Family abalone dining in Namdong, Incheon: Jeonbokchon Korean restaurant

This popular abalone-specialty restaurant in Guwol-dong, Incheon is busy on both weekdays and weekends. It serves whole abalone in many different dishes, each one neat and delicious, so it is popular for meals with parents, family gatherings, and birthday gatherings—as well as business entertaining or company dinners on weekdays.

A Guwol-dong table of abalone dishes, starting with the abalone set meal

This Guwol-dong favorite near Incheon City Hall offers good-value abalone dishes through lunch and dinner specials. Apparently, it has also appeared on programs such as Live Info TV and Live Today. Since it has been a while since my last visit, today I was going for the abalone set meal rather than a special.

It is an abalone specialty restaurant, so of course I had to go for the abalone set meal~

We started lightly with abalone porridge, which was comforting rather than heavy. It had plenty of abalone innards, giving it a rich, savory flavor. The salad also seemed to have a house-made dressing; it was delicious without being overpowering or sweet. Once we had cleaned our bowls, the main spread arrived.

Everything arrives at once, filling the table, so it is fun choosing a little of this and that. There was japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), abalone cho (seasoned abalone), raw abalone, steamed abalone, fried shrimp, seasoned pollock sashimi, fried semi-dried pollock, abalone-innard salad, beef bulgogi, gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), and seafood scorched-rice soup.

Fried semi-dried pollock and abalone-innard salad

The fried semi-dried pollock is a true rice thief, with sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. There are some bones, but it is fried crisp, so the tiny ones are not difficult to chew. Among all the mild abalone dishes, the sweet-salty-spicy sauce is the kind of flavor that makes dopamine burst in your mouth whenever you take a bite^^ A rice thief♡

This is an innard salad made with abalone innards (geu), salad greens, and seaweed. It has a gentle flavor, and everything works together so well that the innard flavor itself does not stand out too strongly.

Abalone with geu sauce and pleasantly chewy raw abalone

You know how aged sashimi or Japanese restaurants sometimes serve geu cream sauce? I love its nutty, distinctive aroma, and Jeonbokchon’s geu sauce is top tier. Dip the tender, springy abalone generously in the sauce and the umami absolutely explodes.

This raw abalone was fresh and pleasantly chewy. Compared with cooked abalone, sashimi has that firmer, crisp bite, right? I love that texture too. (I like sea cucumber too^^) Rather than vinegar-chili sauce, dipping it in sesame oil sauce doubles the nuttiness, with a crisp-chewy texture and a soft finish—excellent.

The seasoned pollock sashimi was sweet and tender. It is often eaten as a side dish or a cold-noodle topping, but I found it went wonderfully wrapped in napa cabbage too.

I kept thinking, “This sauce feels familiar…” Then I realized it was similar to that refreshing salad dressing served at upscale Korean set-menu restaurants. The gently cooked abalone was cut into bite-size pieces and paired with a clear, moist, tangy-fresh sauce, which really cleansed the palate. Nothing in the meal was overly seasoned or rich; the flavors emphasized mildness and tenderness, so I spent the whole meal singing, “This is soooo delicious!!”

There was also cooked abalone sushi, fried shrimp, and japchae. The fried shrimp, with its thin, crisp batter, comes as part of the set.

Seafood scorched-rice soup and a meal made easy by table-side portioning

The seafood scorched-rice soup arrives bubbling in an earthenware pot, then the staff portion it out at the table. They served it into individual bowls without us needing to do anything, which made the meal so easy. Usually the youngest one (= me) is frantically sorting bowls and serving the parents and everyone else, so I really loved this service 👍🏾

The beef bulgogi comes partially cooked, then mushrooms and toppings are added and it is warmed once more over solid fuel. It gently cooks while you are eating the abalone. Once it comes to a boil, have it with rice. (They brought out the rice and side dishes at exactly the right time for the bulgogi to be ready!)

Once the bulgogi was cooked, they brought the side dishes, abalone seaweed soup, and a bowl of rice. They portioned out the seaweed soup too, leaving the remaining soup on the table. When they brought a whole bowl of rice, I thought, “Wow… I do not think I can finish all that…” but it was only about half full. (Extra rice is free.) Ask for more if you need it. I actually liked that they gave just a little.

As the meal wraps up, they serve maesil-cha (Korean plum tea) for dessert. Every staff member was kind and incredibly quick to notice things(?). Whenever it seemed we had finished something, they moved us seamlessly to the next course, so there was nothing I needed to ask for first. The service and hospitality were so good that, delicious food aside, my overall satisfaction went waaay up.

Rooms and a main hall suited to family gatherings

The restaurant is fairly spacious and has a great many private rooms. Even so, there are lots of diners, so be sure to reserve. There can be a wait on weekends and at peak times. The central area is the main hall, while both sides are all private rooms.

I wanted to photograph a variety of rooms, but most were occupied. People use them for family gatherings and meals with parents, and I even saw birthday banners hung up.

There are both floor-seating rooms and table-seating rooms. A table-seating room would likely be more comfortable for parents who find it difficult to sit on the floor. There are high chairs too, so dining with a baby in the main hall is fine as well.

The main hall also felt very private, with partitions in front and behind the tables. The tables are large and the space is roomy.

There are restrooms inside the restaurant, with separate facilities for men and women.

Abalone set meal and special prices

The abalone set meal I had was ₩39,000 per person. You can also enjoy good-value abalone dishes through the ₩14,900 weekday lunch special, ₩20,000 weekend special, and ₩19,900 weekday dinner special (after 5 p.m.). You also get fried shrimp through the review event~

This Guwol-dong restaurant has long been a famous Incheon spot and has appeared on TV several times.

Dedicated parking and access from Arts Center Station

If you enter it into navigation, there is a separate listing for Jeonbokchon Parking Lot. Follow that and it will guide you straight to the parking lot at the back. The parking in front of the building is a little tight, and there is additional dedicated space to the side.

It is within walking distance of Exit 1 of Arts Center Station. From the exit, pass Homeplus Guwol and CGV, then turn right to come in. It is convenient by public transportation too. Make a reservation before you visit~