Perilla oil tofu kimchi and makgeolli at Jusangnakwon, Dongtan pub

Looking for a Dongtan Bukgwangjang bar for dinner and a casual glass of makgeolli, I ended up at Jusangnakwon Dongtan-bukgwangjang. It's a newly opened spot, and honestly every single dish I had there was really good!

Where is Jusangnakwon Dongtan Bukgwangjang, and what does it look like?

Here's the exterior of Jusangnakwon Dongtan-bukgwangjang. Big photos of the food are posted right at the entrance, so you can tell exactly what kind of menu they serve just by looking from outside.

What are the interior and second-floor seats like?

The inside of Jusangnakwon Dongtan-bukgwangjang was bigger than I expected. There's a second floor in the middle — you climb a few steps from the ground floor and there's a whole other spacious level up there! Plenty of tables for larger groups, and seating goes all the way to the back too. Overall it has that classic Korean pub feel while still being comfortable for a relaxed dinner. If you're looking for a group meetup or company dinner spot around Dongtan, this place could work really well!

You order through the table-order tablet sitting at each table. It was convenient to browse photos and prices together and take your time deciding.

Menu lineup and drinks at Jusangnakwon

The menu is really varied, isn't it? There's plenty of Korean food good for a proper dinner, plus jeon (savory pancakes), grilled dishes, boiled meats, and noodle dishes that work great as drinking snacks. If you're searching for a good Korean restaurant in Dongtan and want a proper meal alongside drinks, this is exactly the kind of lineup that comes to mind.

The drink selection is really wide too!! Highballs and makgeolli of course, but also several kinds of distilled liquor, so there's fun in just picking what to drink haha. Good for visiting with people who have different tastes since everyone can pick their own favorite.

For the basic side snack we got crispy chips — we finished them off in no time while waiting for the food!

Perilla oil tofu kimchi: a whole block of tofu

First up was the perilla oil tofu kimchi. Instead of cutting the tofu into small pieces, they serve a whole large block of tofu sitting right on top. Underneath and around it is a generous portion of stir-fried kimchi and meat, plus a big pile of perilla leaves on top — looks seriously appetizing, right?

I cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces and ate it with the kimchi and perilla leaves on top. Tofu kimchi is such a familiar dish, but you could really tell this place knows how to cook. The moment this dish arrived I already felt like I'd ordered well haha. It paired great with a glass of makgeolli too.

Chapagetti with pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi)

Next was the chapagetti and pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi). The chapagetti came out in a pot, and the pa-kimchi was served separately in a generous portion. Chapagetti with pa-kimchi is a combo that barely needs explaining, it's just good haha. The pa-kimchi was tasty on its own, and kept pulling my chopsticks back when eaten with the noodles. If you're looking for a Dongtan bar and want a solid meal alongside your drinks, I'd recommend this dish too.

Here's everything we ordered, all laid out. With the perilla oil tofu kimchi, chapagetti, pa-kimchi, and silk-thread potato pancake all on the table, it looked seriously plentiful!!! We ordered it as drinking food, but honestly this place is just a great restaurant on top of being a bar!! Good spot to visit if you want to eat a proper meal and have a light drink at the same time, like we did.

With a table full of good food, we raised our makgeolli glasses for a toast >< What I liked even more was that it's not just a place with a wide menu — everything we ordered actually tasted great. Good place to visit with people who have different tastes since you can order a bunch of dishes and share.

Silk-thread potato pancake: a must if you love potatoes

This one I was especially curious about: the silk-thread potato pancake. I really love potatoes and eat potato pancakes all the time — this one lives up to its name, with the potato sliced super thin and packed together like threads, then fried crispy. Big, thin, and genuinely delicious. Potato lovers, you have to try this!

I cut it into bite-sized pieces and dipped it in the soy sauce it came with. Putting pa-kimchi on top of the potato pancake was also a great combo!! Eating them together made it feel like a whole different dish.

We also mixed the chapagetti noodles well and ate them together with pa-kimchi. Seeing how well they pull off even a familiar dish like this, Jusangnakwon really does know how to cook. Chef, you should go on Culinary Class Wars... We ordered several dishes and enjoyed every single one without exception.

We finished the perilla oil tofu kimchi off properly too, down to the last bite. Loading up tofu, kimchi, and perilla leaves together in one bite made for a seriously hearty mouthful. Personally, I'd want to order it again on a future visit.

Proof that we enjoyed it haha. The food was so good we scraped every plate clean. When you order several dishes there's usually one or two you don't finish, but that day both the plates and the pot ended up completely clean.

Does Jusangnakwon work for a Dongtan company dinner?

<Highlight shot> The finale haha. We went right after opening, and by the time we finished eating the place was already full of customers. Seeing so many people show up even though it just opened, I think it's about to get a lot more popular. With a spacious layout and a wide range of menu options, I'd highly recommend it as a group dinner spot around Dongtan too!

Jusangnakwon Dongtan Bukgwangjang: hours, parking and visitor info

• Address: 32 Dongtanjungsimsangga 2-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, 1st floor, Unit 105, Jusangnakwon, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 17:00–03:00, last order 02:30
• Amenities: Group-friendly, separate men's/women's restrooms, Wi-Fi, corkage available (paid), free parking

Jusangnakwon started as a small shop in Geumgok-dong, Suwon, and has now opened its 3rd location here in Dongtan. We'll do our best to help you end your day on the best possible note.