Salt Pincher · 91 stories

Salt on the Side

I write about restaurants I visit and the meals I eat in Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Cafés · Restaurants · Bars · Shopping

PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pyeonyuk & chal-sundae gukbap set at Suwon Station: Yetnal Gyeongseong

Yetnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Suwon Station branch is a sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup) restaurant on Maesan-ro, in the main shopping area around Suwon Station in Suwon. The writer ordered the spicy gukbap set with pyeonyuk (pressed sliced pork) and chal-sundae (chewy glutinous-rice blood sausage), plus the large (teuk) version of the same set. Both came with a rich, clean broth that is not overly spicy, generous meat and offal, chewy chal-sundae and tender pyeonyuk. For a hearty meal or a hangover cure near Suwon Station, the set menus at Yetnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk are a solid choice.

Written Jun 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yongin kalguksu and jjukkumi set for 3 near Korean Folk Village: Yubok

Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch is a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant specializing in pufferfish broth, on Minsokchon-ro in Giheung-gu, Yongin, near the Korean Folk Village. The writer ordered the kalguksu and jjukkumi (small octopus) set for 3 at a kiosk: a refreshing kalguksu with clams, Tongyeong oysters and warty sea squirt, plus smoky stir-fried jjukkumi, followed by a dessert corner with Starbucks-bean coffee. With a large parking lot and a spacious dining room, Yubok Kalguksu is a highly satisfying family meal before or after a Korean Folk Village outing.

Written Jun 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHwaseong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Bongdam, Hwaseong pork BBQ for groups of 8–24: aged half pig, Hanmaeum

Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam (한마음정육식당 봉담점) is a butcher-style Korean BBQ restaurant serving aged meat on Sangnijungsimsangga-gil in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong. The writer ordered an aged half pig, which the restaurant says is aged for 144 hours at 2°C, plus 2 bowls of rice. The writer also tried the free-refill doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) and checked out the self-serve bar, the kids room and the group rooms for 8 to 24 people. Thanks to the tender, juicy pork, Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam is a Bongdam BBQ spot worth returning to for family meals and company dinners alike.

Written Jun 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiCafés

Suwon bakery café with parking, cheese olive ciabatta: Caffeine Focus

Caffeine Focus is a bakery café in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, right beside the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress wall. The writer parked in the resident-priority spaces outside the fortress wall in front of Caffeine Focus (open for anyone to use until 6 pm) and ordered a cheese olive ciabatta, a vanilla bean Basque cheesecake, an Americano and a café latte, and the bread, dessert and coffee were all satisfying. Caffeine Focus is a Haenggung-dong bakery café worth a stop for a break with a view of the fortress walls.

Written Jul 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHwaseong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Namyang-eup butcher BBQ with a big screen, free yukhoe: Morakmorak

Morakmorak Jeongyuk Sikdang Namyang Hwaseong City Hall Main Branch (모락모락정육식당 남양 화성시청 본점) is a butcher-shop Korean BBQ restaurant near Hwaseong City Hall in Namyang-eup, Hwaseong. The meal was pre-seared fresh pork belly and premium marbled pork neck, with free yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), make-your-own tacos from the self-bar, doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) in the middle of the grill and unlimited hanwoo bone-broth ramen. With good meat, service and space, Morakmorak is worth recommending for a family dinner or a team outing.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeogwipo, JejuRestaurants

Dombe pork and four-sashimi set meal in Seogwipo: Tamra Hansang

Tamra Hansang (탐라한상) is a Korean restaurant on Taepyeong-ro in Seogwipo, Jeju, serving a set meal built around dombe pork (boiled Jeju pork served on a cutting board) with sashimi, fried cutlassfish, side dishes and stone-pot rice. The writer ordered the dombe pork set and tried tender dombe pork alongside four kinds of sashimi: slipper lobster, cutlassfish, mackerel and yellowtail. Tamra Hansang suits travelers who want Jeju home-style food and fresh seafood in a single meal.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeogwipo, JejuCafés

Namwon café: flourless pumpkin cheesecake & cappuccino at Monocle Jeju

Monocle Jeju is a red-brick garden dessert café on Taewi-ro in Namwon-eup, Seogwipo, Jeju, where the owner bakes cheesecakes and other baked goods in the shop. On this visit the writer tried Monocle Jeju's Jeju sweet pumpkin cheesecake made with 0% flour, a scone, a cappuccino and a vanilla bean latte. Verdict: the dense, cheesy cake with mild sweet pumpkin flavor pairs especially well with Monocle Jeju's slightly bitter cappuccino.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuRestaurants

Western restaurant in Gunam-dong, Jeju with free parking: Melbirds

Melbirds is a wood-toned brunch and Western restaurant in Gunam-dong, Jeju City. We shared the beef ragù tomato pasta and Melbirds' signature handmade cream mushroom gnocchi made with Jeju potatoes: the pasta brought a rich tomato-and-meat flavour, while the gnocchi was pleasantly chewy. With a free public car park a 1-minute walk away, Melbirds is an easy stop for a relaxed meal on a Jeju trip.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeogwipo, JejuRestaurants

Seongsan, Jeju seafront restaurant: cutlassfish braise, crisp radish

Seongsan Bada Punggyeong is a sea-view cutlassfish restaurant near Seongsan Ilchulbong in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, Jeju. At Seongsan Bada Punggyeong, an order of the small Bada Punggyeong braise brought grilled cutlassfish to the table first, deboned by the owner, followed by a braise of cutlassfish, mackerel, potato and radish seasoned neither too spicy nor too salty. Seongsan Bada Punggyeong is a good stop before or after Seongsan Ilchulbong for grilled and braised cutlassfish on one table with a sea view.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuRestaurants

Jeju City sushi restaurant with king prawn sushi: Kkotdam Sushi

Kkotdam Sushi (꽃담초밥) is a sushi and sashimi restaurant on the first floor of the Kkotdam Building on Ayeon-ro in Jeju City. On a trip to Jeju, the writer ordered the mini sashimi (35,000 won) and the king prawn sushi (18,000 won), served with salad and miso soup, and alternated between soft sashimi and plump, large prawn sushi. Kkotdam Sushi is a good fit when you want sashimi and sushi together in a clean space with big windows and an open kitchen.

Written Oct 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuCafés

Café 10 min from Jeju Airport: walnut levain & financier, Gluttony

Gluttony Coffee is a café on Gunam-ro 2-gil in Jeju City, about 10–12 minutes by car from Jeju Airport, with a public car park across the street. In a white, gray and metal interior decorated for Halloween, the writer had an americano and took away four levain cookies (walnut dark chocolate, hazelnut Nutella, white macadamia and matcha macadamia) plus a plain financier. Gluttony Coffee is a good café near Jeju Airport for a stylish space and baked treats at the start or end of a trip.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Suwon pollack restaurant: kodari set and boneless tangsuyuk, Eohaerang

Eohaerang Wang Kodari Yeongtong-gu Office Branch is a Korean restaurant specializing in kodari (semi-dried pollack) dishes near Yeongtong-gu Office in Suwon. For lunch, the writer ordered the kodari set for two and a mini boneless kodari tangsuyuk (sweet and sour fried fish). The braised kodari with radish and rice cakes was spicy-sweet with plump flesh, and the kodari tangsuyuk was crispy with no bones to worry about. With a spacious dining room and 1 hour 30 minutes of free parking, Eohaerang Wang Kodari suits office lunches and family meals.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored