Paju Unjeong mandu hot pot with no wait at 11am: Bubyeokjeong

Everyone carries a piece of their hometown somewhere in their heart. The hometown carved into us as children stays warm no matter how much time passes or the world changes. Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu began from my grandfather's lifelong longing for his hometown — the banks of the Daedong River in Pyeongyang and the Bubyeokru pavilion beside it. — From the Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu introduction

What is Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu? Wait times and the self-service bar

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu is a mandu (dumpling) hot pot restaurant on Jimok-ro in Paju, Gyeonggi. It's popular enough to have a wait even on weekday lunches, but they also sell meal kits so you can enjoy it at home.

Side dishes are self-serve from the bar, and after the meal there's misutgaru (roasted grain drink) and rice crackers. If you want to eat at Bubyeokjeong without waiting, doing an opening run at 11am lets you eat in peace :p

Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu menu and prices

• Pyeongyang mandu hot pot ₩28,000
• Korean beef jjabagi ₩14,000
• Kids' mandu soup ₩6,000

If you leave a Naver review, the first 10 teams get a free mung bean pancake. Sadly the quota was already filled by the time we got there so we missed out, but keep an eye out for this kind of event :p

Pyeongyang mandu hot pot for two, in the mild broth

The Pyeongyang mandu hot pot comes with the broth and ingredients served separately, shabu-shabu style — you add vegetables and dumplings yourself. The vegetables were incredibly fresh and generous; we ordered for two and it was genuinely filling.

There's a spicy or mild broth option — we went with mild, and it felt like a proper health-boosting meal. The table next to us ordered spicy and it looked amazing too, warning. I'll have to try the spicy version next time^^

They add mandu partway through, already cooked so there's no need to boil it for long. The wide, generously filled Pyeongyang mandu is the real charm here, adding great depth to the hot pot.

Add the knife-cut noodles that come with it and simmer — instant delicious kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup)! Eaten with kimchi, it disappears in no time~

Korean beef jjabagi, 14,000 won: pick it if you like yukgaejang

The Korean beef jjabagi is a stone-pot dish with Korean beef and dumplings in yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) broth. The spicy yukgaejang broth makes you devour a whole bowl of rice~ There's so much beef in it that if you love yukgaejang, this is a must-pick :p

Eating the beef jjabagi made me think the spicy mandu hot pot must be great too~ As the weather gets colder, this is the place to come whenever you're craving mandu hot pot :p

Dining with kids: mandu soup for 6,000 won

We visited with a child and ordered the kids' mandu soup — the broth is nicely savory, good enough to just pour rice into. It also comes with two whole Pyeongyang mandu, making for a hearty little meal~

Why Bubyeokjeong works for a meal with older parents

Clean, refined mandu hot pot — that's Bubyeokjeong Pyeongyang Mandu. As the weather turns cool, I find myself craving hot soupy dishes more often. If you're looking for a great mandu hot pot restaurant, don't hesitate to recommend Bubyeokjeong! The food is clean and refined overall, so it's a place that gets compliments even when you bring elders along~