Dinner-only chive jjukkumi and soju at a Yongin kalguksu spot: Yubok

Where is Yubok Kalguksu near the Korean Folk Village, and is there parking?

• Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch
• 24 Minsokchon-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Daily 10:30–21:30
• Parking available in front of the restaurant

I visited Yubok Kalguksu in Bora-dong, near the Korean Folk Village. When I'm eating out, I really care about public transit access and parking. Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch has a spacious dedicated parking lot right in front, so parking was a breeze. There's also a bus stop within 100m, so it's easy to get to by public transit too. If you're visiting after a day at the Folk Village, this place sits perfectly on the way home. It's a local favorite near the Folk Village that wins over diners of all ages.

Inside the restaurant and the self-serve dessert corner

The spacious dining hall and group seating make it good for family meals or gatherings. Ordering is done via tablets at each table, and the service overall felt attentive and friendly. Beyond the meal, the dessert corner was well stocked too — coffee and rice puff snacks were set out, so the enjoyment continued even after the meal.

Side dishes: fresh geotjeori kimchi and yuja-scented radish salad

True to a good kalguksu place, Yubok serves a clean-tasting geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi). And uniquely, they serve a radish salad(?) infused with yuja (citron) scent. The geotjeori has a lovely red color and a good balance of ingredients, pairing perfectly with the noodles, while the radish salad is refreshing with a sweet yuja fragrance that went great with both the kalguksu and the jjukkumi. I piled the yuja radish salad generously onto the jjukkumi and wrapped it up — the salad's flavor wasn't overpowering, so it actually enhanced the octopus's taste and aroma.

Chive jjukkumi, served only in the evening: 16,000 won

• (Evening) chive jjukkumi ₩16,000 x2
• Pufferfish seafood kalguksu ₩11,000 x1
• Soju ₩5,000 x1

I ordered the chive jjukkumi, which is only available in the evening. I love the aroma of chives, so seeing the mountain of chives piled up in the menu photo, I ordered it almost on instinct. The chive jjukkumi comes with a set of flying fish roe and mayo for wrapping. The octopus in the pan comes fully cooked, and you cook the chives a bit more as you eat. It was described as spicy flame-grilled octopus, but it wasn't actually that spicy — I can't handle spicy food well, and it was just right for me. The savory red sauce looked delicious, but with all the chives piled on top, you could barely see the octopus. It was a great dish to pair with drinks in the evening, and you can order fried rice separately (from ₩3,000) for a hearty finish.

The signature pufferfish seafood kalguksu at 11,000 won

But instead of adding fried rice, I was curious about the signature menu, so I chose the pufferfish seafood kalguksu. If you participate in the review event, they add clams for you, so if you want to enjoy more of that clam bite and flavor, try joining the review event. The seafood for the kalguksu comes in a separate dish — sea squirt, clams, oysters, and mushrooms. You cook these ingredients in the pre-simmered pufferfish broth along with the noodles. Just looking at the ingredients, I thought, 'ah, this is going to be so refreshing.'

You boil the fresh seafood and mushrooms together in the refreshing pufferfish broth. There's an hourglass on the table to check the timing as it cooks. I tried the broth first and was surprised by the deep savory umami of seafood rising up from it — so refreshing! I like my kalguksu noodles a bit softer, so I let it boil about a minute longer, and once the soft house-made noodles blended in, the broth got even richer. Enjoyed with the house-made geotjeori, it made for a satisfying, hearty meal that lacked nothing.

Why the 15,000 won set is the better-value order

Honestly, Yubok Kalguksu's set menus are really well put together. I personally wanted jjukkumi as the main dish and added kalguksu on the side, but if you want to try a bit of everything, the pufferfish kalguksu set meal — kalguksu + barley rice + jjukkumi for ₩15,000 — is the better value. In summer, there are also cold noodle options (mul-naengmyeon/bibim-naengmyeon), great paired with dumplings. It's also highly recommendable as a lunch spot for office workers.

Yubok Kalguksu is a kalguksu-focused restaurant that anyone, of any age, can enjoy comfortably and deliciously. Especially for families with kids — you know how much kids love noodle dishes. And these noodles are soft and not spicy at all. It's a great stop for a filling, satisfying meal on your way home after touring the Folk Village, and it's also a great lunch option for workers in the area.