There is also a waiting area and a claw machine on one side.

The restaurant itself is spacious with lots of tables, so it was comfortable for a group like ours and looked fine for bigger groups too. It is worth knowing if you are looking for a family meal or gathering spot in Cheoncheon-dong, or somewhere near Sungkyunkwan University for a group meal.

The restaurant was incredibly clean and comfortable.

There is a salad bar in the middle, which you can use comfortably after ordering.

The large windows kept it from feeling closed in. There is even a Lotte Mart view haha. They also have high chairs, so it would be nice to come with a baby.

Just because it is unlimited cypress steaming does not seem to mean they use random ingredients. Look at all those medicinal herbs. They also sell handmade solid-wood cutting boards on one side.

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan, a popular Cheoncheon-dong restaurant, reportedly gives a smoked-duck steam dish when four or more people reserve in advance, and even provides a birthday banner and photo for birthday reservations.

There is a review event too. Every table has a kiosk. I was looking around, and a staff member kindly explained it.

Unlimited menu and ordering half-and-half broth

First choose and order your broth, then start with the cypress-steamed dish, followed by shabu-shabu! The unlimited lunch set is ₩17,900 before 15:00 on weekdays, while dinner, weekends, and public holidays are ₩20,900. The three of us chose the basic bonito plus spicy mushroom half-and-half broth.

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan’s greatest strength is definitely the spread! You can enjoy cypress steaming, Vietnamese-style wraps, beef shabu-shabu, vegetables, kalguksu, juk, and the salad bar. It is not just that there are many choices: the main cypress-steamed dish and shabu-shabu meat are unlimited too, so meat lovers in particular will probably be very happy.

Cypress-steamed meat and rice-paper wraps first

The cypress-steamed dish comes out first. There were even little shrimp tucked inside haha. While it cooks, head to the salad bar to get ingredients. Start by preparing the rice-paper wraps!

There are so many things besides the rice-paper wraps that I wondered, wow, can we eat all of this?

I grabbed some naeng-momil (cold buckwheat noodles) and hot water, then went back to the table. Each table has sauces, so you can serve yourself.

My husband piled his plate high, and I gave him such a hard time, saying he could not leave any behind—but he really did eat it all. Wow, the cold buckwheat noodles were crazy good. So delicious haha. It was so nice having all these different choices at the salad bar.

The cypress-steamed dish had a pretty generous amount of meat inside, so I worried we would get full eating this and not be able to properly enjoy the shabu-shabu haha. But even this cypress-steamed dish is unlimited!

The meat and vegetables are good on their own, but they taste best wrapped in rice paper. I added all sorts of crunchy vegetables to the warm, moistly cooked meat and rolled it up in rice paper. Rice-paper wraps taste better when you roll them prettily!

There are peanut, chili, and soy-sauce dips. The rich, nutty peanut sauce suited it well, while the chili sauce added a sweet-and-tangy note, making it fun to alternate sauces with the same wrap. That fruit cocktail absolutely has to go in!

Ah, even though this alone already felt like a lovely meal, we still had such a long way to go haha.

Shabu-shabu with bonito and spicy mushroom broths

Shabu-shabu: bonito + spicy mushroom broth

After eating our fill of cypress-steamed meat, it was time to start the shabu-shabu! The half-and-half broth was set down, and while it came to a boil, we brought back ingredients. Vegetables and all the extras too.

There are two types of shabu-shabu meat, pork shoulder and brisket, and the meat quality was so good. Since it is unlimited, we kept taking small amounts. Put the vegetables in first, then briefly dip in only the amount of meat you will eat at once. It cooks in no time.

The shabu meat was so good dipped in this tangy soy sauce with chili peppers. There was absolutely no off smell. Seriously delicious.

Pork shoulder and brisket differ in texture and nuttiness, so alternating between the two was better than eating just one type continuously.

The bonito broth was not overpowering; it was clean, light, and developed more depth the more I ate. The spicy mushroom broth, on the other hand, had more of a kick than expected. One clean and mild!! One spicy!! As we kept adding vegetables and meat, the broth became richer and tastier.

By now I was truly full, but I could not give up either kalguksu or juk. If you have had shabu-shabu, you have to do carbs too haha.

Finishing shabu-shabu with kalguksu and juk

From the salad bar, I picked up the juk ingredients and kalguksu from the shabu ingredients section. I added a little more spicy mushroom broth, made kalguksu in the spicy mushroom broth, and made juk in the bonito broth.

Once the noodles went into the spicy, rich broth, they soaked up all that flavor and became wonderfully soft and tasty. A great way to finish with something warming and spicy.

Then we made juk in the bonito broth, and this was amazing. It was packed with savory umami. Even if you are full when you visit Pyeonbaek Hoegwan, definitely try the final juk! And for dessert, watermelon! I had no idea my stomach was this big haha.

There was lemon tea, iced coffee, and hot tea too, so we did not need to go to a separate café after the meal. The coffee in particular was incredibly good.

I went in thinking it was a place just for cypress-steamed meat, but Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Cheoncheon Branch actually let us take care of everything in one spot: shabu-shabu and rice-paper wraps, then kalguksu, juk, the salad bar, fruit, and coffee. The first cypress-steamed dish is generous to begin with, and both it and the shabu-shabu meat are unlimited, so it is the real deal when you want to eat until you are full. It is also good for a meal with clients like ours, family dining, gatherings with friends, or company dinners with several people.