Pyeongtaek noodle restaurant with self-serve egg porridge: Songdam

The mornings and evenings have gotten cooler lately, and I've been craving soup dishes more and more. Maybe it's the change of seasons making me feel run down, but I wanted something warm, so this weekend I headed to a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) spot in Anjung, Pyeongtaek. This time I visited Songdam Kalguksu!

It's a hot pot-style kalguksu restaurant where you cook a rich broth with various ingredients right at the table. I ordered the octopus kalguksu jeongol with beef and kimchi wanja mandu (kimchi-stuffed dumplings) on the side, finishing with egg porridge at the end. 😋 Let me walk you through the menu and my visit!

Where is Songdam Kalguksu, and what are the hours?

Songdam Kalguksu is located at 129 Gangbyeon-ro, Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–21:00, closed every Monday, with last order at 20:10.

• Name: Songdam Kalguksu
• Address: 129 Gangbyeon-ro, Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Tue–Sun 09:00–21:00
• Closed every Monday
• Last order: 20:10
• Parking: large lot in front of the restaurant
• Baby chairs available
• Group-friendly
• Separate men's and women's restrooms
• Chuseok closure: Sep 23–25

If you're planning a visit, it's worth checking the closed days in advance! Also keep in mind that weekend lunchtime can get busy.

Old-school countryside exterior and a big parking lot

The first thing I noticed when I got to Songdam Kalguksu was the spacious parking lot. 🚗 There was plenty of room, so it seemed easy to visit by car.

The exterior had a cozy, cabin-like feel, quite different from the sleek restaurants you see these days — the kind of old-school spot that's been standing in one place for years. Turns out it's actually been featured on TV. 👀

There was also a handwashing area outside. And on one side there was a waterwheel, with tables set up nearby.

It seemed like a nice spot to sit outside with a coffee after eating. ☕ Little corners like this made it fun to look around before and after the meal.

Weekend lunch at Songdam Kalguksu: roomy even when full

We visited during weekend lunchtime, and once inside, there were a lot of customers! It was nearly full. 😳

But since the restaurant itself is so spacious, it didn't feel crowded — more like there were plenty of different seating options. With lots of tables and generous space, it seemed like a good spot for family meals or group visits. Baby chairs were also available, making it convenient for dining with kids. Overall, it had a comfortable, homey atmosphere.

Self-serve corner: kimchi, garlic and cheongyang peppers

Songdam Kalguksu has a self-serve station with kimchi, garlic, cheongyang peppers (spicy green chili), and extra broth.

It was convenient to just take as much as you need. 😊 Handy if you want more broth or some kimchi alongside your kalguksu.

Water is also self-serve, just so you know! Being able to grab your own side dishes and broth made it feel easy and pressure-free.

Before the meal: barley rice and corn bread

When you order at Songdam Kalguksu, they bring out barley rice and corn bread for each person. It's a nice little something to whet your appetite before the kalguksu arrives. I started with the barley rice.

I topped the barley rice with the yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) that came as a basic side dish, added sesame oil and the gochujang (red chili paste) on the table, and mixed it all together.

This combo never fails. 😋 The crunch of the yeolmu kimchi, the spicy kick of the gochujang, and the nuttiness of the sesame oil came together so well I almost finished a whole bowl before the kalguksu even arrived. And then there was the corn bread!

Served warm, it was soft and nutty. Nice to nibble on before the meal, and having this kind of service meant the wait for food didn't feel boring at all.

How to order at Songdam Kalguksu — check this first

This time we ordered without reading the menu descriptions carefully and were a little thrown off. I assumed the octopus kalguksu jeongol would come with vegetables and various ingredients like a shabu-shabu. But actually, the broth and octopus came out first, which surprised me a bit.

Turns out the ordering setup for the jeongol kalguksu and the shabu-shabu at Songdam Kalguksu is a bit different.

Jeongol kalguksu: what comes with it

You can choose from clams, beef, vegetables, wanja mandu, and more, and apparently you can mix and match — like ordering one serving of clams and one of beef, or combining beef and vegetables. Jeongol kalguksu is cooked at the table by putting the broth, noodles, and main ingredients in a pot and boiling it yourself.

Shabu-shabu: weekdays only

If you want to enjoy it shabu-shabu style with plenty of vegetables and mushrooms, that's the menu to choose. You can mix clams, beef, and octopus, and the mild version is served by default. If you want it spicy, you can ask for dadagi (spicy chili paste), just so you know!

If you're like me and want the shabu-shabu-style experience with vegetables, definitely double-check the menu composition when you order. You could also consider adding extra vegetables if needed. 😊 (Shabu-shabu is only available on weekdays!)

What two of us ordered, and why it came to 39,000 won

Here's a rundown of what we ordered!

• Octopus kalguksu jeongol ₩11,000 × 2 = ₩22,000
• Beef add-on (140g) = ₩7,000
• Kimchi wanja mandu = ₩5,000
• Self-serve egg porridge = ₩3,000
• Cider = ₩2,000
• Total: ₩39,000

With octopus kalguksu jeongol for two, plus meat, dumplings, and egg porridge, we ate really well.

Octopus kalguksu jeongol, 11,000 won: whole octopus served separately

Our main dish this time was octopus kalguksu jeongol. It's ₩11,000 per serving! We ordered two servings.

Maybe it's the change of seasons, but I've been feeling run down, and I just really wanted something with octopus. There's that saying about octopus being strong enough to revive a fallen ox. 😂

So I went with the octopus kalguksu. Shortly after ordering, the pot came out with broth already in it, and the octopus was served separately. The octopus came whole, which made quite an impression right off the bat! Seeing that plump octopus in there made me want to cook and eat it right away. The broth looked clear, and the style was to put the ingredients in the pot and cook them yourself at the table.

The octopus was cut into bite-sized pieces with scissors. Cut into manageable pieces, it was easy to eat and had that signature chewy octopus texture.

Best of all, the octopus wasn't too tough — it was tender and pleasant to chew. 😋 After cutting the octopus into pieces, they added the extra beef and dumplings we'd ordered.

Then in went the kalguksu noodles, and once it was bubbling away, it was ready! There's something fun about the whole process of cooking hot pot dishes — adding ingredients and watching it simmer. Cooking it yourself at the table also meant we could cook things exactly to our liking.

Beef add-on, 7,000 won: the usamgyeop combo is worth it

Personally, the thing I enjoyed most about this meal was the beef add-on. We added 140g of beef for ₩7,000. Songdam Kalguksu serves usamgyeop (thin-sliced beef belly), and cooking the thin slices in the jeongol pot paired really well with the broth.

The usamgyeop's mild fattiness added a nutty richness to the broth. Adding it to the octopus kalguksu jeongol made the soup feel even fuller. Eating the noodles alongside the meat gave the dish more textural variety too.

If you're ordering the jeongol kalguksu at Songdam Kalguksu, I'd personally recommend adding the meat! Anyone who loves meat should definitely consider it. 👍

Kimchi wanja mandu, 5,000 won: not too spicy

Along with the jeongol kalguksu, we also ordered the kimchi wanja mandu. It's ₩5,000! Kalguksu without dumplings just feels incomplete. 😆 So we added it without a second thought.

As the name suggests, the kimchi wanja mandu are dumplings filled with kimchi, and the balance between the kimchi's savory tang and the dumpling filling was quite good.

Best of all, it wasn't too spicy, which I appreciated. People who can't handle spicy food should be able to enjoy this fairly comfortably. A bite of kalguksu followed by a bite of kimchi mandu was a great combo. 😋 Soup dishes and dumplings really do go well together. If you like dumplings, I'd recommend ordering this too!

Self-serve egg porridge, 3,000 won: the best way to finish

After finishing a kalguksu meal, there's always one thing you end up craving: porridge. 😂 We added the self-serve egg porridge too, for ₩3,000.

After eating a fair amount of the jeongol, you scoop out a bit of the broth, add the prepared porridge ingredients, and make it yourself. Finish it off with egg and it's done! Watching the egg porridge bubble away already looked delicious.

Cooking rice in the jeongol broth let all the savory flavors soak into the rice, and it was really good. Personally, I think the porridge at the end of a kalguksu meal might be my favorite part. 🤭

Especially with a bit of kimchi on the side, which cuts through the richness and adds some crunch — I kept going back for more.

Even after feeling pretty full from the kalguksu, there was somehow still room for porridge — funny how that works! If you order the jeongol kalguksu, I'd recommend finishing with the egg porridge too. ✨

Is Songdam Kalguksu worth a visit? Final thoughts

Songdam Kalguksu left an impression with its spacious parking lot, generous dining room, and the DIY jeongol kalguksu you cook yourself. Cooking the octopus and usamgyeop in the clear-looking broth made for a rich, satisfying soup. The octopus wasn't too tough either, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Personally, the beef add-on was the most memorable part. The combination of kalguksu and meat worked better than I expected. 😋 The kimchi wanja mandu wasn't overwhelmingly spicy, which made it easy to enjoy alongside everything else, and finishing with the egg porridge left us very full.

That said, the ingredient composition for the jeongol kalguksu can vary by menu, so it's worth checking before you order. If, like me, you were picturing the shabu-shabu style with vegetables, keep this in mind especially!

It was busy at weekend lunch, but the restaurant is spacious enough to work well for family meals or group dining. If you're craving something warm and hearty and looking for a good kalguksu spot in Anjung, Pyeongtaek, Songdam Kalguksu is worth a visit. ✨ Next time, I'd like to try some of the other jeongol menu items!