If you’ve watched Extraordinary Attorney Woo, you already know Woo Young-woo’s favorite food is kimbap, and that her father runs a kimbap shop in Suwon called Woo Young Woo Kimbap. Here’s the twist: the real building behind that storefront isn’t a kimbap shop at all. It’s a working Japanese restaurant called Kajaguruma, tucked into a quiet side street in Suwon’s Haenggung-dong neighborhood, and it never closed down after filming wrapped. Fans still line up outside for photos with the drama’s signage still hanging above the door, then step inside for donburi and omurice instead of gimbap. This guide covers exactly what Kajaguruma serves, how to get there from Seoul, and how to turn the visit into a full day around Suwon’s Hwaseong Fortress.
The Kimbap Shop That Isn’t Actually a Kimbap Shop
Kajaguruma sits on a quiet side street in Haenggung-dong, the historic neighborhood wrapped around Suwon’s Hwaseong Fortress. In the drama, the storefront is dressed up with a hand-painted sign reading “Woo Young Woo Kimbap,” and it becomes a running motif since gimbap is the one food Young-woo eats every single day. The production never removed the sign after filming ended, so the exterior still looks almost exactly like it does on screen, right down to the awning and window lettering. Step inside, though, and the menu has nothing to do with kimbap. Kajaguruma is a genuine Japanese restaurant, and it has operated at this address in Suwon for years, long before the drama turned it into a filming location.
What Kajaguruma Actually Serves
Kajaguruma is a casual Japanese restaurant specializing in donburi (rice bowls) and omurice, with a handful of tables in a small, cozy dining room. Popular orders include tonteki-don (pork steak rice bowl), chizu gyudon (cheese beef rice bowl), yaki gyudon topped with a soft-cooked egg you break and mix in yourself, and a dress omurice with cheese and meat. There is a small kimbap and egg-kimbap sub-menu on the printed menu too, likely added after the drama aired for fans who come specifically hoping to order “Young-woo’s kimbap.” Prices run in the everyday casual range, roughly 12,000 to 18,000 won per dish. The restaurant does not take reservations and the dining room is genuinely tiny, so expect a short wait if you arrive during lunch or dinner rush, especially on weekends when the neighborhood is busiest with tourists.
Getting to Kajaguruma from Seoul
Kajaguruma is at 61 Sinpung-ro 23beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, right in the Haenggung-dong neighborhood, and the nearest subway stop is Hwaseo Station on Suwon’s light rail line, about a 10 to 15 minute walk away. Most visitors coming from Seoul take a direct subway or intercity bus to Suwon Station first, then transfer to a local bus or taxi toward Hwaseong Haenggung Palace, since Kajaguruma sits inside the walking radius of the fortress and its surrounding mural alleys. The full trip from central Seoul runs about an hour door to door. Kajaguruma is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30am to 10pm, with a break between 3pm and 5pm and last order at 9pm, and it is closed on Mondays, so plan around that if a Monday day trip is the only option.
Make It a Full Day: Hwaseong Fortress and Haengnidan-gil
Since Kajaguruma sits inside Haenggung-dong, it pairs naturally with a full afternoon around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built between 1794 and 1796 with roughly 5.7 kilometers of walkable walls, gates, and watchtowers. Walk the fortress trail toward Hwahongmun Gate and Banghwasuryujeong Pavilion, then head into Haengnidan-gil, the stretch of Haenggung-dong between Hwaseomun Gate and Hwahongmun Gate that has become the neighborhood’s trendiest strip of cafes, boutiques, and mural-covered alleys. The Haenggung-dong Mural Village and Suwon Chicken Street are both within easy walking distance too, so a single visit can combine the Extraordinary Attorney Woo pilgrimage with historical sightseeing and casual cafe-hopping without needing a car or long transit connections between stops.
FAQ
Is Kajaguruma still open after Extraordinary Attorney Woo ended?
Yes. Kajaguruma has continued operating as a normal Japanese restaurant since the drama aired in 2022, and multiple visitor reports and listings from 2025 and 2026 confirm it is still open, with hours of Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30am to 10pm, closed Mondays. The “Woo Young Woo Kimbap” signage from filming has also remained in place.
Can I actually order kimbap at Kajaguruma?
Yes, in a small way. The printed menu includes a basic kimbap and an egg kimbap option, likely added specifically because so many Extraordinary Attorney Woo fans ask for it. It’s a minor side item rather than the restaurant’s specialty, though, so most visitors order the donburi or omurice dishes Kajaguruma is actually known for and treat the kimbap as a fun bonus.
Is Suwon worth a day trip just for this?
Yes, especially if you combine it with Hwaseong Fortress and Haengnidan-gil. Suwon is only about an hour from central Seoul by subway, bus, or train, and the fortress alone is one of Korea’s most walkable UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Pairing the Kajaguruma stop with a fortress walk and some cafe-hopping easily fills a half-day or full-day trip rather than a quick single-stop detour.
Kajaguruma is a good reminder that most K-drama filming locations are living, working businesses first and photo backdrops second. The gimbap sign is a fun bit of set dressing, but the real draw is a solid Japanese lunch in one of Suwon’s most walkable historic neighborhoods, with Hwaseong Fortress and Haengnidan-gil just steps away for anyone turning the visit into a full day out of Seoul.
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