[FOOD COURT] The best places to eat near Kyonggi University

K-campus

[FOOD COURT] The best places to eat near Kyonggi University

Published: 28 Feb. 2023, 15:10 Updated: 03 Mar. 2023, 18:28

Kyonggi University (KGU) has its main campus in Suwon, Gyeonggi located in an area that stretches from Gwanggyo New Town in Yeongtong District to Jangan District, both of which offer a range of restaurants.

Gwanggyo Café Street, situated near the back gate of the KGU campus in Yeongtong District, has a variety of restaurants, some of which are so popular you might have to wait in line. Jangan District, located in front of the main gate, on the other hand, has restaurants that are not as popular but still worth checking out for an affordable meal.

If you ever need to grab a bite near the KGU campus, the Korea JoongAng Daily recommends the following four places.

Tokyo Tonkatsu

Homemade pork cutlet served with curry, rice and a fried egg. [PAIK JI-HWAN]

Tokyo Tonkatsu is a Japanese restaurant that offers homemade pork cutlets and buckwheat noodles as its signature dishes. The basic dish on the menu is homemade pork cutlet served with curried rice topped with a fried egg. The cutlet is savory and served with sauce on the side, but dipping it in the curry is also a good choice.

The dish is priced at 10,900 won and an additional 2,000 won will add a bowl of buckwheat noodles or udon to the cutlet and curried rice. Adding 3,000 won will upgrade the bowl of udon to shrimp udon.

The restaurant’s other signature dish, buckwheat noodles, are priced at 9,900 won and come with curried rice topped with a fried egg.

Tokyo Tonkatsu is popular, so expect a bit of a wait, even on weekends.

11, Daehak 1-ro 54beon-gil, Yeongtong District, Suwon, Gyeonggi
Business hours: 11:00 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday to Sunday
031-211-6223

Bangkok Story

Pork Pad Thai at Bangkok Story [PAIK JI-HWAN]

Bangkok Story is a Thai restaurant located near the back gate of KGU. The restaurant offers a number of Thai dishes from Pad Thai to Tom Yum Goong. Pad Thai is one of the most inexpensive items on the menu, priced at 9,000 won. A customer can choose either shrimp or pork for protein.

The pork Pad Thai has a well-balanced savory and acetic taste that is easily palatable. The portion size is also decent for one person. Other 9,000 won items include Thai-style fried rice and rice bowls, both of which come with pork, shrimp, or garlic — depending on the customer’s choice.

The restaurant also offers multiple sides dishes like Thai-style fried chicken wings or salad, but one that goes well with either Pad Thai or fried rice is Tod Mun Goong (7,000 won), deep fried Thai shrimp cakes.

The restaurant is full of customers even during school vacation periods and is visited by many office workers near the KGU campus.

55, Daehak 1-ro 64beon-gil, Yeongtong District, Suwon, Gyeonggi
Business hours: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday (break time 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
031-216-1337

Gamdong Twigim

A tteokbokki-sundae-fries combo, bottom right, and mini fried dumplings, top center, served with fish cake soup, bottom left, pickled raddish, top left, and soy sauce on the side at Gamdong Twikim.[PAIK JI-HWAN]

More affordable choices are available near the front gate of the KGU campus, one of which is Gamdong Twigim. The small bunsik (snack food) restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes like gimbap (rice wrapped in seaweed and fillings), ramen and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), all at reasonable prices: Basic gimbap at 2,500 won, ramen at 3,500 won, and tteokbokki at 4,000 won.

A tteokbokki, sundae (blood sausage) and fries combo might be the best pick for a customer on a tight budget. At 5,000 won, the customer can have all three items that bunsik lovers enjoy. One downside of the dish is that it has a small portion of fries.

This will not be a big problem with adding an order of mini fried dumplings priced at 3,500 won. The mini fried dumplings are a great addition to tteokbokki when they are dipped in its spicy sauce.

The restaurant also has cheaper snacks on the menu, including 2,000-won chicken skewers and 3,000-won corn dogs.

Gamdong Twigim is not really busy on weekdays, so it is good to visit any time.

3, Gwanggyosan-ro 140beon-gil, Jangan District, Suwon, Gyeonggi
Business hours 5:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Monday to Sunday
031-548-2622

Yamadori

Chicken rice bowl at Yamadori [PAIK JI-HWAN]

Someone who craves fried chicken and rice must visit Yamadori, which is located near the back gate of KGU. The Japanese restaurant offers various rice bowls including tuna or beef, but one that is especially visually appealing is its chicken rice bowl, which has an excessive amount of fried chicken on top of the rice.

The medium-sized chicken rice bowl is 9,400 won, while the large is 10,900 won. The rice also has kimchi in it, which makes the dish not overwhelmingly savory. Since it is impossible to mix the rice and fried chicken in an ordinary fashion due to the amount of chicken, you have to place the chicken on a separate plate and add each piece to the rice when you eat it.

Other items besides rice bowls include fried udon, which is served with seafood or meat — all at the same price as the large chicken bowl. The portion sizes are huge for their prices, so it is worth going there on an empty stomach. Yamadori is very busy during the semester, with KGU students as well as locals waiting in line during the lunch rush.

15, Daehak 1-ro 54beon-gil, Yeongtong District, Suwon, Gyeonggi
Business hours: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday
0507-1471-3308

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]