I hadn't had budae jjigae (army stew) in a while, so I went to a place near Seongsu Station that does it well. The pot comes out almost the moment you order and only needs 5 minutes of boiling, which makes it a great spot for a Seongsu Station lunch.

First photo from the visit to Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch near Seongsu Station

Where is Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch?

Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch (송탄진대광부대찌개 성수점) is a budae jjigae restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building on Achasan-ro, near Seongsu Station. Yes, this is the famous Seongsu budae jjigae spot.

Entrance and 2nd-floor location of Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch

It's on the 2nd floor, and takeout orders get 20% off. There's no break time, so it's a handy place to drop in whenever you're hungry in Seongsu.

Takeout discount and store notice at Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae

It's a generous, great-value spot in Seongsu. They even say they will never cut back on the sausage, even if the shop goes under.

Retro-style interior of Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch

Table seating at Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch

Clean dining hall of Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch

Inside Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae

The restaurant has a retro feel, but only the feel. The interior was clean and the tables were spotless. The air conditioning was also blasting, so even with the stew bubbling away, I never felt hot.

Three side dishes: green onion kimchi, stir-fried fish cake and pickled onion

What side dishes come with the budae jjigae?

There are just three: green onion kimchi, stir-fried fish cake and pickled onion. The green onion kimchi and pickled onion go perfectly with budae jjigae. The green onion kimchi was so good that I refilled it twice.

Budae jjigae pot and timer brought right after ordering

How fast is a budae jjigae lunch near Seongsu Station?

As soon as you order, they bring the pot, and you just boil it for exactly 5 minutes. There's a timer beside it, so you don't have to keep track. It comes out almost right after ordering and is ready to eat after 5 minutes, so for a Seongsu Station lunch it takes very little time, which I really liked.

Jindaegwang budae jjigae for 2 finished after 5 minutes of boiling

Jindaegwang budae jjigae for 2 and assorted sausage prices

Jindaegwang budae jjigae for 2: ₩26,000
Assorted sausage add-on: ₩9,900

Once it finished boiling, the stew looked gorgeous. Even if it meant skipping the rice, I decided to eat lots of ham for the first time in ages, so I added the assorted sausage. It was seriously packed with ham.

Budae jjigae packed with ham after adding assorted sausage

How does the budae jjigae broth taste?

The broth was slightly salty with a properly rich meat stock. I took one sip first, and it was so deep that I had nothing to complain about. It was a bit salty, though, so I added a little of the extra stock on the side, and then the seasoning was just right. The broth has real depth.

Rich meat broth of the budae jjigae at Songtan Jindaegwang

Is the assorted sausage add-on worth it?

If you like ham, yes. More than half of it is ham.

Assorted sausage budae jjigae that is more than half ham

And it's not cheap ham. All of it had a springy, satisfying bite. I thought adding the ham was a great call. It's a Seongsu budae jjigae spot with delicious ham.

Spoonful of springy ham from the budae jjigae

With the extra ham, you don't have to ration it and can scoop up big spoonfuls. There were three kinds of ham, and there wasn't a single one I wished had been left out.

Scooping up a big spoonful of three kinds of ham

Unlimited rice refills at Songtan Jindaegwang

Rice is unlimited here, so you can fill your belly in this Seongsu restaurant. My husband and I weren't interested in the free rice refills at all, but then he suddenly got up and came back with more rice. He said the broth was so good he had to eat more rice, and he ate to his heart's content.

Budae jjigae eaten with unlimited refill rice

Add the ₩9,000 assorted sausage and you get an emperor's meal. If it were close to home, I'd probably order takeout often with the 20% discount. It's just a shame it isn't.

Hearty budae jjigae spread with the assorted sausage add-on

A glass of Cass beer with budae jjigae

The broth was so good that I suddenly wanted a beer. So I ordered a Cass (Korean lager) for the first time in a while.

He doesn't drink much, but my husband always pours my first glass. After that he's usually too busy eating and mostly forgets. But this day he poured me one more~

A glass of Cass beer poured by the husband

Cheers~~ A beer with deeply flavored budae jjigae, ahh!

Budae jjigae broth: mix the rice in or spoon it over?

When it's this good, you enjoy the broth and the goodies, and in the end you have to put rice in the broth. The already deep broth clings to the rice and it feels even tastier. When you've eaten so much ham that it gets a little greasy, the tangy, sweet pickled onion cleanses your palate. Ham and pickled onion go really well together.

Mixing rice into the broth is delicious, but just dipping rice lightly in the broth was good too. They actually taste quite different, so try both~

A spoonful of rice dipped in budae jjigae broth

Free dessert at Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae

There's service after the meal too. Slushie, coffee and yogurt are free. Almost every popular restaurant has coffee, but a place that also gives you a slushie and yogurt is rare.

Is Songtan Jindaegwang a good budae jjigae lunch near Seongsu Station?

Songtan Jindaegwang was a Seongsu budae jjigae spot with an impressively deep broth. With stew this tasty, the unlimited rice looks very appealing. Since it cooks quickly, it's also a good pick for lunch near Seongsu Station. Make sure you finish with the free dessert!

5-minute army stew lunch at Seongsu Station, kimchi refills: Songtan

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