Ansan kimchi jjigae at 11am opening with Korean-grown chili: Choburi

October has so many red-letter holidays, so this ant (the writer's nickname for herself) is a happy ant! Today I went looking for a kimchi jjigae place that fits my Korean-food-loving taste, and I want to share it. Good food is best shared!!! ♡ It's a Gojan-dong favorite: Choburi Kimchi Jjigae in Ansan.

Where is Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch? Hours and parking

Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch (초부리김치찌개 고잔본점) is at 145-7 Gwangdeok 3-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, on the first floor, 829m from Exit 2 of Gojan Station. It is open daily 11:00-21:00 with a break from 15:30 to 17:00.

• 🛍️ Takeout and delivery available
• ☑️ Naver booking available
• ☎️ Groups welcome
• 👶🏻 High chairs available
• 🚘 Roadside or nearby public parking (free on weekends and holidays)

Located in the Gojan-dong food alley, Choburi has a wood-toned exterior that really stands out, so it's not hard to find.

The building's parking lot doesn't allow outside cars, so park on the roadside in front or in a nearby public lot. It's said to be free on weekends and holidays.

What opening-time events does Choburi Kimchi Jjigae offer?

Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch gives a bongpyeong chive buckwheat pancake to the first 3 teams at opening (11am), and adds a fresh-meat topping for parties of 3 or more between 11:30 and 13:00. There's also a fresh-meat topping event for police, soldiers and firefighters, so take note!!

They sell kimchi jjigae meal kits too, so this must really be Ansan's number one kimchi jjigae specialist. My expectations were rising!

I love the modern, clean atmosphere, which doesn't feel like a kimchi jjigae restaurant at all. The place is huge and looks like it can hold lots of people. There are plenty of group seats too, so it's good for company dinners and gatherings!

I got there a little after 11, thinking we'd surely be first, but what?! Lots of people were already eating. Am I the only one who didn't know about this Gojan-dong kimchi jjigae place..!?

Choburi Kimchi Jjigae menu and prices

Choburi's fresh-pork kimchi jjigae comes with pot rice included for ₩11,000, which is just so reasonable.. Besides the single serving, ordering the set menu gets you unlimited perilla-oil fried eggs and ramyeon noodles, a total win! There are also side dishes like bongpyeong buckwheat pancake and kimchi jeonbyeong (kimchi crepe rolls), which seem great as drinking snacks.

The owner is seriously into events, so join the various review events and get your freebies~

Does Choburi Kimchi Jjigae use Korean-grown kimchi and chili?

While waiting after ordering, I looked around, and Choburi is not a franchise and says it uses only premium grade-1 Korean pork (hanbon).

Best of all, the kimchi, napa cabbage and even the chili powder are all domestic, and I love that... These days a restaurant with domestic chili powder is truly rare. Choburi Kimchi Jjigae, a place you can trust!!

How to cook the kimchi jjigae at Choburi Kimchi Jjigae

At Choburi, the stew arrives already boiled once, and you boil it hard on a 7-minute induction timer at high heat before eating. The stew came out looking so generous it surprised me, packed with fresh pork, kimchi, onion and tofu, so you don't need extra meat or tofu.

With a Naver booking you get a silver ear mushroom topping as a freebie ♥ It's a precious mushroom I'd only had in baeksuk (whole chicken soup), and it makes the kimchi jjigae taste even healthier.

The set menu comes with unlimited ramyeon noodles, but I was so full that I barely finished even one portion, which is our little secret..

After adding the silver ear mushroom and boiling it hard for about 7 minutes, the tangy kimchi jjigae aroma sets your mouth watering....

What comes with the Choburi Kimchi Jjigae set menu?

The Choburi set menu even comes with a perilla-oil fried egg, so well done~ Wow, it's full of perilla oil and smells insanely nutty. Mix it into rice with the kimchi jjigae and it's heaven.

The gardenia pot rice has a bright yellow color that whets the appetite,

and that completes a wonderful kimchi jjigae spread. With so many dishes, the table was totally full. I'd only been to Baekchae Kimchi Jjigae before, and this is my first kimchi jjigae specialist with such a good lineup including pot rice!!

Side dishes and the self-serve bar at Choburi Kimchi Jjigae

Choburi's side dishes are three: sweet stir-fried fish cake, spicy-salty pickled chili peppers and roasted seaweed. Honestly, the kimchi jjigae does it all, so you barely need side dishes.

At a mini self-serve bar in one corner, you can refill side dishes, stew broth, rice and perilla oil yourself. If the pot rice isn't enough, extra rice is free too, so big eaters, make some noise!

How spicy is Choburi Kimchi Jjigae, and how is the pork?

The spice level is just right even for people who can't handle spicy food, a tangy, umami-packed stew that nobody, young or old, would dislike. It's full of meat, so you can really load up on protein.

There's plenty of lean meat, and the balance of fat and lean is good. Fresh pork with chewy fat is delicious, need I say more?

Because it's Korean pork, there's no gamey smell at all, and it isn't tough but nicely chewy. The kimchi jjigae broth has soaked well into the meat, a fantastic collab with the juices~

Tips for enjoying kimchi jjigae at Choburi Kimchi Jjigae

Choburi's kimchi jjigae is the stir-fried, slightly brothy style, so the tip for enjoying it is to mix it into rice... I poured the perilla-oil fried egg right in and mixed it all up.

With the perilla oil added, there's a nutty aroma on top, so how could it not be delicious..? Kimchi is the life of kimchi jjigae, and this kimchi is so tangy and well fermented that it's a rice thief.

Rice wrapped in roasted seaweed is a rice thief too, so ask the staff for a refill and wrap away happily. Pile on meat and kimchi, wrap it in seaweed, and a bowl of rice vanishes in a flash..

Finishing with ramyeon noodles and sungnyung (scorched-rice tea)

My stomach was already over its limit, but I was taught that ramyeon noodles are a must in kimchi jjigae. Add some broth and let's go for the ramyeon!

The kimchi is so good that it became delicious kimchi jjigae ramyeon without any ramyeon seasoning packet.. Ramyeon was right all along, haha. The salty, tangy kimchi jjigae broth soaks into the noodles for a dopamine-burst flavor.

Finishing with nutty sungnyung (scorched-rice tea) to calm the stimulating ramyeon made it a perfect meal! A kimchi jjigae place that serves pot rice for ₩11,000 is love ♡

Choburi Kimchi Jjigae dessert corner and meal kits

In one corner of Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch there's a dessert corner with a coffee machine and ice cream, so we each brewed a cup of coffee before leaving.

Kimchi jjigae meal kits.. I usually don't buy that sort of thing sold at restaurants, but I seriously considered taking one home, haha. It'd be nice to stop by and pick one up before a camping trip later.

Is Choburi Kimchi Jjigae in Gojan-dong worth a return visit?

Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch had a great atmosphere, and above all the kimchi jjigae hits the spot for everyone without any divisiveness, so I recommend it.

The set menu is generous, and even the single serving comes with pot rice so you get the nutty sungnyung too, so there's no reason not to go. I've saved Gojan-dong's Choburi Kimchi Jjigae on my list of favorites and will go again on a day I'm craving kimchi jjigae ♪