Spicy mushroom shabu with beef, weekday dinner in Sangam: Deungchon

📍 9 World Cup-buk-ro 56-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (2nd floor, Woori Tech Building) ⏰️ 11:00 - 21:00

Where is Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch?

I feel like I visit this place about 80% of the time I come to Sangam... it's my go-to spot in the neighborhood, and I've been back for the *99th* time. Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu sits right across from the Savoy City building in Sangam-dong!

Once you go up to the 2nd floor, Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu is right there.

We came on a weekday evening, right around the time it went from hot summer to a little chilly, and the place was almost fully booked. I wonder if there'll be a waiting line come October... (please don't!)

If you leave a Naver review you can get a potato noodle add-on or a drink, so definitely take part and grab it haha.

What two people ordered, and what it cost

✔️ Spicy mushroom shabu-shabu kalguksu (₩11,000) ✔️ Shabu beef (₩11,000) Two of us ordered exactly this, and we were stuffed to the brim.

Honestly, Deungchon is also a hidden gem for its side salad (geotjeori)—it goes down way too easily. What could their secret be?

The dish seems to come out within about 2 minutes of ordering. I love how Deungchon's shabu is always loaded with minari (water dropwort) 🩷 The Sangam branch in particular seems to have even more minari and potato than usual.

Here's the spicy broth with the beef add-on—just look at that. The beef add-on is 11,000 won but it really comes out as a full bowl...

The special thing about the Sangam branch is that they bring out the beef, the kalguksu noodles, and even the fried rice ingredients all at once when you order haha.

How the spicy broth and shabu beef taste

Just looking at this shabu makes my mouth water... Deungchon's shabu really lives up to its reputation as the number one thing I crave on a rainy day... Whenever it rains or gets a bit chilly, my body just craves Deungchon lol.

The beef is also sliced super thin, so a huge plus is you can swish it through the broth quickly and eat it right away. The spiciness and rich depth of the broth are just so good...

Eating the minari, mushroom, and beef all together in one bite is an insane flavor. The vegetables in Deungchon's shabu somehow taste even better... I bet even Jeon So-yeon, the owner of "I Hate Vegetables Song," would enjoy these...

When to add the kalguksu noodles, and how broth refills work

Once you're done eating, adding kalguksu noodles is basically the rule! I kept sipping away at the broth little by little until the bottom started showing, and the staff glanced over and refilled the broth before I even asked 🥹🩷

For the kalguksu, once the broth boils, just let it cook for about 5 more minutes. Usually when you boil kalguksu, the broth gets thick because of the starch, right? I hated that, but I learned a trick from my friend, who scooped out some broth beforehand to keep aside before cooking the noodles. Noted.

Porridge or fried rice: the Sangam branch lets you choose

This might just vary by branch, but at the Sangam location, you can choose between porridge or fried rice to finish o.o The porridge you make yourself, and if you request the fried rice, they'll make and bring you that crispy fried rice we all know and love haha.

I usually go with porridge when I visit the Sangam branch, but that day I somehow found myself craving that signature Deungchon fried rice—the kind that's totally dry with zero moisture and crispy?—so I finished with fried rice instead lol.

And another thing—at the Sangam branch, the spot where you place the shabu pot looks like a trivet, so at first glance you might not even realize it's an induction stove. So interesting... Out of all the Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu branches I've been to, this might be the one with the lowest risk of getting burned!

A 4-5 minute walk from MBC, good for lunch or dinner

Honestly, about three years ago I worked part-time at a café below this Deungchon location, and even back then I remember always eating here right after my shift before heading home... those memories are all coming back lol. A lot of people don't even realize there's a Deungchon in Sangam too, ㅠㅠ It's just a 4-5 minute walk from MBC, so whenever you're stuck deciding on lunch, or want a casual meal with a friend after work, I recommend Deungchon 😍🩷 Even though it's a busy place, the owner and staff are always so kind 🫶