Self-serve yeolmu bibimbap, refilled twice: Homilwon Shabu Kalguksu

A place I'd wanted to visit for ages since it's already famous — Homilwon Shabu Kalguksu Gimpo Main Branch. And yep, it lived up to the hype in atmosphere, quality, and service too.

Location and parking

142-17 Geolpo-ro, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / Groups welcome / Parking available

Homilwon Shabu Kalguksu has even been on TV. There's a big parking area so I could visit without worrying about parking at all. Even during early lunch hours, the place was packed with customers.

The interior is upscale and the vibe is great, so it works well for gatherings and company dinners too, and it's perfect for family meals. A great Gimpo shabu-shabu spot to bring your parents.

I happened to be passing by and thought, now's the time, so I stopped in — and why didn't I come sooner?! I'll definitely be back to Homilwon often. Genuinely delicious, generous portions, and great value.

What's at the self-serve bar?

They also sell snacks that are perfect after a meal. At the self-serve corner you can enjoy unlimited side dishes and beef mushroom radish rice, and honestly both the range and the taste are excellent.

There's yeolmu kimchi made with domestic young radish and a fresh kimchi with amazing savory flavor, and you can refill your broth on the spot whenever it runs low. I also spotted beef mushroom radish rice made with Gimpo Geumssal rice — with that combo, I just had to mix it into bibimbap!

There's also dessert coffee, popcorn, and misugaru, so Homilwon takes care of you all the way through dessert. The restrooms are clearly separated for men/women and spotless too — honestly everything here is flawless.

Menu and prices

• King short rib shabu + luxury octopus stir-fry 27,900 won
• Chewy cold boiled pork + shabu kalguksu 14,900 won
• Basic Homilwon agaricus shabu kalguksu 12,900 won
• King short rib shabu + chewy cold boiled pork set 24,900 won
• Energy-boosting king short rib shabu kalguksu 22,900 won
• Korean pork boiled pork set + shabu kalguksu 15,900 won

A seafood broth steeped with agaricus mushroom. Homilwon's health-conscious shabu broth for this Gimpo shabu-shabu spot. It really tastes like a tonic — I felt healthier with every sip. Delicious food and health benefits in one, that's Homilwon.

Full Table Special Shabu Kalguksu 19,900 won × 2 people

They're running various promotions too, so I made sure to grab what I could. I ordered the Full Table Special Shabu Kalguksu, and it came loaded with boiled pork, shabu vegetables, kalguksu noodles, meat, and even fried rice — a generous full-table spread.

Even the water is heotgae tea, which totally cleared out last night's drinking haha. The fresh kimchi here is really delicious, make sure you try it. Seriously, go back for seconds and thirds!!

Self-serve bibimbap (from the self-serve bar)

While the shabu-shabu broth was boiling, I grabbed some yeolmu kimchi from the self-serve bar and made yeolmu bibimbap to munch on. The crisp, refreshing yeolmu kimchi is just love. I meant to eat light, but it was so good I went back for seconds — not telling anyone.

Boiled pork

My kid really enjoyed the boiled pork. Boiled only twice a day, it had no gamey smell and was so moist. It pairs beautifully with the radish kimchi served alongside, and also perfectly with the garlic sauce.

Fire-flavored octopus

The fire-flavored octopus is a must-order too. The octopus was plump and chewy, and true to its name, had a real smoky char flavor. The seasoning was clean and delicious too.

Shabu-shabu and agaricus mushroom broth

Now it's time to properly dig into Homilwon's shabu-shabu! I get why it's famous. I fell for the visuals, then fell for the taste all over again.

Once the broth starts boiling, in goes the shabu meat. White cloud ear mushroom, bok choy, water dropwort, bean sprouts, mushrooms and more fresh vegetables come in generous amounts at this Gimpo shabu kalguksu spot, Homilwon Shabu Kalguksu Gimpo Main Branch.

The broth is so clean and refreshing, I'm already craving it again. Steeped with agaricus mushroom and loaded with seafood, it's on a completely different level from other places. I eat shabu-shabu a lot since I love it, and this is the real deal.

Both the adults and the kid were amazed by the shabu-shabu. Even though I ate until I was completely full, my stomach felt fine and satisfied, and I had energy all day long :)

Rye kalguksu

After finishing the shabu-shabu, it's kalguksu time~ The noodles for the rye kalguksu were really chewy. Drop them straight into the boiling broth and let them cook through. Once done, wrap them up with the fresh kimchi and enjoy.

The noodles were seriously delicious too. Every menu item I ordered — shabu-shabu, kalguksu — was so good, my expectations for the fried rice shot way up. It's 100% perilla oil fried rice, so just the name alone smells nutty!

100% perilla oil fried rice

Squeal, my beloved water dropwort — finely chopped and piled on generously, and wow, right up my alley. Water dropwort is good for you and tastes great, and eating it this way makes it even better!!

Top it with a piece of kimchi and the flavor really pops. I was so full I almost skipped the fried rice, but I would have regretted it deeply if I hadn't eaten it. The aroma of water dropwort with every bite was just wonderful!!

Overall verdict

A full table that was there, then wasn't — cleaned out completely. Homilwon doesn't disappoint, as expected. I got to try a properly structured course menu in order: boiled pork, octopus, shabu-shabu, kalguksu, fried rice. As someone who loves a full spread, and as someone whose favorite food is shabu-shabu, I genuinely and wholeheartedly vouch for Homilwon — a truly excellent restaurant, good stuff!