Three jumbo dumplings each in a Cheonan hot pot restaurant: Omi Omi

After visiting Independence Hall, Sono Belle, or Byeongcheon, you end up looking for somewhere solid to eat nearby. Somewhere easy to bring kids to as well. So I tracked down a dumpling hot pot place that's even been on TV — Omi Omi Handmade Dumpling Hot Pot & Kudzu Naengmyeon Sono Bell Main Branch.

What kind of restaurant is Omi Omi in Bukmyeon, Cheonan?

Omi Omi Handmade Dumpling Hot Pot & Kudzu Naengmyeon Sono Bell Main Branch is a hand-made dumpling hot pot restaurant in Bukmyeon, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam. It's a TV-featured spot known for hand-pinched dumplings and rich broth, but the naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) is genuinely great too. It's a good choice for a family or group meal after visiting Independence Hall, Sono Belle, or Byeongcheon.

Parking and inside the Omi Omi dining room

Thanks to the spacious parking lot and large dining room at the Sono Belle main branch, we were able to eat without any wait. Baby chairs and baby tableware are provided, making this a good restaurant near Independence Hall to bring kids to.

Omi Omi menu and prices

The dumpling hot pot comes in three flavors: mild, spicy, and a savory version with added beef tripe. Pick whichever suits your taste.

The kudzu naengmyeon follows the recipe of a famous cold noodle restaurant in Incheon, with broth simmered from brisket and beef bones. You can choose water-based naengmyeon, mixed naengmyeon, or the spicy bulnaengmyeon. For something simpler, there's mandu-guk and tteok-mandu-guk, plus you can add handmade jumbo mandu (meat, kimchi, or half-half) as a side. Order the hot pot and you get free dessert naengmyeon, and every menu item can be upsized for +₩1,000.

Hand-pinched dumplings made in the Omi Omi kitchen

The heart of Omi Omi is the handmade mandu (dumplings). You can watch the kitchen staff pinching dumplings by hand. Order the hot pot and you'll first get 2 steamed dumplings per person as a starter. They're big jumbo mandu filled with bracken fern and shiitake mushroom, giving a clean yet savory flavor. It's fun to try them steamed first before they go into the pot.

Unlimited ramyeon and sujebi refills at the self-serve bar

Ramyeon (instant noodles) and sujebi (hand-torn dough) are both available for unlimited refill. You can also grab extra side dishes from the self-serve bar.

You can also help yourself to more of the rich hot pot broth.

Honest review: spicy dumpling hot pot for 3 at Omi Omi

There's a nice variety of simple side dishes to go along with the meal.

We ordered the hot pot for 3, and the steamed jumbo mandu came out first — 2 per person. Just the visual of these dumplings looked filling enough on its own. It's the kind of hand-made mandu place where you'd be happy just picking some up to go after visiting Independence Hall!

The bracken fern filling gives the mandu a distinctive flavor.

We went with the spicy broth from Omi Omi's handmade dumpling hot pot lineup. It's a generous pot loaded with shrimp, various mushrooms, vegetables, and brisket. We'd already eaten two mandu each, and one more mandu comes cooked in the pot, so each person ends up eating three jumbo mandu total.

The broth has a spicy, deep flavor packed with bean sprouts, cabbage, and mushrooms.

At the self-serve bar there's free ramyeon and sujebi dough to add — we went with sujebi instead of ramyeon. Vinyl gloves are provided so you can tear the dough in yourself, which was actually fun to do. The chewy sujebi blended perfectly with the spicy hot pot broth. With just one hot pot we got mandu, meat, vegetables, and sujebi — plenty to fill us up.

Is the kudzu naengmyeon at Omi Omi any good?

This is the water naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) that came free as dessert after the hot pot. It was good enough to make us say "this place is a naengmyeon spot too!" The broth, simmered from brisket and beef bones, had real depth. After the spicy hot pot, finishing with cool naengmyeon made for a perfect meal. It was hard to believe this noodle dish was free. It's good enough that you could stop by just for the naengmyeon after visiting Independence Hall or Sono Belle. Next time we're planning to come back and try the bulnaengmyeon and mixed naengmyeon too.

Why Omi Omi works for a meal with kids

We visit Independence Hall with our kids most weekends, and figuring out where to eat afterward is always a struggle. Omi Omi Handmade Dumpling Hot Pot has a spacious dining room, so it's comfortable to eat there with kids. Baby chairs and tableware are ready, and the mild mandu-guk or steamed dumplings are dishes kids can easily enjoy. Watching the dumplings being hand-pinched was also fun for the kids to watch.

Who should visit Omi Omi in Cheonan

• Anyone looking for a good restaurant near Independence Hall
• Anyone looking for a meal after visiting Sono Belle or Byeongcheon
• Anyone wanting handmade dumpling hot pot
• Anyone looking for a mandu restaurant that's easy to visit with kids
• Anyone looking for a family or group dining spot in Mokcheon

If you're stuck on where to eat after a day out at Independence Hall, I'd recommend Omi Omi Handmade Dumpling Hot Pot. Add the sujebi to the spicy hot pot, and don't skip the dessert naengmyeon.