Yeouido clam hot pot with squid and cheese: Gaetbeol-ui Jogae

This is my review of 'Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Main Branch,' a restaurant near National Assembly Station I visited with a friend for dinner after work. I ate a hot pot generously loaded with clams and all sorts of seafood until I was full, then finished off with a hearty bowl of kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) — so satisfying.

The hot pot was way bigger in person than in the photos I'd seen — I was genuinely shocked! Besides the giant clam hot pot I had, the menu is packed with seafood dishes good for getting your energy up, like clam kalguksu and seafood boiling, making this a real Yeouido go-to.

I visited on a weekday at 7pm, and most of the crowd looked like teams out for a work dinner after getting off work. There were also couples out on dates, like us.

Where is Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch, and what are its hours?

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch is on the 2nd floor of Geukdong VIP Building, 15-1 Gukhoedae-ro 70-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, and is open 11:00–23:00. Break time is 14:00–16:00, but there's no break time on weekends.

• Hours 11:00 – 23:00
• Break time 14:00 – 16:00
• No break time on weekends
• Open as usual even during major holidays
• 2 hours of free parking

I came by public transit, but there's 2 hours of free parking too, so keep that in mind if you're driving. It's close to National Assembly Station and the sign is easy to spot, so it wasn't hard to find. Head up to the 2nd floor of the building and you'll find the entrance to Gaetbeol-ui Jogae.

Is Gaetbeol-ui Jogae a good work dinner spot with rooms near National Assembly Station?

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch has a spacious dining hall with generous spacing between tables. There are also rooms, so it looks like a great option for a private work dinner near National Assembly Station.

The rooms have windows too, which gives them a nice, open feeling.

What we ordered: giant clam hot pot for two, small size, 59,000 won

The signature dinner dishes are seafood boiling and giant clam hot pot. For lunch you can get clam meat kalguksu, large seafood kalguksu, and Namhae spicy cockle rice bowl, so I'd recommend this as a lunch spot near National Assembly Station too.

There were two of us, and we ordered the giant clam hot pot (for 2), small size (₩59,000), and at the end, a kalguksu noodle refill.

Free self-bar at Gaetbeol-ui Jogae: barley rice and yeolmu kimchi bibimbap

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch, this go-to spot near National Assembly Station, has a self-bar, and I really loved it.

You can help yourself to as much geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi) and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) as you want, and barley rice is provided free! There's a detailed guide showing the ingredients and method for making your own yeolmu bibimbap with the barley rice.

Top the barley rice with yeolmu kimchi and mix it with seasoned gochujang or ganjang doenjang (thick soybean paste), and it tastes amazing. The clam hot pot takes a while to boil and be ready to eat, so this was a great way to fend off hunger while waiting.

How big is the giant clam hot pot, and how does squid with cheese taste?

Finally, the giant clam hot pot arrived!!! It's genuinely huge. Seeing it in person versus in photos is a whole different level — I couldn't help but gasp haha.

You can see all the different clams in it. At the very bottom there were so many small clams packed in.

You close the lid and wait until the timer goes off, then the owner comes over, opens the lid, and personally cleans and preps the squid and a few other things for you.

Oh, and there was a moment where I thought 'wait, what's this?' — the owner put cheese on top of the squid, and we tried it together. Honestly, I was blown away. I had zero expectations since it was my first time trying that combination, but the texture of the squid with the cheese and the flavor together were genuinely delicious.

The seafood inside the hot pot and the kalguksu finish

Looking at what went into the hot pot: shrimp, blue crab, mussels, hard clams, fish cake skewers, baby clams, scallops, Manila clams, and rice cake sticks — a really wide variety. There was also plenty of cheese, and dipping each type of clam into it was so good.

And you can imagine how good the broth is after simmering with all that seafood. Fall and winter are coming up, and you really need to go try this broth. It's incredible.

They boil the kalguksu noodles right in the broth until fully cooked, and slurping them down with kimchi makes you feel so full and satisfied. Kimchi and kalguksu is always a winning pairing.

Small touches at Gaetbeol-ui Jogae: hair ties, floss and mouthwash

There are candies, hair ties, floss, and mouthwash available for before and after your meal! From those thoughtful little details alone I already knew this was going to be a great restaurant, and sure enough, it was a delicious go-to near National Assembly Station.

If you're looking for a room restaurant near Yeouido and the National Assembly for a group dinner, I'd definitely recommend Gaetbeol-ui Jogae.