Big family dakgalbi restaurant near Nami Island pier: Jayeon Dakgalbi

Recommending a Chuncheon-area / Nami Island restaurant: Jayeon Dakgalbi and makguksu (buckwheat noodles). ⓒ Words & photos _ Charming-ie

Last week we took a family trip to Gapyeong. We played all day, and after checking out the next day it felt too aching to just head straight home, you know? Since we had some time, we stopped by Nami Island, and once we got hungry we ended up at a restaurant nearby. Today I'll introduce Jayeon Dakgalbi, a Nami Island favorite.

Where is Jayeon Dakgalbi, and what are the hours and parking?

Jayeon Dakgalbi is located at 1007-10 Bukhangang-byeonro, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, a 3-minute walk from the Nami Island pier. Hours are Mon–Thu 09:30–18:00 (last order 17:05) and Fri–Sun 09:30–20:00 (last order 19:05), and both parking and reservations are available.

It seemed like a great spot to visit either before or after a Nami Island trip. Like us, if you're heading home after sightseeing at Nami Island, stopping here for a meal seems like a good plan.

Jayeon Dakgalbi's exterior and parking lot

The lot in front of the restaurant is really spacious, which made it comfortable to visit with a kid.

We didn't have to worry about parking at all, and it looked like a good spot for group gatherings or family get-togethers. (Pets welcome!)

Which seats at Jayeon Dakgalbi work best with a child?

The inside of Jayeon Dakgalbi was bigger than I expected, with plenty of table space. From the window seats, you can see the Nami Island pier.

I especially loved how wide the spacing between tables was.

My kid and I sat by the window, and outside we could see the Nami Island pier and watch the boats coming and going. My kid is such a vehicle lover that he just stared out the window for ages, haha. Because he was so into watching everything, us adults got to eat in peace and quiet.

There's a self-service corner in the middle of the restaurant, so you can easily grab any side dishes you need.

Jayeon Dakgalbi's menu and what a family of six ordered

• Hot-plate dakgalbi (soy sauce) x2
• Hot-plate dakgalbi (spicy) x3
• Rice x6
• Fried rice x2

Soy sauce vs spicy hot-plate dakgalbi: which one can a child eat?

Jayeon Dakgalbi's hot-plate dakgalbi comes in soy sauce or spicy styles, so we ordered 2 servings of soy sauce for our five-year-old and 3 servings of spicy for the adults. Staff stir-fried it for us right there, so all we had to do was get ready to dig in, haha.

After ordering, the table setting came out quickly, without unnecessary extras — just the right side dishes. They all paired well with dakgalbi, so I was so excited waiting for the food, haha.

Two servings of soy sauce hot-plate dakgalbi for me and my kid to share!

And here's the portion for 3 servings of spicy hot-plate dakgalbi.

Main dishes plus the basic side dish setup, all ready.

While the chicken and vegetables cooked, I couldn't stop drooling, honestly... (they also added glass noodles partway through and stir-fried everything together nicely)

The dakgalbi, vegetables, and even the glass noodles all soaked up the sauce so well, it was incredibly good! The ultimate sweet-and-savory combo, haha.

Turns out the spicy sauce isn't a store-bought product — it's a special sauce the restaurant developed in-house. Maybe that's why it wasn't too harsh, and the more you ate it, the more the savory flavor came through subtly — so good. Since it's domestic chicken, there wasn't any gamey smell at all.

Wrapped up neatly in a lettuce leaf — yum!

Why we added the potato pancake and fried rice

It felt like a shame to eat only dakgalbi at Jayeon Dakgalbi, so we added a potato pancake, and finished off with 2 orders of fried rice.

Adding the potato pancake because just dakgalbi felt like too little!

Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside — even my picky-eater kid ate it right up.

You can't skip the K-dessert after dakgalbi — fried rice!!! Even though we'd already had a full bowl of rice each, we just couldn't resist...

The fried rice had that extra smoky char flavor, so even though we were full, our forks kept going back for more, and the whole family left with full, happy bellies.

Final verdict: is Jayeon Dakgalbi good for a big family meal?

This visit to Jayeon Dakgalbi with my family worked out great — it's close to the Nami Island pier and has plenty of parking, making it a good pick for a big family. Since you can choose between soy sauce and spicy hot-plate dakgalbi, it also worked well for visiting with a five-year-old.

The dakgalbi was delicious and the fried rice was perfect, so next time we're at Nami Island, we're definitely coming back, haha! If you're looking for a good dakgalbi spot near Nami Island, I recommend Jayeon Dakgalbi and makguksu :)