Yangju Okjeong eel katsu-don and katsu sando lunch: Choi Dining

This time my parents and I went for a drive around Yangju and stopped somewhere for lunch. Whenever we eat out as a family, we usually end up with familiar stuff like Korean set meals, meat, or gukbap (soup with rice). This time I wanted to try something a bit different, so I found Choi Dining.

From futomaki to eel katsu-don to katsu sando, none of it is what my parents usually eat, but they ended up loving it, haha. So I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a not-so-typical family lunch in Yangju. It was a great Yangju Okjeong spot to build a lunch stop around, especially on a drive day.

How much parking does Choi Dining Yangju Okjeong cover?

Choi Dining Yangju Okjeong registered around 2 hours 30 minutes of parking, which is generous. When you're getting around by car, parking time really matters. Thanks to that, we didn't have to watch the clock while eating.

Is Choi Dining a comfortable place to bring your parents?

Choi Dining is a franchise, so I've seen a few branches before, but this location itself was genuinely clean. It's bright and tidy overall, and the tables are spaced far apart, which made it comfortable to sit and eat with family.

This is something I quietly pay attention to. When you're taking your parents out, the food matters, but so does whether the place is too loud or the tables are packed too close together. On that front it worked well as a Yangju family dinner spot. It's Korea, but it has a bit of a Japanese-restaurant feel, so coming for lunch almost felt like a little trip.

Ta-da, everything we ordered arrived!

Salmon futomaki at Choi Dining: best eaten in one bite

First, the salmon futomaki (thick seaweed roll)! It caught my eye the moment it arrived just from how big it looked. The salmon inside is properly thick, and it's packed with egg, cucumber, pickled radish. Seeing it for the first time, you think, how am I supposed to fit this in one bite? Haha. But futomaki is only really good if you eat it in one bite. Open wide and take the whole thing in, and your mouth is completely full — that moment is so satisfying.

The salmon alone is delicious. No fishy smell, soft, and chewing brings out that nutty salmon flavor. Combined with the sweet egg, crunchy cucumber, and pickled radish, the flavor keeps shifting with every bite. Five pieces might look like a small portion, but each piece is so big that you end up pretty full.

Eel katsu-don, 17,500 won: the dish the parents finished first

Then, out of curiosity, I ordered the eel katsu-don for ₩17,500. It's a rice bowl topped with fried eel coated in a special sauce.

Since the eel is fried, the outside stays crispy while the meat inside is still tender. Biting into it, you get that crisp-then-tender texture, which was great. Add the sweet-and-salty special sauce, and it goes perfectly with the rice. The nutty flavor unique to eel comes through too, and my parents really enjoyed this dish.

Dishes like this are exactly why going to Choi Dining for a Yangju family meal is fun.

Katsu sando, 9,900 won: how thick is the pork cutlet?

The meat thickness surprised me first, then the katsu sando for ₩9,900. When this arrives, check the thickness of the cutlet first, haha.

The tonkatsu (pork cutlet) sits between slices of white bread, and the meat is genuinely thicker than expected. But thick doesn't mean dry — the juices stay locked in inside.

What was nice this time as a family was not sticking to one dish the whole meal, but sharing several dishes placed in the middle, a little at a time. A bite of salmon futomaki, then a bite of eel katsu-don, then katsu sando, then back to futomaki again... each dish tastes completely different, so it felt like constantly trying something new.

Who Choi Dining Yangju Okjeong suits

I'd recommend Choi Dining to anyone looking for a good restaurant in Yangju, a good stop in Yangju Okjeong to pop into while out driving, or anyone wanting a slightly different family meal in Yangju instead of the usual menu :) Next time I'd love to try the other futomaki and the chef's collaboration menu too, haha.