Gangnam Korean restaurant for an 8:30pm expo dinner: Yangeunine

As it's getting cooler and autumn sets in, it feels like there are more and more COEX fall expos popping up. Whether you're organizing an expo, tearing down booths and heading out for a team dinner, or you just attended an expo and are looking for a place nearby for drinks with your group, here's a recommendation.

Let me properly introduce Yangeunine Samseong Station Branch, the place for COEX Korean food, expo team dinners, and bossam (boiled pork wraps) and pollack stew near Samseong Station, all in one spot.

How much is the Yangeunine set? 48,000 won for three dishes

The main dish here is the Yangeunine set. It's a combo of spicy pollack stew + squid bossam + naengmyeon (cold noodles — choose spicy, mixed, or water style), regularly ₩70,000 but currently going for ₩48,000. That makes Yangeunine Samseong Station Branch a great spot for a soju night near COEX.

Lunch near COEX: Yangeunine's 12,000-won lunch specials

Setting aside the evening drinking menu — since meals inside the COEX building tend to be pricey — if you're after something good value, come here for the lunch specials, which include unlimited rice refills.

• Spicy pollack stew ₩12,000
• Bossam set meal ₩12,000
• Naengmyeon + sample bossam ₩12,000
• Cockle bibimbap ₩12,000
• Cockle bibim noodles ₩12,000

If you're after a good-value spot near COEX, this lineup is worth recommending.

Waiting list, self-serve bar and private rooms at Yangeunine

When it gets busy, you write your name on a waitlist out front like this before being seated.

Unlimited rice and dried radish green soup are provided at lunch.

You can grab extra side dishes like lettuce or bean sprouts from the self-serve bar.

For those who want a private room, a separate room is also available.

We arrived around 8:30pm and it was already so busy that empty seats were hard to find — clearly a well-known spot.

Yangeunine Samseong Station Branch even has a phone charger and dental floss on hand.

Feel free to order whatever you like — steamed argon fish (algoni), pollack stew, cockle bibimbap, cockle bibim noodles, and more.

If you write a Naver receipt review, you also get free pyeonyuk (boiled sliced meat), so it's worth leaving a quick review to grab that.

How does the Yangeunine set taste? Squid bossam and pollack stew

Finally, today's main order arrived — the Yangeunine set, the signature dish at Yangeunine Samseong Station Branch.

This is the setup, with pollack stew and naengmyeon included, though the naengmyeon is treated more like a dessert served only if you request it. We decided to eat first and order it later.

Springy, plump squid,

paired with rolled kimchi and mu-saengchae (spicy radish salad),

and the boiled bossam pork all come together on one plate.

There's a reason Yangeunine Samseong Station Branch is called a good-value COEX restaurant.

The pollack stew is generously packed too.

The bossam pork is also tender and delicious.

Wrap it with kimchi and it's the kind of bite that keeps you reaching for more soju.

Don't miss the pyeonyuk (boiled sliced meat) from the review event either — leave a good review and grab it. It comes evenly loaded with tofu too.

No rice refills at dinner, but a heaping bowl instead

We visited in the evening, so unlimited rice refills weren't included, but can you see the rice bowl? Other restaurants tend to give you just a light scoop, but here it comes piled up over the top of the bowl. It might sound like a small thing, but getting a generous portion like this is great. Delicious.

We finished the meal off with the last piece of the Yangeunine set — the naengmyeon, which had cucumber and egg in it too and was delicious.

After paying, there's chilled sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch) set out on the way out, so if you like sujeonggwa, you can enjoy a sweet dessert on your way out too.