Pyeongtaek kalguksu with a ₩5,000 veggie add-on: Songdam Kalguksu

🏠 129 Gangbyeon-ro, Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea ⏰ 09:00 - 21:00 (Closed Wednesdays, Thursdays)

Where is Songdam Kalguksu in Anjung, Pyeongtaek?

It's been a while since I found a real gem that stuck in my head for days, so I have to share it. I pass Suksudaega every day on my way home from work, and I've seen the

I've seen the dumpling place a million times, but I had no idea there was such a delicious shabu-shabu spot tucked inside. This is Songdam Kalguksu, a Korean restaurant and shabu-shabu kalguksu (noodle soup) place people love in Anjung, Pyeongtaek.

Inside Songdam Kalguksu: dining room and seating

Songdam Kalguksu has a rustic, countryside feel — my boyfriend and I felt like we'd taken a little trip to the countryside together, haha.

The place is pretty huge with lots of seating. Nice and spacious, perfect for a family dinner. We went on a weekday evening so there were only a few tables occupied, but apparently the wait gets long on weekends since there's a separate waiting room. You can't tell from the outside, so it feels like a spot only locals know about — no wonder it's such a hidden gem.

Spoiler alert: we came back just three days later, on the weekend. It's genuinely that good...♡

Free ppeongtwigi (puffed rice crackers) and corn bread

I love this kind of vibe haha — they sell ppeongtwigi and corn bread at cheap prices. You get a slice of corn bread free with your kalguksu order, and the moment I tasted it I thought

The moment I tasted it I thought, oh, let's buy some to take home — but by the time we left we were way too full, so we didn't haha. Next time I'm stocking up.

How to order at Songdam Kalguksu: two beef portions alone are not enough

Ordering is done at the table via tablet, payment included! There are four types of kalguksu — clam, beef, vegetable, and meatball dumpling — and you can mix and match according to the number of people.

So for two people, you're supposed to order one beef and one vegetable to get the shabu-shabu we all know. We thought we were just picking a main ingredient to add to a basic shabu-shabu base, so we ordered two beef — and ended up with plain broth and just meat, lol. There was an explanation printed in front of us, but we were too hungry to notice. We ended up adding vegetables separately, but it would've been nice if the staff had mentioned it when we ordered...!

Self-serve banchan refills and the standout geotjeori kimchi

You can refill side dishes at the self-serve corner. FYI, the napa cabbage kimchi here is the real deal — completely delicious gutjeori (fresh unfermented kimchi) ♡ it goes perfectly with the kalguksu ♡

We ended up adding even more beef to our beef kalguksu haha. Like I said, when we ordered two beef kalguksu, what showed up was just broth and beef, lol. We sat there blankly for a while wondering why the vegetables weren't coming 😗

How much does a meal at Songdam Kalguksu cost?

I really love Deungchon Shabu-shabu, but adding meat there is so expensive and the portions are small, which always felt like a lot ㅠ Songdam Kalguksu was so nice because the kalguksu itself is only ₩8,000 and the add-ons are cheap too!!

Yeolmu (young radish) barley rice

The unbeatable kalguksu combo = yeolmu (young radish greens) barley rice. When I was a kid I'd go to kalguksu restaurants just to eat yeolmu barley rice haha. Since Songdam Kalguksu is a kimchi powerhouse, the yeolmu barley rice was amazing too — we scraped the bowl clean.

Kimchi meatball dumplings

We also ordered the kimchi meatball dumplings. These come as just the filling with no dumpling wrapper — round little balls, super cute and perfect as a side dish! Highly recommend.

How many vegetables come with the ₩5,000 add-on?

We only added vegetables once, and look how much you get!! That's all ₩5,000. I think two people could easily do two beef portions plus one vegetable add-on.

Seriously... I loved Deungchon so much I went to the one near my college every single week back in school, and somehow this place beats Deungchon? My boyfriend called his parents the second he took a bite, saying we have to bring them here.

How did the beef kalguksu taste?

The broth is genuinely clean, light, and fuss-free, paired with fresh vegetables and beef — I think anyone would enjoy this. Dipping it in wasabi soy sauce makes it even better.

And finishing it off with kalguksu noodles made it perfect ♡ My boyfriend said it's the best sponsored restaurant meal he's ever had haha — even while eating he was already talking about coming back on the weekend, that's how memorable it was. Nothing overpowering, nothing that gets old, the kind of taste you could eat every day! If you're looking for a shabu-shabu or kalguksu spot in Anjung, Pyeongtaek, I highly recommend this place!