Quiet weekday hanwoo platter for two in Ingye-dong, Suwon: Yeongpo

It's no secret that Ingye-dong is packed with good restaurants. Suwon even has a solid lineup of hanwoo (Korean beef) spots. I've made the rounds of Suwon's food scene pretty thoroughly, if I do say so myself, and Yeongpo Hwa-ro is one of my top three hanwoo places in the city!

I'd already visited their Mangpo branch before, paying out of my own pocket, but this time I checked out the Ingye branch.

Where is Yeongpo Hwa-ro Ingye Branch, and is there parking?

Yeongpo Hwa-ro Suwon Ingye Branch is about a 5-minute walk from Suwon City Hall Station, tucked into the alley right behind the Nahyeseok-geori street line. Being one block back from the busiest stretch actually worked in its favor, haha.

It's only one story, but Yeongpo Hwa-ro has the whole building — and it's a pretty big one — to itself. There's also a spacious lot right in front reserved for customers only, which made getting there easy.

Since it's customer-only parking right outside the building, they kept a close eye on outside cars parking there! And maybe because of double-parking issues, they asked us to leave our car keys at the counter after parking.

Inside Yeongpo Hwa-ro: private rooms and the weekday afternoon mood

The moment we walked into Yeongpo Hwa-ro Ingye Branch, a big chandelier greeted us, haha. The place was spotless and gave off the feel of a fancy hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) restaurant.

It felt less like a beef restaurant and more like a genuinely upscale dining spot — clean, classic, and really nice. There were even private rooms, which would be perfect for something like a formal engagement meal or an important gathering.

Kiosk ordering and the complimentary doenjang sulbap

You order on a kiosk attached to each table, and the menu ranges from hanwoo (Korean beef) to hanwoo pork, super varied! You can also pick your preferred cuts individually.

By the way, when I visited the Mangpo branch before, I tried their pork menu too, and honestly it was fantastic, haha. Anyway, we were torn between single cuts and the assortment, but since it was our first time at the Ingye branch we really wanted to try a variety of cuts, so we ordered the hanwoo assortment for two along with doenjang sulbap.

But not long after we ordered on the kiosk, a staff member came to say they'd give us a small doenjang sulbap on the house, haha. So we said go ahead and cancel our paid order for it — I was honestly touched by the gesture.

The charcoal grill and the side dishes that come with it

We'd made a reservation the day before, so as soon as we arrived we were seated at a nicely set table. True to the restaurant's name, the beef is grilled not on a regular pan but over a hwaro (charcoal brazier). I've always thought these braziers were so cute, and I honestly want one for my own home, haha.

The basic side dishes were ssamjang, wasabi and salt, myeongyi namul (wild leek greens), scallion salad, cucumber kimchi and napa kimchi. They gave us a generous amount of scallion salad and myeongyi namul, which I loved, haha. And the salt here was so good I was curious what kind they used, haha. I already enjoy kimchi-type side dishes, so having this many varieties made me really happy!

What's in the hanwoo platter for two, cut by cut

And then out came our beloved hanwoo assortment!!!!! It was made up of galbisal, bujaesal, sirloin, salchisal, chimasal and eopjinsal.

For grilling vegetables, we got peppers, sweet pumpkin and mushrooms — and the sweet pumpkin, which I usually don't care for, was so much better than expected that I ate both pieces myself, haha.

We grilled the cuts in order one by one — I clearly preferred the leaner cuts, while my boyfriend, my little piggy, went for the fattier ones.

Usually people eat salchisal first or last, but this time we grilled it in the middle. As expected of a pricier cut, we both went "wow---" the second we tasted it, haha. That's exactly the moment you'd use the phrase "melts in your mouth," haha.

Even so, I still think sirloin is the true fundamental cut, so we saved it for the grand finale — and the moment we both took a bite, we said in unison, "sirloin really is the fundamental," haha.

There was ssamjang too, but for beef, wasabi plus salt is the fundamental combo, so that's basically what we used the whole time. Piling the meat with salt and wasabi and then cleansing your palate with scallion salad afterward — pure bliss, haha.

Doenjang sulbap and kodari cold noodles to finish the beef

Then came the doenjang sulbap I mentioned earlier as a free item. They said they'd give us a little as a complimentary dish, and we figured we'd taste it and order more if we liked it — but what arrived was way beyond "a little," haha. It came in a huge bowl, plenty for two people to share fully. It was even loaded with meat, tofu and sweet pumpkin inside, and it was genuinely delicious.

The doenjang sulbap filled us up quite a bit, but skipping cold noodles after beef would still feel like a shame, haha. I was too full myself, so I ordered kodari mul-naengmyeon (cold noodles with dried pollack broth) for my boyfriend.

Honestly I'd already decided I was too full to eat any, since I ordered it for him, but the moment I saw how it looked, I thought, okay, I need at least one bite, haha. The broth felt richer, probably because it's the kind of naengmyeon a beef restaurant makes to go with meat, haha. It was a hot day, and the cool broth was so refreshing!

Milk bingsu for dessert and the verdict on Yeongpo Hwa-ro

Just as we were finishing up and about to leave, they told us there was bingsu (shaved ice dessert) for dessert. We were basically about to burst, but bingsu is bingsu — impossible to pass up. So we said yes, and when it arrived... I was shocked by the size, haha. It was huge, easily enough for four people. It was milk bingsu piled high with toppings too, and after the two of us stirred it all together and dug in enthusiastically, we still ended up leaving some behind, haha.

This visit to Yeongpo Hwa-ro landed in that awkward quiet stretch of a weekday afternoon after lunch rush, and thanks to that we got to enjoy genuinely delicious, high-quality beef in a calm setting — a completely satisfying meal. Whenever I want beef, or want to flex a little, I think this is where I'll come without question. From the thoughtful little touches to the final dessert, it was such a satisfying day, haha.