Suwon Station third-round bar for soju-beer yukhoe: Yukhoe Dokjon

Why Yukhoe Dokjon works as a third-round bar near Suwon Station

Yukhoe Dokjon Suwon Station Branch is a hanwoo (Korean beef) yukhoe restaurant-bar on the first floor of Dream Plaza near Suwon Station. I'd already eaten from lunch through dinner, then done a second round of drinks, and I was completely stuffed by the time I headed to this third-round spot, a well-known bar near Suwon Station.

The reason I stopped by was that I was way too full to just go home, but I still wanted something light to nibble on. Yukhoe seemed perfect — it works as a drinking snack and isn't too heavy.

Weeknight atmosphere and seating at Yukhoe Dokjon

Walking in, you find a long, narrow interior with tables lined up one after another. Even though it was a weekday evening, there were quite a lot of customers. The tables were set as standard 4-person seats, but since they can be pushed together, there'd be no worry about seating for a group visit.

What's on the Yukhoe Dokjon menu

Yukhoe Dokjon offers hanwoo yukhoe assortment, live octopus hanwoo yukhoe, hanwoo sashimi, abalone hanwoo yukhoe, stir-fried hanwoo sashimi, live abalone sashimi, live octopus, hanwoo yukhoe, hanwoo sushi, and hanwoo bibimbap — all dishes that aren't too heavy, which makes this place a good fit for anyone looking for a second- or third-round bar near Suwon Station.

What we ordered at Yukhoe Dokjon that night

• Abalone hanwoo yukhoe for two — ₩32,000
• Cheese/seaweed add-on — ₩1,000
• Alcohol — ₩5,000

The free radish soup, warmed at the table over a solid fuel burner

At this bar near Suwon Station, the free side dish was a cool radish soup. It came out unheated, and they set it over a solid fuel flame to warm it up.

It gradually warmed up while we waited for the main dish, so we got to eat it hot.

Thanks to the radish, the broth was refreshing, and since I'd arrived already pretty full and heavy, having a warm broth to settle my stomach was really nice.

What comes with the abalone hanwoo yukhoe for two at 32,000 won

I ordered the abalone hanwoo yukhoe for two, which lets you eat abalone and yukhoe together, at this Suwon Station bar. It cost ₩32,000.

The abalone hanwoo yukhoe came with perilla seed sauce, chojang (vinegared chili sauce), and sesame oil-based sauce on the side. The chojang seemed meant for dipping the abalone.

Yukhoe Dokjon near Suwon Station uses 100% chilled yukhoe rather than frozen, and you could tell right from the color of the meat. Frozen yukhoe definitely has its own cheap-and-cheerful flavor, but I don't think it can match the soft texture of chilled yukhoe.

Since we'd ordered the abalone hanwoo yukhoe, we got two pieces of abalone as well — one per person, laid neatly on top of perilla leaves, drizzled with sesame oil.

Getting ready to properly dig into the abalone hanwoo yukhoe with a glass of soju-beer, I poured on the egg yolk and mixed everything together. Since the seasoning wasn't a gochujang base but a simple soy-and-sesame-oil base, I could really taste the natural flavor and texture of the chilled yukhoe.

How the chilled hanwoo yukhoe tasted

I'd seen in passing on Naver that the owner of Yukhoe Dokjon holds the belief that they only serve meat their own family could eat, and after tasting it, I could immediately understand why they run the business with that philosophy.

Meat like this can easily turn chewy or dry, but the abalone hanwoo yukhoe here had none of that toughness or dryness at all — it was impressively soft and easy to chew.

Also, since the seasoning stuck to the basics rather than a gochujang base, I could taste the meat's natural flavor more clearly — slightly sweet, with the nutty aroma of sesame oil filling my mouth in a really satisfying way.

The abalone: soft, as if lightly blanched

The abalone served alongside was excellent too. Usually raw abalone has a crunchy, chewy texture. But the abalone at this Suwon Station bar had a soft texture, more like lightly blanched abalone than crunchy raw abalone — maybe because of the sesame oil drizzled on top, dipping it in the chojang gave a tangy-yet-nutty flavor where the nuttiness immediately softened the tanginess, balancing the sauce nicely.

Is the 1,000 won seaweed and cheese add-on worth it?

While eating, I felt something was missing, so I checked the menu and found you could add seaweed and cheese. It only cost ₩1,000, so I ordered it right away — with such a low price and generous portion, it's worth ordering for anyone who likes eating yukhoe wrapped with seaweed and cheese.

The yukhoe was already nutty, but wrapping it in cheese doubled that nutty flavor, and the cheese's rich creaminess made it a dish you kept reaching for even when full — perfect with a glass of soju-beer.