Sejong shabu kalguksu restaurant with rooftop soft-serve: Italy Shabu

Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch offers a shabu course for ₩13,800 per person that includes beef brisket, hand-made dumplings, potato dumplings, kalguksu noodles, and egg fried rice. Kalguksu and ramyeon noodle refills are free at the self-serve bar, and shabu can only be ordered for two people or more.

What's the first thing you check when eating out with a kid?

For me, it's not the taste first — it's whether there's something my kid can eat, and whether they give separate tableware. If that's missing, I spend the whole meal too anxious to enjoy it, ugh.

This time we went to Italy Shabu Kalguksu in Eojin-dong. Just from the name it sounds like a pasta place, haha — I thought so too at first. But it's actually a Korean restaurant where you eat shabu-shabu, then kalguksu, then finish with fried rice. I found it while looking for good Korean food spots in Eojin-dong, Sejong.

Spoiler: we got so full we couldn't even fully enjoy the self-serve bar. That's how much food there was.

Where is Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch, and is there parking?

• 📍 Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch
• 📍 Address: 172 Jeoljae-ro, Taehan Press Center 3F #302, Sejong, South Korea
• 📍 Parking: Free (no separate registration needed)
• 📍 Restroom: next to the elevator

It's designated as a Sejong 'good price' business. There was also a plaque from the Eojin-dong Alley Shopping District Merchants Association marking it as a recommended restaurant.

Menu and prices at Italy Shabu Kalguksu

• Italy 6-ingredient shabu kalguksu: clear/spicy ₩13,800 / perilla ₩14,800
• Mushroom kalguksu: clear/spicy ₩9,800 / perilla ₩10,800
• Jeonju-style loaded seafood pajeon: ₩15,000
• Extra meat ₩10,000 / extra vegetables & mushrooms ₩7,000
• Dumplings, potato dumplings, fish cake refills ₩4,000 each

We ordered the signature Italy 6-ingredient shabu kalguksu in clear broth, three servings.

What are the six ingredients?

• Beef brisket
• Hand-made dumplings
• Potato dumplings
• Korean beef bone broth with assorted vegetables and mushrooms
• House-made kalguksu noodles
• Three-color egg fried rice

💡 If you order pajeon, makgeolli is free. I wanted some, but since we went with our kid, we skipped it this time, haha.

You order through the kiosk at each table. The kiosk screen even shows the eating order, so it wasn't confusing even for a first visit.

What comes in one shabu kalguksu pot?

The moment it arrived, I went "wow." The meat was rolled and stacked up high, and alongside it were napa cabbage, bok choy, green onion, enoki mushrooms, and dumplings, all packed in neatly and with no clutter.

The amount of vegetables is huge. That ends up being the reason you get so full later.

Everything comes fully set up, so once it boils, you just eat, haha.

The house soy dipping sauce: is it too salty?

On the table there's a bottle labeled "secret soy sauce." The label says "delicious umami, 100% Korean ingredients."

Honestly, I only dipped a little at first, since soy sauce is usually salty. But even with a generous dip, it wasn't salty. The umami hit hard without an overpowering saltiness. By the end I was just fully dunking everything in it.

It went well with everything — meat, bok choy, mushrooms, bean sprouts. And the vegetables were all so fresh. The older I get, the more I crave vegetables over meat.

Hand-made dumplings and potato dumplings (ongsimi)

Having the hand-made dumplings and potato dumplings in there made it much more filling than a plain meat shabu. I was already half full at this point.

Geotjeori fresh kimchi: what my child ate most

The restaurant's description says it's Jeonju-style geotjeori (fresh seasoned cabbage salad), made fresh every morning.

What surprised me was my kid's reaction. They ate the kalguksu and geotjeori really well. You can get more geotjeori from the self-serve bar.

When do you add the kalguksu noodles?

After finishing all the shabu, you add the kalguksu noodles and boil for 5 minutes. That's what the kiosk instructions say.

With the broth infused from the meat and vegetables, adding the noodles makes it even richer.

What's on the free self-serve bar?

This seems to be the restaurant's pride and joy.

• Free kalguksu noodle refill, free ramyeon noodle refill
• Geotjeori
• Extra broth
• Wasabi, kiwi sauce, ketchup
• Small plates, scissors, tongs, aprons
• 2 kinds of salad

With all this laid out, just help yourself freely.

Seeing the stacks of packaged ramyeon noodles, I thought, "I'm definitely adding those later." But I never got to. By the time we reached the fried rice, there was simply no room left.

We didn't even ask, but they prepared kids' tableware for us so thoughtfully. As a parent eating out with a child, this kind of thing is the most welcome.

Water served in a Del Monte bottle

The water comes in a glass Del Monte bottle. The moment I saw it, it brought back childhood memories. It was cold and tasted great, haha.

Three-color egg fried rice ends the course

The finale is the self-fried three-color egg fried rice. It comes with carrots, red cabbage, chives, seaweed flakes, and egg.

Even though we were already full, the fried rice still went in. We ended up scraping the pot clean.

Rooftop terrace and self-serve soft ice cream

This is the part I remember most about this place. Outside the restaurant there's a rooftop garden-style terrace, with artificial turf, parasols, and even lighting. You can rest or wait here.

There's self-serve soft ice cream for dessert, so we headed out to the terrace to enjoy it. It was my kid's favorite moment of the whole visit.

What was disappointing at Italy Shabu Kalguksu

Shabu can only be ordered for two people or more, as noted on the kiosk. Anyone aged 8 or over needs one menu per person, and pajeon doesn't count as an individual menu. If you go alone, you can't order shabu — only the mushroom kalguksu (₩9,800), which doesn't include meat, dumplings, or potato dumplings.

If you were planning to eat solo, keep this in mind.

💡 One portion-control tip: the base course alone is already a lot of food. If you get greedy with the free noodle refills, you won't have room for the fried rice. So you don't end up like me, excited about the ramyeon noodles but unable to eat them, just add a little kalguksu refill.

Who Italy Shabu Kalguksu suits best

• ✅ Anyone looking for a place to eat out with kids (kids' tableware, ice cream, terrace)
• ✅ Anyone who wants shabu, kalguksu, and fried rice all in one meal
• ✅ Anyone who eats a lot of vegetables
• ✅ Anyone looking for good Korean food in Eojin-dong, Sejong
• ✅ Anyone who wants easy parking

📌 Think twice if you are:

• ⚠️ Planning to eat shabu solo (2+ orders required)
• ⚠️ A light eater (even three of us with three servings got very full)

Overall verdict

A shabu pot that came out neat and without any excess. The secret soy sauce wasn't salty even with a heavy dip, the geotjeori was my kid's favorite, and we were too full to fully enjoy the self-serve bar.

If you're looking for good Korean food in Eojin-dong, Sejong, especially with a kid in tow, this is a solid choice. Eat, then finish with ice cream on the terrace, and your outing for the day is complete.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch located?

It's at 172 Jeoljae-ro, Taehan Press Center 3F #302, Sejong, South Korea.

How much is the signature shabu kalguksu?

The Italy 6-ingredient shabu kalguksu is ₩13,800 for clear or spicy broth, and ₩14,800 for perilla broth.

Can one person order shabu?

Shabu must be ordered for two people or more, and one menu is required per person aged 8 and up. The mushroom kalguksu (₩9,800) doesn't include meat, dumplings, or potato dumplings.

Do extra noodles and ingredients cost more?

Kalguksu and ramyeon noodle refills are free at the self-serve bar. Extra meat (₩10,000), vegetables/mushrooms (₩7,000), and dumplings/potato dumplings/fish cake (₩4,000 each) are paid add-ons.

Is parking available?

Free parking is available with no separate registration needed.

Is Italy Shabu Kalguksu good with kids?

Kids' tableware and aprons are available at the self-serve bar, and there's self-serve soft ice cream for dessert.

Is there a perk for ordering the pajeon?

Ordering the Jeonju-style loaded seafood pajeon (₩15,000) gets you free makgeolli. Pajeon doesn't count toward the one-menu-per-person rule.

Can you get more geotjeori?

Yes, you can get more from the self-serve bar. According to the restaurant, it's Jeonju-style geotjeori made fresh every morning.

Is there somewhere to relax after the meal?

There's a rooftop garden-style terrace outside the restaurant where you can rest or wait.

How do you place an order?

Orders are placed through the kiosk at each table.