Braised galchi at lunch peak: Daedong Korean Buffet, Yongin

Hey everyone! I went to a restaurant that's warm and filling no matter when you visit — a Korean buffet in Cheoin-gu, Yongin. Where is it, you ask????!!!! It's Daedong Korean Buffet & Dosirak (대동한식뷔페&도시락) in Yongin, where you can really feel the generous portions and homey, tidy comfort-food vibe.

Even though it just opened recently, it's already popular. I'm sharing an honest review for anyone looking for a good buffet in Yangji-myeon, Cheoin-gu.

Near Yongin rest stop, parking for about 50 cars

Parking always crosses my mind, but here there's space for about 50 cars, so no worries at all.

I was actually out on a trip with a friend, and since we were right near the Yongin rest stop on the Yeongdong Expressway, we decided to grab a meal here before parting ways.

It seems this place has already spread by word of mouth among drivers and day-trippers as an easily accessible Korean restaurant near Yongin rest stop, because lots of families were there. The place is clean and tidy too. The staff cleared and reset tables promptly, which I liked. There are a lot of tables, and it seems to seat around 200 people.

Have you seen prices this reasonable lately, when eating out has gotten so expensive? A Korean buffet with great value where you can enjoy as much of the various dishes and neat side dishes as you want! With prices this good, it's not a burden to eat here as a family, and it feels just as delicious as home cooking — I really love that about this place.

Pay first, then a lap around the food counters

After paying at the entrance and grabbing a tray and utensils, as soon as I headed to the food section I was hit with the smell of warm, delicious food.

Every large warming counter was neatly stocked with freshly cooked dishes, steam still rising. Staff kept refilling things right away, so it seems you always get a warm meal. There are also two kinds of rice, so you can eat according to your taste.

Jeyuk-bokkeum and dakgangjeong

First up is jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), the pride of any Korean buffet! It was tender and clean, with no off smell at all. The spicy, subtly savory sauce soaked deep between the meat, and piled generously over white rice and mixed together, it was seriously addictive. The dakgangjeong (Korean fried chicken) was crispy outside, juicy inside, and paired perfectly with the sweet, sticky sauce! I went back for it more than once!

Braised galchi at the buffet

Usually when you find fish dishes at a buffet, the flesh tends to be dry or fishy, but the braised fish here had thick, moist flesh soaked deep in a spicy, salty braising sauce. I was surprised they even served braised galchi (hairtail fish braise), since that must be pretty expensive.

I pulled off a big chunk of flesh with my chopsticks and took a bite — it was clean-tasting yet full of savory depth, and I mixed rice with the braising sauce, too.

The side dish corner

The side dish corner was also full of homemade care. The softly stir-fried gosari-namul (fernbrake) wasn't tough at all and was perfect with rice, while the mu-saengchae (spicy radish salad) was spicy and tangy enough to refresh your palate. The glossy, chewy japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) had a nice sheen, plus there were soft, fluffy scrambled eggs and sweet-salty stir-fried anchovies — honestly, this level of spread felt impressive.

At the self-serve fresh vegetable corner there was crisp cucumber, pungent-sweet onion, carrot great for dipping in ssamjang, and napa cabbage leaves too~

Plenty of ssamjang and seasoned sauce were set out too, great alongside the meat dishes!

What's it like during lunch peak?

Visiting during lunch peak, the restaurant was already packed with customers, seats nearly full. That also means the food keeps getting refilled nonstop. Staff really were checking constantly and quickly restocking anything running low.

There's ramen and janchi-guksu (banquet noodles) too.

For soup, there's seaweed soup, and there's also a janchi-guksu corner where you top it with dried seaweed flakes, kimchi and seasoned sauce — so I made myself a bowl!

After the meal, baram-tteok and my favorite kkul-tteok (honey-filled rice cake) rounded things out perfectly.

I filled my plate with whatever side dishes I wanted. And if you're still hungry after all that, you can go back for more — no pressure at all, and such great value for the price.

That's my home-cooked-style, generous lunch at Daedong Korean Buffet & Dosirak in Yongin.

Dessert: rice cake, sikhye and coffee

It'd be a shame to just leave without dessert. I finished off with chewy rice cakes, sikhye, and coffee. Hahaha. If you're looking for a Korean restaurant near Yongin rest stop, or a good spot in Yangji-myeon, Cheoin-gu, this could be a great choice. Come visit Daedong Korean Buffet & Dosirak for a proper, filling meal at a nice price.