Suji sundaeguk restaurant, meaty weekend lunch with friends: Yeonnal

It's been a while since my last review of Yeonnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Suji-gu Office Station Branch (옛날경성순대국), a place I visit often for its clean, mild sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup). On this weekend lunch, my friends all said the same thing: tons of meat, a clean-tasting broth, and really good rice too.

Yeonnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Suji-gu Office Station Branch: location, hours and parking

The restaurant is at 12 Munjeong-ro 7beon-gil, Suji-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi, 161 m from Exit 2 of Suji-gu Office Station, so it's easy to reach. It's open daily 10:30–22:00 (Sundays 09:00–21:30), with a break from 15:00 to 16:00 and last order at 21:30 (Sundays 21:00).

Delivery, takeout and reservations are available. For parking, you need to use a nearby public car park.

The lunch rush was over, yet I couldn't see an empty seat. Looking around, there were all kinds of customers: older folks, kids, students.

The restaurant has the slogans "Full of care" and "Full of meat" on display, and the shirt of the staff member who always greets me says "Life-changing sundaeguk made with care."

What kind of restaurant is Yeonnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk?

I hear Yeonnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk opened in 2017 in the sundae alley of Yongin Jungang Market, famous for its gukbap (rice soup) street. They say they spent a long time researching broth thickness, meat ratio, the texture of the intestines, and how it all goes with salted shrimp and seasoning, to recreate the taste of old Gyeongseong-style sundaeguk. When choosing a restaurant, besides taste and value, a story like its history and the secret behind its flavor matters too, right?

Yeonnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk menu and drink prices

The standard is regular sundaeguk, but the menu also caters to different tastes: no-sundae, no-head-meat, no-offal, pork gukbap, sundae only, offal only. There's a kids' gukbap set too.

They say they use "head meat from tasty cuts with the fat simmered down, richly flavored native sundae, and chewy intestines, with strict freshness control." Among the side dishes (anju), osogamtu is the term for pig stomach as an ingredient; it's nutty and chewy, one of the preferred pork offal cuts.

I also like that soju and beer are ₩4,000 a bottle, cheaper than at most restaurants.

How much is uncooked sundaeguk takeout at Yeonnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk?

Uncooked sundaeguk takeout, "2 servings that feel like 3," is normally ₩16,000, but the kiosk's price of the day on my visit was ₩15,000. Including side dishes, kimchi, radish kimchi and rice adds ₩4,000.

I often get takeout, and there's a huge amount of meat. The broth comes in a plastic bag with a stopper, so it's convenient to eat over several meals.

Our weekend lunch order: pyeonyuk/chalsundae set and no-sundae bowl (special)

Our group ordered the (gukbap) pyeonyuk/chalsundae set (₩13,000) and the no-sundae bowl (special) (₩13,000), among other things.

First came the side dishes, along with the chalsundae (glutinous sundae) and head meat that come with the chalsundae set. You can help yourself to side dishes at the self-serve corner as much as you like, and both the radish kimchi and the napa cabbage kimchi are crisp and tasty.

The self-serve corner also has onions and cheongyang chili peppers. Dipped in doenjang (soybean paste) and eaten with the meat, they pair well in both nutrition and taste.

There's a lot of meat in the soup itself, and the side portion that comes with it is impressive too. As you can see, the head meat is great, and the chalsundae is really chewy and delicious.

This plate of native sundae seems to have been given as a special freebie because I'm a regular.

Brass-bowl rice and how to eat sundaeguk

The white rice came in a brass bowl with a lid, along with the soup. It's neat, firm and delicious.

This is the pyeonyuk chalsundae set. Even though the chalsundae comes separately, there's plenty of sundae in the soup too. I add perilla powder and season it with salted shrimp. If you want it spicy, add the dadaegi (seasoned chili paste).

The no-sundae bowl (special) is packed with head meat and offal

The no-sundae bowl has no sundae, but is stuffed with head meat and offal instead. I'm someone who always finishes my food, but no matter how much meat I ate there was no end to it, so I had to leave some rice and broth.

The suyuk (boiled pork), chalsundae set and pyeonyuk (pressed sliced pork) in the kiosk photos look good too. I had a delicious, filling lunch at Yeonnal Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Suji-gu Office Station Branch.