Dongtan kalguksu restaurant with kid-friendly clear broth: Deungchon

When it comes to eating out with family, shabu-shabu (Korean hot pot with thinly sliced meat) is definitely one of the go-to menus. It's a dish that pretty much everyone likes, no picky eaters here :)! My 4-year-old daughter loves shabu-shabu too. Both my husband and I are big fans of Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu, and honestly the whole point of it is usually the spicy broth loaded with minari (water dropwort) and bean sprouts, right? But with a little kid, we couldn't do the spicy broth together ㅠ0ㅠ

Shabu-shabu near Dongtan Lake Park you can bring a toddler to

Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Gran Passage Branch also has a mild, clean-tasting broth, so we came to eat there with our daughter!! Spoiler up front — even my husband and I, who love spicy food, fell hard for the clean broth haha. The price is super reasonable too, and the fresh minari, bean sprouts, and mushrooms were piled in generously — let me share our review +_+

What we ordered: mushroom kalguksu in clear broth for two, plus extra meat

We ordered mushroom kalguksu in clear broth for two, plus added meat! With that you get shabu hot pot + kalguksu noodles + dumplings, and at the end they even stir-fry it into fried rice for you haha.

The kimchi here is genuinely delicious — it has a bit of that fresh geotjeori (freshly made, unfermented kimchi) feel, so good I wanted to pack some to take home. Kalguksu just isn't complete without good kimchi, right?

How the Deungchon course works: eating order, broth and vegetable choices

With minari, bean sprouts, and potatoes piled high, once the broth boils you cook the fresh shabu beef first and eat it as shabu hot pot, then add the noodles and dumplings haha. You can choose your vegetables — minari only, bean sprouts only, whichever you like haha!

The broth also comes in several options — spicy, clear, or perilla — and people dining with kids usually go for the clear broth haha. It was really clean and mild, and paired so well with the minari :)

It was piled with fresh minari, which also went really well with the bean sprouts — and for some reason, my veggie-averse daughter ate a ton of bean sprouts haha. I think it must be the power of the broth haha.

At this point you slowly cook the shabu beef and eat it together, which takes the flavor to another level haha.

The beef was so tender and fresh that our daughter ate it up well too haha.

Why a spicy-broth-only couple fell for Deungchon's clear broth

We usually only like spicy broth, but this mild broth was so delicious and has its own charm. The owner, thinking we'd ordered the mild broth just because of our kid, offered to bring us some red pepper flakes (so thoughtful!). But honestly, the mild broth was even more appealing haha.

The oyster mushrooms were mild and tasty too — this Dongtan Lake Park favorite, Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Gran Passage Branch, does get a lunch wait sometimes!

Kalguksu noodles, dumplings and the egg vegetable fried rice finish

Once you've eaten most of it, you add the kalguksu noodles at the end like this — the noodles were nice and plump with a really good chewy texture :)

Our daughter ate the dumplings really well too haha.

And of course, fried rice at the end, right? Ask for it when you're almost done and they'll make you a delicious egg vegetable fried rice. Honestly, this might as well be dessert, K-style haha^^77

It seemed like they added a bit more vegetables in while stir-frying the fried rice.

Wait times and tips for visiting Deungchon Gran Passage Branch

There might be a wait on weekends or at lunchtime! But turnover is so fast that you probably won't wait too long :) Note that they're closed during the Chuseok holiday :)

For a meal out with your kid that both mom and dad will actually enjoy, how about this Dongtan Lake Park favorite, Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu? With the weather nice these days, it seems like the perfect healthy meal for lunch or dinner after a weekend walk at the lake park.