Suwon hanwoo shabu-shabu for two, 40,000 won: Sodamchon Jeongja

I visited a place two years ago and fell in love with the taste — Sodamchon, a favorite for family outings in Suwon. It's known for its variety of delicious shabu-shabu.

Parking and opening hours at Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch

Parking right in front of the restaurant is limited, so it's best to use Sunil Parking Tower across from Lotteria. If you ask at the counter after your meal, they give you 90 minutes free. Parking in Seoul and Suwon alike can be tough, so it's a real plus that you don't have to worry about that here!

To get up to the restaurant, you take the outdoor elevator from the parking lot on the first floor. The door that opens is on the opposite side — a little unusual, haha.

Sodamchon, a favorite for Suwon family dining, is open daily from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, with last order at 8:20 PM. We went on a Monday lunch to avoid the crowds. They also accept high oil price relief vouchers, so if you still have some left, it might be worth stopping by.

I'd been here before, but I heard they did a renovation a few months ago.

Walking in, the interior felt somehow more comfortable? There are partitioned booths with good spacing between them, which made it great for a family meal! Plus, they had baby chairs ready — such a nice touch, haha. Perfect for coming with kids, right?

What's on the self-bar, from vegetables to tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)

True to its reputation for great shabu-shabu, Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch had a wide variety of vegetables ready, plus a self-bar set up so you could make your own spring rolls.

I usually like bok choy and bean sprouts, so I pile those on generously. The cabbage is crisp and delicious too. Carrots and baby sprouts are perfect for spring rolls.

My husband and I also grabbed some mushrooms and dumplings. The fact that all of this is unlimited refill is such a draw!

On top of that, Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch has soup and pre-meal bread ready, which they say tastes even better topped with vegetables, haha.

Since it's such a hot summer, I spotted a cool mul-kimchi (watery radish kimchi) with young radish kimchi and thought it would be nice to have a spoonful.

To make the shabu-shabu even more delicious, you could also put together your own sauces and toppings. If the broth runs low, you just grab more from the self-bar.

Sodamchon menu and prices

Since we'd come all the way to this Suwon family-dining favorite, we decided to figure out what to order first. The lunch menu includes mushroom shabu, wagyu, premium hanwoo, spring roll shabu, and spicy minari shabu, among others. My husband and I ordered the premium hanwoo shabu 70g for two servings (₩40,000), plus an add-on of beef brisket 120g (₩10,000).

That much meat seemed like plenty, and for drinks we picked zero-sugar cola.

Clean, generous hanwoo shabu-shabu with a brisket add-on

We chose the clear, non-spicy broth — you can add chili paste later if you want it spicier. The meat arrived, and the portion was pretty impressive, right? We decided to try both the hanwoo and the brisket. King oyster mushrooms came as a side too.

They boil the broth first, then add in the vegetables, mushrooms, sweet pumpkin, and dumplings we'd brought over. The heat level was satisfying too. Along with the basic setup, there were little dishes for each sauce and a bowl of hot water for dipping the spring roll rice paper.

The cooked vegetables and enoki mushrooms tasted clean and delicious. I'd recommend not leaving the vegetables in too long, since they go limp if overcooked.

My husband kept praising the choice, saying coming to Sodamchon for Suwon family dining was such a good call, haha.

Next, we added the beef, cooked it briefly, and ate it together with the vegetables.

Finishing the pot with kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and egg porridge

The colorful kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) are the perfect way to finish.

Stirring some chili paste into the broth added a rich savory depth, and it went even better with the noodles somehow, haha.

We rounded things out fully with not just the kalguksu but egg porridge as well. We said we should bring the grandparents from both sides next time for a family meal out. And thankfully, the baby slept through the whole meal.

Inside Sodamchon: seating and the in-house cafeteria

Here's a look inside Sodamchon Suwon Jeongja Branch. Soft lighting and green walls give it a calm, settled feel.

There's plenty of seating inside, enough for couples, families, or larger group gatherings.

Each table has its own burner, and you order via tablet. Payment happens at the end, on your way out.

After that, we checked out the in-house cafeteria. Normally, going somewhere else for dessert costs extra, but here you can take care of it all in one place.

We love ice cream, so we tried some — it had a really premium taste. I'm not usually big on chocolate flavor, but it was delicious even to me. The other flavor was cookies and cream.

Kids would love it, but there's also a coffee machine for the adults. With ice ready to go, an iced Americano is just right on a hot day like this.

From the table bar to the seating, it all feels café-like — perfect to relax in before heading out.

I finished things off with a cool glass of pomegranate tea, haha. Revisiting this Suwon family-dining favorite made me want to come back again. I'll have to make time for another visit soon.

Location: 171 Jeongjacheon-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea (4th floor, Gyeongseong Building)