Yongin Korean buffet for kids with mild sides: Daedong

When we eat out with three kids, the first thing I check is whether there will be food they can eat~ We had somewhere to be around Cheoin-gu, Yongin this time, so we stopped by Daedong Korean Buffet & Dosirak near Yongin Service Area, which looked like a good place to eat with the kids 😆

Daedong Korean Buffet & Dosirak: Location and visitor information

1F, 8 Jubuk-ro 94beon-gil, Yangji-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do · Daily 06:00–15:00 · Last order 14:30 · Parking available · Unlimited refills · Group visits · Reservations · Takeout · High chairs

First of all, I loved that the parking area was spacious~ Parking can quietly become one more thing to worry about when you're out with kids, but no worries here~

The exterior was a much bigger building than I expected, and the clean black façade with red accents made it stand out even from a distance. The entrance was easy to find too~

Korean side dishes that were easy to choose with kids

Once we went inside, it was much roomier and cleaner than I expected. And more than anything, there were all these Korean dishes our family could eat 😆😆 There were so many kinds of side dishes, along with millet rice and fried rice too~

Daedong Korean Buffet says its side dishes change daily, and on the day we visited there was a pretty wide variety: seasoned bean sprouts, stir-fried sausage, kimchi, seasoned cucumber, namul (seasoned vegetable side dishes), fried fish, pork cutlets, and dak-bokkeumtang (braised spicy chicken), among others~

The soup that day was beef radish soup, and it was generously filled with radish and beef; the broth was delicious too! Fresh vegetables including cucumber, carrot, onion, and cabbage leaves were available as well~

Korean buffet prices: ₩9,000 for adults

One great thing about a Korean buffet is not only all the different side dishes, but that the price is good value too! Adults ₩9,000 / elementary school students ₩7,000 / preschool children ₩5,000 / free for children under 3

They had regular cafeteria trays, smaller trays that are handy for little kids, and round tray-style plates too, so you can just choose whichever feels easiest haha

Spacious seating and a family-meal atmosphere

Past the food area (?) the space is quite a bit bigger than you might think~ The tables aren't packed tightly together, so it was nice for eating with kids, and everything felt clean overall, which I liked~ There are bar-style tables by the windows too, so it didn't look intimidating for dining alone either 👍👍 We came as a family, and there were lots of other families with children too—just what you'd expect at a popular Korean buffet!

As I looked over the side dishes, I put a little bit of this and that on one tray~ Sometimes at Korean buffets there are lots of dishes, but nothing you actually want to reach for. Here, though, I tried them one by one and the side dishes were good across the board! What I liked most was that they weren't overpowering, spicy, or salty, so the kids could eat them too 😆 I really love seasoned namul, and the seasoning was just right haha My youngest had rice mixed into the beef radish soup that day and practically finished a whole bowl of rice in no time~

Desserts from ramen to sikhye

The pots and burners for cooking your own ramen were neatly set out, with mild and spicy Jin Ramen options that kids like~ Maybe because we cooked it ourselves, it felt a little like having ramen at home and tasted even better haha

The janchi-guksu (banquet noodles) were also so good after mixing the toppings, noodles, and broth together 👍 They had rice cakes for dessert too, which made for a nice light bite~

Another dessert was toast~ Just put the bread into the toaster, choose the jam you want, spread it on, and you're done~ There were two kinds of jam: strawberry and apple.

They even had cereal and milk! And there was homemade sikhye (sweet rice punch)—seriously, haha, one sip and it was so good it tasted like the sikhye my mom makes! It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, just pleasantly sweet and refreshing, so after having one glass with my meal, I ended up getting sikhye three times hahaha When something is good, you just keep going back for it 😆😆

Coffee was available too, so it was nice to enjoy a cup after the meal~ They also had disposable aprons for anyone worried about splashing food on their clothes ☆

Why I would return with the kids

Personally, I thought this would be a perfectly good place to return to with the kids. Above all, we could have a variety of side dishes for ₩9,000 per adult, and the spacious, clean dining room and ample parking were convenient~ Especially when eating out with kids, it was easier than choosing a single menu and wondering whether they could eat it; at a Korean buffet, everyone can pick what they want haha

If you happen to be heading to Yongin, I think it would be a nice place to stop by at least once if you're looking for a buffet in Cheoin-gu. The kids ate well and we made the most of the desserts too, so I'm keeping it in mind as somewhere I want to visit again next time we're in Yongin 😆😆