Goyang Korean restaurant meal for two with a 7-year-old: Kim Myeongju

This time I went to a great spot in Wondang. I heard the Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang chain, which used to have a branch in Bucheon, had opened here too, so I rushed over — and honestly, every branch of theirs has been delicious. Even the look of the place and its surroundings gave off a little getaway feeling, which made it even better. If you're looking for hanjeongsik (Korean set meal) in Goyang and you're bringing kids, you absolutely have to check this place out.

Where Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Wondang Station Branch is, plus hours and parking

There's a nice big parking area right in front of Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang. Hours are 10:30–21:00 (last order 20:20), and the address is 1445-28 Goyangdae-ro, 1st floor, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The inside is spacious, so even with a lot of customers, I don't think the wait would be too long.

Ordering the 13,000 won Tteuranchae Bapsang set for two and the 18,000 won charcoal pork

Here's the menu at this Wondang favorite. This time we ordered the Tteuranchae Bapsang set for two at ₩13,000 and one order of charcoal-grilled pork at ₩18,000. I thought about ordering rice separately for my kid, but they said you can just scoop your own rice here. So instead of ordering separately, I ate self-serve bar rice while my kid had the stone-pot rice that comes with the Tteuranchae Bapsang set.

Self-serve side dish refills and rice for preschool-age children

The self-serve bar has all kinds of side dishes. It's great because you can refill whatever you like, and you can get more rice if you run out too. And if your child is preschool-age, you don't need to order rice separately — you can just scoop some for them here. Last time we visited Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang, a staff member told us that's how most people feed their kids, and we've done it that way ever since.

Eggplant fritters you can refill as often as you like

This really is a place I want to visit every single time. The eggplant fritters (가지강정) in particular are so good. I love eggplant fritters, so I refilled mine several times. There's sauce and side dishes you can mix in like bibimbap (mixed rice) if you want, but with the kids around and me being a bit frazzled, I just ate it plain with rice.

Friday evening mood and the second-floor seating

Here's the inside of Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang — even on a Friday, it was this busy. And it looks like there's more than just the ground floor; there's a staircase going up, so they seem to be using a second floor too. That means you probably don't need to worry about seating even if you go on a weekend.

What the 7-year-old chose: eggplant fritters, kimchi, potato and spinach

The table came out beautifully full. After eating I was thinking of heading to a valley, so I told my kid to eat well since we'd made it to this Wondang favorite. My 7-year-old loves this kind of Korean food. Even when my husband and I get fast food takeout, our kid asks for rice instead — a total rice kid.

Whenever we come to Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang, my kid eats more than usual. They can handle spicy food reasonably well now too, so I don't need to rinse anything off anymore. When I asked which side dishes they wanted, they said eggplant fritters, kimchi, potato, and spinach — so I gave them those plus some meat.

Japchae and cheonggukjang from the staff, lettuce from the self-serve bar

When you visit this Wondang favorite, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) come with the meal too. If you run out of japchae, you ask staff for a refill rather than getting it from the self-serve bar. Things like lettuce, though, are available at the self-serve bar.

Giving the stone-pot rice to the child

Whenever we go to Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang, the stone-pot rice is always devoured. I absolutely love stone-pot rice myself. But this time I gave it to my kid and ate regular rice instead. I could have ordered an extra stone-pot rice, but since I'm dieting these days, I had to hold back — if I'd had stone-pot rice, I know I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from finishing it, so I deliberately didn't order one.

My husband normally dislikes cheonggukjang. He's never been a fan, but after trying it at this Wondang favorite, he said it was so good and kept scooping more. He had so much that I ended up telling him to just finish my portion too.

Here's my kid at Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang. Since they're 7 and eating on their own, I set their side dishes off to the side like this. I combined our leftover side dishes into the bowl the dishes originally came in and let them pick out exactly what they wanted. They ate so well.

My husband finished all the rice in his stone pot and decided to try the crispy rice crust (nurungji) — and when he opened it, it had turned out really rich and perfect. The second he saw it, he just blurted out, 'Ooh, that looks amazing!'

At this Wondang favorite, my kid even properly wraps lettuce around their meat to eat it — insisting that meat has to be eaten wrapped in lettuce, and doing it with surprising skill. It was so cute and impressive to watch.

Why Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang is easy with a child

Anyway, we all ate until we were completely full at this Wondang favorite. I'm supposed to be dieting and holding back, but eating at Kim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang made that really hard. The food is clean and delicious, so I just kept eating more. Next time we're passing through this area, I'll definitely stop by again. Both our little one and my husband and I ate so well and so happily — haha.