Siheung restaurant with mild chicken stew for kids: Jeongjeong-a

We went out to Geobukseom Island in Siheung with the kids, and while we were trying to figure out lunch, a friend who lives in Siheung recommended Jeongjeong-a Sikdang Jeongwang Branch. Apparently there's a wait during lunch hour, but we arrived around 2pm and got seated right away! Here's our review of this Jeongwang-dong, Siheung spot with our two kids, who happily eat red spicy food. haha

Where is Jeongjeong-a Sikdang Jeongwang Branch, and what are its hours and parking?

Jeongjeong-a Sikdang Jeongwang Branch is on the 1st floor of the building next to On Motel, right by Sikjaewang Mart in Jeongwang-dong. It's about a 15-minute walk from Jeongwang Station.

No need to worry about parking even if you drive. You can use the in-building basement and ground-level parking for free, and there's also a free public lot next to Hwasin Officetel right in front of the restaurant.

Hours 10:30 ~ 22:00 / Closed every Sunday / Reservations and group bookings available / Takeout and delivery available

Inside Jeongjeong-a Sikdang: atmosphere and group seating

The inside of Jeongjeong-a Sikdang Jeongwang Branch was spacious and clean. Even at 2pm there were still customers around, so it's clearly a lunch spot. haha There's also group seating, so it looked like a solid option for work dinners in Jeongwang-dong too.

The restaurant does its own daily disinfection and sanitizing. Visiting with kids, that's the kind of thing I actually notice.

In front of the counter they also sell homemade baked snacks along with ginger jocheong (Korean syrup) and doraji (balloon flower root) jocheong.

Jeongjeong-a Sikdang menu and prices

The signature dishes at this Jeongwang-dong restaurant are dakbokkeumtang and cockles. The dakbokkeumtang uses 100% domestic fresh chicken and comes in generous portions: ₩24,000 for 2 people, ₩29,000 for 3, ₩34,000 for 4. The cockle salad is ₩18,000, grilled kodari is ₩19,000, and there's a range of add-on dishes too, like acorn jelly, boiled squid, seafood pancake, and mukchae (jellied noodle salad).

The cockles come direct from Yeosu and Beolgyo, and the restaurant says they're purged and cleaned by hand at the store every morning.

Self-serve drinks and three spice levels at Jeongjeong-a Sikdang

Water, alcohol, and drinks are all self-serve!

The dakbokkeumtang at this Jeongwang-dong spot comes with adjustable spice levels.

• ⭐ Level 1 - mild
• ⭐⭐ Level 2 - about like Shin Ramyun
• ⭐⭐⭐ Level 3 - very spicy

Apparently most adults order level 2 or up. We went with level 1 since we had our daughter with us.

What we ordered: small dakbokkeumtang 24,000 won plus rice and fried rice

We ordered the signature dakbokkeumtang (small) for ₩24,000, two bowls of rice at ₩1,000 each, and fried rice for ₩2,500.

(Even the small size was a lot of food for the three of us. The owner's generosity showed right from the dakbokkeumtang.

The dakbokkeumtang arrives at the table

The glossy red sauce with chicken fat shimmering on top looked delicious right off the bat. haha The chicken and potatoes come pre-cooked, so once it's boiling hard on high heat, you can just dig in.

Could the kids eat the level 1 mild dakbokkeumtang?

It started bubbling away! Kids, let's eat up! Since it was level 1, my daughter had no trouble with it, and the sauce had soaked nicely into the chicken and potatoes.

Because the chicken was fresh, there was no off smell at all, and the meat was chewy but tender. It was cut into bite-sized pieces too.

As it boiled down and the broth thickened, the sweet and spicy sauce really soaked into the chicken. I bet adding ramyeon or udon noodles would be great too!

How to enjoy dakbokkeumtang at Jeongjeong-a Sikdang

The chicken breast wasn't dry at all, it was juicy^^ Dip a bite in the reduced sauce, then a spoonful of rice dunked in the broth, then mix rice with the potatoes and broth — that's the unwritten rule of eating dakbokkeumtang! haha

Why the chicken stew was a hit with both children

Our kids devour just about anything without complaint, ha. My son said while eating, "Mom, you know what? Tasty chicken gets nuttier the more you chew it." lol This kid is so serious about food, he's already figured out the aesthetics of flavor!

Fried rice and nurungji: the part you can't skip

You know how there's always room for fried rice even when you're full? The highlight of the fried rice — scraping up the crispy nurungji (crispy scorched rice)! That's something you absolutely can't miss. haha

Final verdict on Jeongjeong-a Sikdang Jeongwang Branch

✔️ A real neighborhood favorite with a homemade feel ✔️ Generous portions and chewy, tender chicken! ✔️ Dakbokkeumtang and cockles both work great as drinking food ✔️ Good for lunch, family meals, or team dinners! ✔️ The owner and staff were all friendly.^^ ✔️ A place I'd recommend to friends!

Thanks to a friend who lives in Siheung, our trip to Geobukseom Island with the kids turned into discovering a real gem of a restaurant. haha Next time I want to try the level 2 dakbokkeumtang along with the cockles. If you're looking for dakbokkeumtang in Jeongwang-dong, give Jeongjeong-a Sikdang Jeongwang Branch a try.^^ Thanks for the great tip, my friend~♡ haha