Summer restorative kalguksu near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, Seoul

I went out to Magok with a friend I think of like a younger sister and had lunch at Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch, a well-known spot near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station. We'd done all our chores in the morning and decided to eat something hearty for lunch, so we picked beef shabu-shabu — and everything here, starting with the broth, was delicious.

It was summer so I thought about getting something cold, but the heat kept sapping my energy, so I went with shabu instead — an excellent choice.

The crunchy vegetables and tender meat tasted great, and it was a truly filling meal — we had the meat, then the kalguksu, then finished off with porridge.

Where is Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch, and when is it open?

This well-known lunch spot near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station is located on the first floor of Botanic Park Plaza, right out of Exit 7 of Line 9's Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:00 with no break time.

They also had cooling summer menu items like yeolmu noodles and kongguksu, which made me hesitate a bit before going in. And since the extra-large portion is free, big eaters can fill up without paying extra.

There are a lot of office buildings and studio apartments nearby, so it seems like a great spot for office workers to grab a hearty lunch, and for people living alone to have a solid meal.

You order through the kiosk at each table, and the full menu is displayed clearly up front.

Korean beef bone broth simmered with herbal roots

There was a Naver receipt review event, along with tips on how to enjoy the food best. This shabu restaurant near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station really has its own charm — it's a place where you can enjoy black garlic kalguksu and perilla oil five-color rice with a broth made from Korean beef bone and eight kinds of herbal medicine.

I wondered what the herbal medicine ingredients at the entrance were for, and it turned out they're used to flavor the broth. They simmer Korean beef bone with domestic herbal medicine and black garlic every day to make a restorative broth with real care. They only use handmade, preservative-free noodles and dumpling wrappers made with 100% domestic black garlic.

After ordering, some basics were set on the table, including Hutgae fruit tea, so we drank something healthy instead of plain water. It was well brewed and tasted really good.

Special restorative black garlic shabu kalguksu for two, with extra meat

We ordered the special black garlic shabu kalguksu for two with extra shabu meat, and it came with the meat plus kalguksu and five-color rice.

A pot with generous minari (water celery), bean sprouts, and oyster mushrooms was set over the flame — just looking at the broth, I could tell it would be refreshingly good.

Once it was bubbling away, we put in the shabu meat, which cooked quickly, and ate it with the vegetables. The broth was clean, the meat was tender, and the crisp vegetables blended in perfectly — it was a really enjoyable combination.

Crispy potato pancake and rolled dumplings for 5,500 won

My friend said she'd skipped breakfast and picked out some extra dishes — the crispy potato pancake and the rolled dumplings.

She loves potatoes so much that she couldn't pass up the crispy potato pancake and ordered it right away. It really did have a great crispy texture and great flavor.

The rolled dumplings were ₩5,500 and came with 5 pieces. She let me have the extra one — she ate 3, I ate 2. They were packed full inside, and we enjoyed the taste of the meat filling.

Right as we were finishing the meat, we put in the kalguksu, and eating it alongside the potato pancake and rolled dumplings kept the meal flowing nicely — it was really great. I complimented her on making such a good choice.

Black garlic kalguksu noodles and perilla oil five-color fried rice

They said the kimchi is made with carefully selected domestic napa cabbage, and it suited my taste perfectly. The kalguksu noodles at this well-known shabu spot near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station were truly the best — the black garlic gave them a brown color and a chewy texture that was outstanding. To my taste, it was the best kalguksu I've had so far.

Just looking at the perilla oil five-color fried rice, you can tell it'll be delicious~~ They say it's good to eat a variety of colorful ingredients, and this dish delivered exactly that.

They say the five-color fried rice is best eaten after the shabu, cooked to a texture somewhere between porridge and fried rice. Since we're both experienced homemakers, we could tell just by looking how well it was cooking, so we waited until it reached the perfect point — eating our extra dishes in the meantime~ A perfect finish. The five-color fried rice was really delicious too.

Plum slush on the way out and the waiting area

Looking at the counter, I was surprised by how much they'd prepared for customers — mouthwash, dental floss, rubber bands, candy, even a glasses-cleaning cloth. Such thoughtful, detailed care.

On the way out, they told us to have some plum tea, and I wondered what they meant — I hadn't noticed it on the way in, but there was a plum slush right at the entrance.

Since it was hot outside, we each grabbed a paper cup to take with us, and the plum tea tasted great too. There are chairs in front of the restaurant so you can sit while you wait — it seems like you'd need to wait if you come during lunch or dinner hours. The food is so good that once people try it, they keep coming back.