Black garlic shabu kalguksu lunch in Magok, Seoul: Yangcheon Shabu
In short
Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch is a shabu kalguksu (hot pot with hand-cut noodles) restaurant on the first floor of Magok Botanic Park Plaza in Gangseo, Seoul, near Seoul Botanic Park and Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station. The special restorative black garlic shabu kalguksu costs 12,000 won per person, and adding 200g of shabu meat for 11,000 won makes a full course that runs from shabu to hand-cut noodles to fried rice. The black garlic broth tastes nutty and mellow rather than sharp, which makes Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu a satisfying restorative lunch.
Good to know
- Special restorative black garlic shabu kalguksu
- 12,000 won per person
- Basic restorative black garlic shabu
- 10,000 won per person
- Extra shabu meat
- 200g, 11,000 won (premium chuck eye roll from clean-region Australia)
- Course order
- Shabu → hand-cut noodles → fried rice
- Location
- Units 107–108, 1st floor, Magok Botanic Park Plaza, 46 Magokdong-ro 10-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul
- Price reference
- ₩12,000 ≈ $8.7 · ₩2,000 ≈ $1.4 · ₩10,000 ≈ $7.2 (2026-09-20)
as written by the visitor on Sep 19, 2026
When the weather turns chilly or my body just feels a bit sluggish, I automatically start craving a hot soup that warms me up from the inside. So this time, hoping to get some restorative nourishment along with a really delicious meal, I happily headed over to Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch for some shabu kalguksu!
Where is Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch?
Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch is located at 46 Magokdong-ro 10-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, 1st floor units 107-108, Magok Botanic Park Plaza. It's close to Seoul Botanic Park and Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, making it a great stop when you're looking for lunch in the area.
Menu and prices: what we ordered in Magok
The best set-up for a restorative lunch
What I ordered at Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch was their signature dish, the special black garlic shabu kalguksu, ₩12,000 per person. Looking over the menu, there was a huge range — from basic shabu to aged kimchi shabu, meatball hot pot, to minari (water dropwort) pancake. But what caught my eye was the signature special black garlic shabu kalguksu ☺️ For just ₩2,000 more than the basic black garlic shabu (₩10,000), the meat portion gets much more generous, so the 'special' version is clearly the better deal. And since we really love meat, we also ordered an extra portion of shabu meat (200g / ₩11,000)!
Not long after ordering, a spread more generous than I imagined arrived at the table. The pot was piled high with fragrant minari, bean sprouts, and oyster mushrooms, along with fresh shabu meat and noodles, plus the ingredients for the finishing porridge — a perfectly complete setup!
The extra premium Australian eye of round (200g) we added had a vivid, bright red color, and the ratio of marbling to lean meat was fantastic. If you love meat, definitely add an extra portion like I did! You can enjoy the meat to your heart's content throughout the meal without any regrets.
Is the black garlic broth sharp or mellow?
The black garlic broth at Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch was not sharp at all — it was savory. It felt like only the umami and sweetness of the garlic had been extracted, with none of the harsh bite.
As the broth bubbled away, the black garlic aroma spread gently, and it was truly savory without being pungent at all. I was a little worried it might be sharp since it's black garlic, but not at all! Only the umami and sweetness unique to garlic were drawn out, giving the broth a depth of flavor on a whole different level. Wrapping the fragrant minari, crunchy bean sprouts, and broth-soaked oyster mushrooms with well-cooked shabu meat, then dipping it into the special sauce... it's a flavor that makes you gasp with delight.
It's also a treat watching the broth grow richer the longer it simmers, as the meat's juices and vegetable stock keep infusing into it.
Round two: chewy hand-cut kalguksu noodles
Once we'd fished out most of the vegetables and meat, it was time for the essential shabu-shabu finale — noodle time! The hand-cut kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) here are made by hand, so they're thick with a really chewy texture. When you drop the noodles into the deeply reduced black garlic broth and let them simmer, the broth soaks all the way into every strand.
Topped with a bite of well-fermented geotjeori (fresh kimchi), it kept going down even though I was already full.
The perfect finish: nutty fried rice
After finishing off even the noodles, the last step is fried rice, cooked in the remaining broth until slightly crisped! The flavor of the black garlic broth coats every single grain of rice, giving it a savory taste with an explosion of umami. I scraped the pot clean right to the bottom and finished the meal feeling great.
Verdict: is Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu worth a visit?
What I ordered
- Special black garlic shabu kalguksu (₩12,000)
- Extra shabu meat, 200g (₩11,000)
With deep black garlic broth, generous meat and vegetables, and chewy kalguksu, all enjoyed as a full course — this is the best restorative restaurant in Magok! At ₩12,000 per person for shabu + noodles + fried rice, it's an amazingly good-value course that left me very satisfied.
If you're looking for a healthy, hearty meal, make sure to visit Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch! I'd go back 200% for sure!
Where it is
46 Magokdong-ro 10-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, 1st floor units 107-108, Magok Botanic Park Plaza, South Korea서울특별시 강서구 마곡동로10길 46 마곡 보타닉파크 프라자 1층 107호, 108호
