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Cafés, restaurants and places in Gyeonggi, written by bloggers who went there.
Jeon Eungsun Bosal is a shinjeom (spirit-based fortune-telling) practice on Hanteo-ro in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi. Ahead of a working holiday next year, the writer booked a visit with ten questions prepared, and over the one-hour session Jeon Eungsun Bosal read her personality and temperament, why things feel hard right now, and which direction to take. Worth a visit for anyone who wants clarity before making a big decision.
Dotorigol Yangpyeong Garden Cafe is a lake-view garden café on Gopdani-gil in Danwol-myeon, Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi. The order at Dotorigol was old-style patbingsu (shaved ice with red bean) at 15,900 won, a Jeju matcha cream latte and the signature classic sandwich at 9,900 won, eaten beside the floor-to-ceiling windows and on the outdoor terrace above the water. The shaved ice was made with plain water ice rather than milk ice, which was slightly disappointing, but the rice cakes, bear-shaped ice cream and vegetable-packed sandwich still made Dotorigol a happy weekend stop.
Jeju Oktop JEJU BBQ, Gwangju Gyeongan Branch is a Jeju-style pork grill restaurant on Gwangdae-ro in Gyeongan-dong, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. The thick-cut pork was eaten with nothing but salt, then paired with the side dishes and ssam (leaf wraps), and it came out savory outside and juicy inside. Jeju Oktop suits a dinner out when you want both the food and the mood.
Yum Bbokki is a tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and Korean snack restaurant on Gwangdeok-dong-ro in Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi. Returning after two years, the writer ordered the Realistic Yam Set 2 for 13,900 won with two extra orders of vienna sausages, plus sweet cheese potato fries and a small sweet cheese chicken, and liked the chewy rice tteok and the tuna mayo cup rice stirred into the tteokbokki sauce most. Two people can eat their fill for about 7,500 won each, which is Yum Bbokki's biggest strength.
Morang Haemul Sotbap Jungja Station branch is a seafood pot rice (sotbap) restaurant on the 2nd floor of Prugio City II at 197 Jeongja-il-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi. A reserved window table came with eel sotbap and octopus-scallop sotbap plus a side of haemul pajeon (seafood scallion pancake), and each pot of rice was cooked to order in about 15 minutes. The tidy side dishes and soup at Morang Haemul Sotbap make it an easy choice for a family meal with parents.
Namiseom Anbanji Dakgalbi is a charcoal-grilled dakgalbi (grilled chicken) restaurant on Bukhangang-byeon-ro in Gapyeong-eup, Gyeonggi, right by Nami Island. Instead of the usual red marinade, two servings of the original salt-grilled chicken (17,000 won) were grilled over charcoal at the table and served with cheese fondue and cold buckwheat bibim mak guksu, and the mild chicken and smoky charcoal aroma went well with the chilled noodles. Anbanji also allows pets, which made it an easy family meal before or after a Nami Island trip.
Notten is a brunch café in the Dongpyeon-maeul neighborhood of Anyang, Gyeonggi, where bread and coffee are served together. Four friends shared three iced Americanos, one iced latte, the seasonal campagne French toast and the wheat bread plate, and parking was available behind the shop. Notten suits a day when a group wants brunch and coffee in the same place.
Seorak Makguksu Chuncheon Dakgalbi Yeoju IC Branch is a charcoal-grilled dakgalbi (spicy grilled chicken) and makguksu (chilled buckwheat noodle) restaurant on Sejong-ro in Yeoju, Gyeonggi. After a trip to the Yeoju Insect Museum, a group of four — the writer, her mother, her husband and a baby — ordered 2 servings of charcoal spicy marinated dakgalbi and 1 serving of charcoal soy sauce dakgalbi at 16,000 won each, plus bibim makguksu and jatmul (pine nut broth) makguksu at 10,000 won each and a 4,000 won doenjang stew. The wide dining room, baby chairs and self-serve side dish bar made Seorak Makguksu easy for a family dinner, and mixing both dakgalbi flavors with both makguksu styles was the best way to order for a group.
Namhae Mulgogi Anyang is an aged-sashimi restaurant on the 4th floor of Jungang Plaza, in front of the central fountain at Beomgye Station in Anyang, Gyeonggi. The writer and her husband ordered the sashimi omakase set for two, which brought pre-meal porridge and mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), aged salmon, flounder, hairtail, amberjack and mullet, futomaki and sushi, clams steamed in rice wine, yurinki (fried chicken in citrus sauce) and grilled mackerel, then a spicy fish stew to close. Thickly cut aged sashimi plus the warm dishes made the Namhae Mulgogi spread work as both a drinking table and a full dinner.
Goryeo Mulchong Kalguksu is a mulchong kalguksu (clam knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant near Bijeon-dong and Sosabeol in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi. The two-person set costs 38,000 won and brings mulchong kalguksu, pear-leaf herbal boiled pork and dumplings wrapped in napa cabbage leaves, with the pork dipped in meljeot (fermented anchovy sauce) kept warm on a burner and free fried rice to finish. A wide hall, parking inside the building and staff who explain how to eat each dish make Goryeo Mulchong Kalguksu an easy choice in Pyeongtaek.
People & Peoples is a pizza-and-beer bar on the outdoor drinking street three minutes from Sangdong Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi. The ham cheese pizza with a pastry crust is 24,000 won and a 500cc draft beer is 5,500 won, and the handmade salsa criolla sauce served alongside cuts the richness so well that five slices went down easily. With blankets and double-sided air conditioning on the patio, People & Peoples is a solid pick for outdoor pizza and beer on a cool evening.
Gukaechan Banchan Gwanggyo Main Store is a banchan (Korean side dish) shop on Centraltown-ro in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, with a parking lot wide enough for nervous drivers. The writer took home three dishes rarely cooked at home — yukjeon (pan-fried beef in egg batter), jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) and quail egg jorim (soy-braised quail eggs) — and found the seasoning mild and homemade in taste. Gukaechan is an easy Gwanggyo stop for days when making side dishes feels like too much work.
