Rice cake and dumpling soup for lunch in Yuseong, Daejeon: Yongja 1

The Cheongju original location is famous for its dumplings and kalguksu, so when a branch opened in Gwanpyeong-dong, Daejeon, I went to grab a hearty meal. It's exactly the kind of place you want on a chilly day — a hot bowl of soup with big handmade dumplings.

The staff were friendly too, so I walked out with a full stomach and a good mood.

Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch: location and when it's less busy

The restaurant sits at 8-1 Gwandeul 1-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on the neighborhood's restaurant row, and opens at 11 AM. Around the noon lunch peak, office workers and outlet mall shoppers fill up seats fast, so going right at opening or after 1 PM is your best bet for a quieter meal.

The interior is done up neatly in wood tones with high ceilings, so it doesn't feel cramped. Tables are spaced generously apart, making for a comfortable meal.

For parking, use street spots near the shop or the nearby public lot. Takeout is available too, and there are waiting seats and a baby chair by the entrance.

A glass-walled kitchen and dumplings hand-folded daily

What stands out most is the glass-walled kitchen on one side of the restaurant. Once your order goes in, you can watch staff roll the dough and fill the dumplings right in front of you. Knowing these aren't factory-made but hand-folded in-store every day makes them easy to trust.

Ordering tteokmandu-guk with a side of steamed dumplings

The menu is simple — kalguksu, kalmandu-guk, and tteokmandu-guk for meals, plus steamed dumplings. This time I wanted a hearty mix of chewy rice cakes and dumplings together, so I went with tteokmandu-guk and added a side of steamed dumplings.

Standard banchan: geotjeori kimchi and onion-gochujang jangajji

With your order comes fresh geotjeori (fresh-tossed cabbage kimchi) made daily, plus onion-gochujang jangajji (pickled onions). The geotjeori has no raw, grassy edge — just a crisp, spicy crunch that pairs perfectly with the clear dumpling soup broth. The salty-tangy pickled onions are great alongside the dumplings too.

How are the kimchi dumplings?

The kimchi mandu really keep the spicy, crunchy texture of the kimchi alive, so you never get tired of them. The heat is clean and refreshing rather than heavy and dull, making them perfect to alternate with sips of the tteokmandu-guk broth. Dipped lightly in soy sauce with a bit of pickled onion on top, they're a real treat too.

The tteokmandu-guk broth and rice cakes

The tteokmandu-guk arrives topped generously with roasted seaweed flakes.

There's no artificial seasoning taste — it's clean and refreshing with no heaviness, the kind of broth you end up lifting the bowl to drink straight.

Rice cakes are layered generously all the way to the bottom of the bowl, and they stay chewy without going mushy, making them great to scoop up together with the broth. The handmade dumplings are big, too.

The dumpling wrapper is chewy enough to hold its shape in the broth without bursting. Split a dumpling in half, let the broth soak in, and eat it together with the rice cake — it's an extremely filling combination.

With hand-folded dumplings packed full of filling and a clean, refreshing broth, I finished the whole bowl. If you're around Gwanpyeong-dong or the Hyundai Outlet looking for a hearty, clean bowl of tteokmandu-guk or steamed dumplings, this place won't disappoint. Both the soup and dumplings are packed neatly for takeout too, so they're good for cooking up at home.

Portions, takeout, and would I go back

On my way out after the meal, I noticed quite a few customers packing up their leftover dumplings neatly to take home. Portions are generous from the start — even for an adult man, a bowl of tteokmandu-guk plus steamed dumplings on the side leaves you completely full.

Since it's not drowning in heavy seasoning, I felt fine and settled after finishing, with no stomach heaviness at all. I'll happily come back whenever I'm craving a hot bowl of broth on a chilly day. If you're looking for a solid meal before or after shopping at the Hyundai Outlet, it's worth adding to the plan.