Doganitangi stew and yukhoe bibimbap for lunch: Useum Pangyo

What kind of place is Useum Pangyo Branch?

Useum, near Pangyo Station! The name comes from useum (웃음), meaning

Being the kind of place that blurs the line between a restaurant and a bar, the hall tables look great for a simple meal, while the wall-partitioned spaces look good for family gatherings or group dinners. Visit on a weekday lunch and, given the location, it gets really crowded — but once the peak passes, it's a great spot for a meal or a daytime drink, and it looks comfortable for solo dining or solo drinking too.

The menu and our order for two

Useum calls itself a Korean beef suyuk (boiled beef) specialty bar, but since gomtang and doganitangi (beef knee cartilage and tendon soup) double as drinking-food soups and also hangover soups, the menu covers everything from lunch dishes to evening group-dinner dishes!

Since it was just the two of us, we went with doganitangi stew plus added yukhoe bibimbap! We visited at lunchtime, but the menu practically begs you to drink, so we added Asahi draft beer for some daytime drinking too!

The Asahi draft beer (150ml) and banchan came out first. The banchan spread included salted squid, kimchi, stir-fried dried shrimp, gophangchang gim (seaweed) with soy sauce, and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi). They came out so neatly arranged that I kept reaching for more.

Sip on the beer for a bit and the full spread arrives! Apparently they use a broth simmered over 8 hours from ingredients with a 38-year tradition recognized by the Blue House — and beyond the care put into the premium ingredients, even the plates and plating show real attention, making you feel well taken care of.

How does the doganitangi stew taste?

The doganitangi stew comes in a pale, savory gomtang-style deep broth loaded with enoki and king oyster mushrooms — the rich yet clean broth is basically a tonic in soup form. The chewy, bouncy doganitangi (beef cartilage and tendon) pairs well with the mushrooms. Rich but never greasy broth is the whole point!

Adding sujebi (hand-torn dough noodles) — warning, big portion

Add sujebi to the deep broth and they'll top up the broth and drop the dough pieces right in for you. ※ Warning: big portion ※ Whenever there's good broth, I always start thinking about juk (porridge) — and rich broth with sujebi? Impossible for that not to taste good. The chewy dough soaks up the rich broth — absolute win!

Yukhoe bibimbap pairs perfectly with the stew

Since this place specializes in Korean beef dishes, of course the yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) doesn't disappoint. Fresh two-plus-grade Korean beef brought in every morning from Majang-dong, paired with fresh vegetables — genuinely delicious! It goes especially well with the doganitangi stew.

Final verdict

Useum, a Korean beef specialty restaurant near Pangyo Station, works equally well for lunch or an evening work dinner! A clean space and neatly prepared food give it an upscale feel. Strongly recommended if you want a proper Korean meal! Especially recommend the doganitangi stew + yukhoe bibimbap combo!