Clam hot pot for two at 59,000 won, Yeouido dinner: Gaetbeol-ui Jogae

Last night I went out for clam hot pot after a while. Yeouido has so many restaurants that picking one for dinner actually gets harder, not easier. This time I headed to Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch, a well-known spot near National Assembly Station.

I like clam BBQ too, but I prefer clam hot pot — a big pot of clams simmered all together — over grilling everything myself. So I walked in with some expectations.

Where is Gaetbeol-ui Jogae? 2F of the Geukdong VIP Building by National Assembly Station

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch is on the 2nd floor of the Geukdong VIP Building on Gukhoedae-ro 70-gil. I went at night and the sign was very easy to spot from outside.

"Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Kalguksu & Clam Hot Pot" — tonight's menu was written huge on the sign... nice.

The standing sign outside the building confirms it's on the 2nd floor. At a place I'm visiting for the first time I usually end up looking around wondering "is this it?", but the big sign here made it easy to find.

Coming up to the 2nd floor, menu photos line the entrance right away. Kalguksu, cockle bibimbap, clam hot pot... I was getting hungry before even seeing the menu board.

The large menu photos by the entrance make it obvious what they serve. But I'd already decided tonight's order: the giant clam hot pot!!!

The entrance to the restaurant. It looks quite a bit more spacious inside than it appeared from outside.

Walking in, there were a lot of tables and the whole space felt bright and clean. Fitting for Yeouido, full of office workers, it looked like a good spot for group meals or dinner gatherings.

Every table has a big burner set up. Given the size of that, I could already guess how big the pot was going to be. Tonight's order: giant clam hot pot for two!

How much is the giant clam hot pot? 59,000 won for two

At the time of my visit, the giant clam hot pot at Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch was priced at ₩59,000 for two, ₩79,000 for three, and ₩99,000 for four. We ordered for two.

We looked over the menu at the table.

There were several add-on options too — shabu beef, kalguksu noodles, cheese — that you can add if you run short. But we decided to see the hot pot first and decide later, since we had no idea how big the portion would be... hmm.

While waiting, a cup of heotgae (raisin tree) tea first. Most places just bring water, so it was a nice surprise to get tea instead.

Is the barley rice free? Inside the Gaetbeol-ui Jogae self-bar

Off to one side, a sign read "free barley rice." And that's where my first dilemma of the night began — "if I eat too much of this, I won't have room for the hot pot..." But it's hard to just walk past something marked free.

The self-bar had kimchi and yeolmu (young radish) kimchi ready to go, help-yourself style.

In the end: a little barley rice, yeolmu kimchi on top, a dab of gochujang. Mixed together it doesn't look like much, but it's surprisingly good. Still, you can't fill up here — tonight's star hadn't even arrived yet.

The giant clam hot pot arrives at the table

A moment later, an enormous pot landed on the table. The lid was still on so I couldn't see inside, but the pot's size alone was no joke. Just looking at the lid, I understood why it's called "giant."

I lifted the lid. Fans of clam hot pot will probably pause on this photo. Scallops, mussels, clams, shrimp, blue crab, squid, fish cake — the pot was packed edge to edge with seafood. "This is really for two people, right?" We double-checked ourselves.

Once it started boiling, the whole mood changed. As it bubbled away, the clams opened one by one and the broth slowly took on more and more seafood flavor.

In the center, a large bowl-shaped shell held fish cake, squid, and shrimp. Time to dig in piece by piece.

Picking through the scallops, mussels and blue crab one by one

First, scallop. The shell is huge, and the meat is plump to match.

Next, clam. Eaten hot right away, the meat is tender and soaked in the broth's flavor.

Mussels can't be skipped either. Once you start opening shells and pulling out the meat, empty shells pile up on the table fast.

This clam had quite a bit of meat on it. I think clam hot pot is more fun when it's a mix of different types rather than just one kind.

A shrimp too. Cooked fully through in the broth, it came out with proper color.

Squid was in there too. After eating clams for a while, picking up a piece of squid mid-meal switches up the texture nicely.

And personally, I can't do without fish cake in a hot pot. Simmered long in seafood broth, it soaks up so much flavor that I kept reaching for more than expected.

Rice cakes were in there too. Whoever spots the softly cooked rice cake first gets dibs.

I also picked out a piece of meat stuck to one of the big clam shells. With so many different types of seafood in one pot, I kept reaching for something new the whole meal.

Blue crab was in there too. When crab's in the mix, the meat is nice, but personally I think it's the broth that benefits the most.

Plenty of small clams filled things out as well. Big clam, then small clam, then shrimp, then fish cake... the meal ends up taking a lot longer than you'd expect.

The broth is what won me over

After eating my share of clams, I took a spoonful of the broth. This is my favorite moment in any clam hot pot.

The broth was so much better after a long simmer with the clams, shrimp, and crab than it was at the start. The seafood flavor had fully come through — refreshing but deep. It's the kind of flavor that explains why people reach for a drink over clam hot pot.

Honestly, this would pair very well with a drink in front of it too.

Don't skip the cheese in the middle of the pot

There was a small bowl right in the middle of the hot pot that I'd been curious about the whole time — turns out it was cheese. Dipping a piece of clam meat into it, the cheese stretched out in a long pull.

This moment is better as a video than a photo, honestly. I wasn't sure clams and cheese would work together, but it turned out to be a solid match. Rather than eating it constantly, dipping in once or twice mid-meal changes up the flavor in a fun way.

Finishing the clam hot pot with kalguksu noodles

Once most of the clams are gone, what's left in the pot is a properly developed broth. Ending there would be way too wasteful.

In go the kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) noodles, and the pot bubbles again. This is the real finish of a clam hot pot. All that seafood flavor is already in the broth, so noodles boiled in it need no explanation. Even after saying you're full, the noodles get you eating again.

Is the hot pot for two enough? My verdict after dinner

At first I figured the "for two" clam hot pot would just be an adequate amount for two people, but once it arrived, the variety of seafood and the sheer portion size were both impressive. Getting scallops, mussels, clams, shrimp, and blue crab all in one pot was great, and finishing with kalguksu made it feel like a full, proper meal. The barley rice and self-bar were a nice bonus too.

With clam BBQ you're often busy flipping and grilling, but clam hot pot just simmers away while you chat and pick out pieces as you go — good for eating with a group.

If you're searching for a Yeouido restaurant or a spot near National Assembly Station and craving something warm and seafood-heavy like clam hot pot, this is worth checking out. Especially now that the weather's turning a bit cooler, a bubbling clam hot pot feels even more fitting.

Gaetbeol-ui Jogae Yeouido Main Branch / Visit date: September 17, 2026. Menu items and prices may change over time, so it's worth checking before you visit.