Yuseong Korean restaurant seafood kalguksu: Choi Jiseong's

When you think of the city of kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), it has to be Daejeon~!! Living in Daejeon, there are truly great kalguksu spots everywhere!! This time, three of us went out for lunch at a place in Yuseong famous for its generous seafood.

Seafood kalguksu near Yuseong Cultural Center

Today’s spot is Choi Jiseong's Seafood Kalguksu (최지성의해물칼국수)! It is near Yuseong Cultural Center, so it is easy to find, and it is not too far from Yuseong Oncheon Station either—a handy location for anyone looking for kalguksu.

More than anything, we ordered not only seafood kalguksu but also a huge seafood pajeon (Korean scallion pancake). To give you the conclusion first, it was a very satisfying combination for seafood lovers!!!! You can also use an Onnuri Card here, so I’ll share all the details!

Location and parking

Choi Jiseong's Seafood Kalguksu is near Chungnam National University, just behind the main road by Yuseong Cultural Center.

• Address: 1F, 42 Munhwawon-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea (867 m from Exit 6 of Yuseong Oncheon Station, directly behind the main road by Yuseong Cultural Center)
• Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00 (last order 22:30)
• Parking: Street parking in nearby alleys or nearby public parking lots

It is about 867 m from Exit 6 of Yuseong Oncheon Station, so walking there does not feel like a burden! It is also close to Chungnam National University, making it seem well located for anyone seeking kalguksu near the campus or a restaurant nearby!

• Seafood clam kalguksu (per person): ₩12,500
• Clam kalguksu (per person): ₩10,000
• Spicy seafood clam kalguksu (per person): ₩13,000
• Spicy clam kalguksu (per person): ₩10,500
• Small seafood pajeon: ₩9,000
• Seafood pajeon: ₩15,000

Seafood kalguksu: eat the seafood first, then add the noodles

The three of us visited and ordered seafood kalguksu and seafood pajeon!!

• Seafood kalguksu for 2 (₩12,500 per person)
• Seafood pajeon (₩15,000)

The moment our seafood kalguksu arrived, we could not help admiring its incredible appearance!

The huge pot was packed to the brim with white clams, a whole squid, abalone, shrimp, and mussels!! When we tasted the broth, its deep richness came through so clearly!!

We tasted the broth as it bubbled away, and it had that refreshingly clearing feeling of a serious seafood broth—like a hangover cure even though there was no hangover to cure!!!

Once the broth starts boiling, eat the cooked clams, mussels, shrimp, and abalone one by one first, then cut up the squid into easy-to-eat pieces and enjoy it too.

As we picked the clam meat from each shell, it felt so abundant that we had come for kalguksu but were enjoying something like haemultang (Korean seafood stew)!!

As the seafood cooked, its refreshing flavor naturally seeped into the broth, so I kept reaching for a sip of soup, then another piece of seafood.

How to enjoy the seafood kalguksu properly

• The noodles are not in the pot from the start! First, let everything boil vigorously, remove the shells from the fully cooked fresh seafood, and fish out the seafood to eat first, almost like shabu-shabu.
• When you have eaten most of the seafood, tell the owner and they will add kalguksu noodles separately to the pot of intensely flavored seafood broth.

The broth, steeped with loads of seafood, was truly deep and refreshing without a seasoning-powder taste! Adding noodles to a broth that had already drawn out plenty of flavor from all that seafood made for such a good combination.

Best of all, because the noodles are added later at the right moment rather than being in from the start, they did not overcook or turn soggy from boiling too long. The kalguksu noodles themselves stayed wonderfully chewy, so the texture was good right to the end. I personally really liked that part!!

Even if you take your time over the seafood, there is no need to worry about the noodles getting soggy, and adding them at their tastiest moment lets you enjoy the broth and noodles deliciously to the very end! The noodles stayed springy and chewy until the last bite, and we slurped every bit up. 🩷 The broth really was worthy of its reputation as a great kalguksu spot near Chungnam National University and Yuseong Oncheon.

Crispy outside, moist inside seafood pajeon

You absolutely cannot leave out seafood pajeon, the perfect partner for kalguksu! The generously sized pancake was cooked almost like it had been fried, making it the definition of crisp outside and moist inside.

It was packed without skimping on seafood such as shrimp and squid, so the bite was wonderful and the flavor was excellent too.

A sip of hot, refreshing kalguksu broth followed by a crisp piece of pajeon was truly a dream combination. I think it deserves the title of Daejeon’s great seafood pajeon too!

‼️Tip‼️ We ordered the large seafood pajeon because we wanted plenty of it!! But there is also a small seafood pajeon for ₩9,000, so the smaller size would be nice for anyone who just wants a light side dish~~

A filling lunch of refreshing broth and pajeon

Choi Jiseong's Seafood Kalguksu had outstanding refreshing broth, made with fresh seafood added generously! I strongly recommend it for a rainy day, whenever you are craving hot soup, a family meal out, or a gathering with friends. Be sure to add the delicious kimchi and crisp-outside, moist-inside pajeon too, and enjoy a filling meal! ❤️