Guyeup Boat Terminal buffet, 100-minute shabu-shabu: Pyeonbaek Hoegwan

This time I visited Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Main Branch, an all-you-can-eat cypress steam shabu-shabu place in Yeongjong.

To cut to the chase: the food was good, the price was good, and there's even a playroom, so it's a pretty solid option for families with toddlers. Let's get into the detailed review!!

Where is Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Main Branch, and where do you park?

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Main Branch is located in a commercial building near Guyeup Boat Terminal in Yeongjong. There's a separate underground parking lot, so I didn't have to worry about parking. A lot of popular restaurants these days give me parking stress, but here you just park in the basement of the main building and take the elevator straight up, which was convenient.

If the building's underground lot is full, they said they'll cover parking support at the Jinro Mart lot right next to the restaurant.

Inside Pyeonbaek Hoegwan: indoor playroom and the 100-minute limit

As soon as I walked into Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Main Branch, the bright indoor playroom caught my eye. The time limit is set at 100 minutes, so it's worth keeping that in mind ahead of time.

There was a slide and a punching bag and things like that, and the space was bigger than I expected, so it seemed like something the kids would enjoy. There were also seats with a good view of the playroom, so you could eat while watching the kids play.

The inside of the restaurant was bigger than I expected, so I thought it would also be good for group visits. Naver Reservation is available too.

Besides the hard chairs, there were also soft, sofa-like seats, so I could sit comfortably. The place felt bright and well-organized overall, and the lighting was good, so it didn't feel stuffy.

How much does Pyeonbaek Hoegwan cost?

• Weekday lunch ₩17,900
• Weekend/dinner ₩20,900
• Elementary school age ₩12,900
• Toddler ₩7,900

What is on the self-bar?

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Main Branch runs on an all-you-can-eat cypress steam shabu-shabu system, where everything from the shabu-shabu vegetables to the summer roll (fresh spring roll) vegetables and rice paper is unlimited, self-serve from the self-bar. Along with basic vegetables like bean sprouts, mushrooms, and napa cabbage, the summer roll corner had a wide variety of things ready to go, like julienned cucumber, julienned carrot, and onion. The rice paper kept coming too, so there was no worry about running out while wrapping.

There were also simple dishes like spaghetti, tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes), and soup. Both the spaghetti and tteokbokki weren't overpowering and had just the right sweetness — that familiar taste from a school cafeteria or a bunsik (Korean snack food) spot. There was also corn and french fries, which were good for lightly whetting the appetite while waiting for the cypress steam.

Cypress steam and choosing two shabu-shabu broths

The main dish, cypress steam, is served by steaming meat and vegetables in a wooden steamer. It takes about 10 minutes to cook though, so I'd recommend eating other dishes first while you wait.

It comes loaded with beef, shrimp, dumplings, napa cabbage, bok choy, and sweet pumpkin. The meat steams up tender and juicy, so it's delicious just as is, and wrapping it with vegetables in rice paper as a summer roll makes for an even healthier, more filling meal.

There are three sauces too, so you can dip according to your taste.

For shabu-shabu, you choose 2 out of 4 broths: basic katsuo, spicy mushroom, bone-broth mala, or bone-broth tomato. We picked the basic katsuo and spicy mushroom broths, and both had rich, savory flavor and were delicious. Some broth types come with a small extra charge, but overall I felt the whole set was good value.

All-you-can-eat beef, then ramyeon and porridge half and half

Meat and vegetables can keep being refilled endlessly from the self-bar, and true to being all-you-can-eat beef, the portions were generous and the quality wasn't bad either. Once we finished eating, we could finish with ramyeon (instant noodles) or porridge, so we walked out full and satisfied. We boiled ramyeon in half the pot first, and once it was nearly done, put rice in the other half to make porridge too. Both were delicious!!

Is Pyeonbaek Hoegwan worth it? Final verdict

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Main Branch is an all-you-can-eat cypress steam shabu-shabu place where you can eat all the beef you want, so it'd be great for anyone who's always felt short on meat at other shabu-shabu spots. Having a playroom inside the restaurant is also a big plus for families with young kids. If you're looking for a shabu-shabu restaurant in Yeongjong you can bring your kid to, give it a try!! The owner was kind too, so I had a pleasant meal.