Handmade seafood noodle soup in Dongbaek, Yongin: Baekcheongu Kalguksu

Took a half-day off work for the first time in ages!! 🙌 I've been feeling pretty run-down lately, so I really don't know how precious a little breathing room on a weekday can be. My husband and I decided to go out for a nice lunch together — but there's just one problem haha.

I'm at 12 weeks now... and still deep in morning sickness 😭 I was obsessed with noodles with my first pregnancy too, and wouldn't you know it, I'm craving noodles again with the second one haha. I guess siblings really do inherit the same tastes lol. And of course... of course it's kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) again..... haha

So this time I went on a full-on restaurant search spree and settled on kalguksu!! Today's star is~ ✨ Baekcheongu Kalguksu

Parking at Baekcheongu Kalguksu in Dongbaek: when can you park out front?

Baekcheongu Kalguksu Yongin Dongbaek Branch allows parking in front of the shop on weekdays from 11:30 AM to 2 PM and after 7 PM, and anytime on weekends. Outside those hours, you can use the parking lot behind the shop or the public lot across the street!

When I arrived at lunchtime, cars were lined up bumper to bumper in front of the shop 😅 But don't panic! There's a banner in front of the shop explaining the parking hours. It says the shop closes at 9. I got there right at 1 and barely managed to squeeze in a spot haha.

What Baekcheongu Kalguksu looks like inside and out

The exterior has a clean sign with a bunch of banners lined up in front of the entrance. There's something fun about browsing the menu even before you go in haha. Right by the entrance are banners for seasonal bibim noodles (₩9,000) and Yeongwol Auntie's black soybean noodle soup (₩12,000), so your eyes are busy before you even sit down 😆

Step inside and a neatly organized interior greets you! The place isn't huge, but every table has a gas burner set up, and there are menu photos posted around the room, so there's fun in browsing before you order.

We got there at 1 and it was already packed!! Barely managed to snag one seat left in a corner haha. Looks like noon is peak time. Coming early is definitely recommended 😅

And did you notice the mountain of flour sacks piled up near the register haha? Proof that this is handmade kalguksu, kneaded in-house!! Seeing those sacks made me even more excited haha

Baekcheongu Kalguksu menu and prices

The Baekcheongu Kalguksu menu is simply and neatly laid out! Seafood kalguksu is ₩12,000, seafood dumpling hotpot is ₩16,000, and steamed dumplings are ₩11,000.

Main menu

• Seafood kalguksu (kaljebi now available): ₩12,000
• Seafood dumpling hotpot: ₩16,000
• Steamed dumplings (kimchi/meat/half-half): ₩11,000
• Kongguksu (summer): ₩12,000
• Dumpling pack (25 pcs): ₩32,000

Add-on menu

• Dumpling add-on: ₩11,000
• Extra seafood: ₩12,000
• Extra noodles: ₩4,000
• Barley rice: ₩1,500
• Soju/beer: ₩5,000 / Makgeolli: ₩4,000 / Soft drinks: ₩2,000

💡 Everything on the menu is available to-go, and you can pay with local currency (Gyeonggi local currency), so be sure to bring it!!

They said kalguksu can be ordered even for one person, so solo diners or small groups don't need to worry! We didn't hesitate and ordered straight away — seafood kalguksu for two plus half-and-half dumplings!! Most tables seemed to be going with this exact combo haha. Guess the answer was already decided for us 😆

Half-and-half steamed dumplings first: the kimchi ones are spicy

Baekcheongu Kalguksu's half-and-half dumplings (₩11,000) come with kimchi dumplings and meat dumplings on one plate, and the kimchi ones are spicier than expected 🌶️🌶️ The dumplings arrived while the kalguksu was being prepared! One plate, two colors, right?! Behold, the half-and-half dumplings 🥟

• 🟤 White wrapper = kimchi dumplings: made with domestic kimchi and red pepper powder, and domestic antibiotic-free pork cabbage-salted with deep-sea water, they say
• 🟢 Green wrapper = meat dumplings: made with domestic antibiotic-free pork plus chlorella, cabbage, and plenty of vegetables, they say

I picked up a meat dumpling and split it in half — the filling is packed to the brim!! The wrapper is green because of the chlorella, and it just has this healthy glow to it haha. After a diet of nothing but frozen dumplings, eating these handmade ones made me finally get what 'a healthy taste' actually means 😭

The kimchi dumplings come with a warning!! They're spicier than you'd expect 🌶️🌶️ Since I'm pregnant I played it safe and ate the meat dumplings first, which turned out to be the right call haha. My husband said they were delicious and kept eating them up~ We saved one of each to drop into the kalguksu broth later and eat as dumpling hotpot — that combo is amazing too ✨

How the seafood kalguksu arrives: barley rice and a 3-minute sand timer

At Baekcheongu Kalguksu, the seafood kalguksu comes with barley rice and side dishes first, then the owner personally adds the noodles and seafood to the boiling broth at your table. Barley rice + yeolmu (young radish greens) + bean sprouts + kimchi!! Mixing the barley rice with gochujang and sesame oil while you wait keeps things from getting boring haha

Then, once the broth was boiling, the owner came and added the noodles and seafood right at the table!! That big pot was packed with kalguksu noodles, shrimp, squid, clams, sea squirt, sweet pumpkin, carrots... seriously loaded with seafood 👀 Just looking at it made my mouth water ㅠㅠ

And then it appeared!! '3-minute HAPPY TIME 🕐 Sand Glass' drumroll please haha

After boiling with the lid on, the owner opens the lid and flips the sand timer! They said you can eat exactly 3 minutes after the lid comes off haha. Isn't this timer just too cute haha. The bubbling sound is seriously maddening for the appetite... those 3 minutes waiting with the lid open felt so long haha

What the seafood broth tastes like during morning sickness

The broth of Baekcheongu Kalguksu's seafood kalguksu is clear and clean, yet deep. Finally, it was ready!!!! I took the first spoonful of broth to try... and wow.............!!! 🤩 This is a broth that carries the whole dish!!

The seafood broth had steeped just the right amount of richness — not greasy at all, refreshing yet deep!! With pregnancy nausea making it hard to eat pretty much anything lately, this broth snapped me right awake haha. The noodles had soaked up so much of the broth's seasoning too, so every single strand tasted amazing 😭 I instantly understood why the place was this crowded haha

The seafood was really loaded too!! Shrimp, squid, clams, sea squirt, sweet pumpkin — an insane amount of toppings. The sea squirt in particular was big and fresh, and the moment you bite into it, the broth bursts in your mouth... you really have to try it yourself ㅠㅠ The best!!

My husband's version: gochujang stirred in for jang-kalguksu

My husband suddenly went 'I want jang-kalguksu' and started stirring gochujang straight into his bowl haha. I was like 'gochujang, in this clear clean broth...? 🤦‍♀️' but he said jang-kalguksu tasted even better haha

Haha it's a kalguksu place where everyone's preference gets respected haha. I highly recommend eating it in the pure seafood broth as is, but if you like it spicy and bold, going the jang-kalguksu route sounds like a good option too!

Where did the morning sickness go?

I genuinely slurped up every drop of broth!! It got a little salty toward the end as it reduced down, but I still scraped the bottom of the pot clean haha

After 12 straight weeks of barely eating from morning sickness, I felt like I finally had a proper meal today, and it made me so happy 😭 I guess even morning sickness runs away for a moment in front of delicious food haha. For all you office workers... haha make sure to reserve ahead!! And the owner's phone number posted up there... haha such a nice touch!!

Checklist before visiting Baekcheongu Kalguksu in Yongin

• ⏰ Peak hours: noon is the busiest → recommend an 11:30 opening rush or after 1:30 PM
• 🚗 Parking: weekdays 11:30–14:00 / after 19:00 in front of the shop / anytime on weekends
• 💳 Local currency (Gyeonggi local currency) accepted → be sure to bring it!
• 📦 All menu items available to-go → takeout is OK
• 👶 Kalguksu orderable for one person → easy to visit with kids too
• 😋 Combo recommendation: seafood kalguksu + half-and-half dumplings → drop the leftover dumplings into the broth for a dumpling hotpot finish!

Definitely want to come back here with my first kid someday!! I bet she'd love these clean, chewy kalguksu noodles too 🥰