Pork cutlet set at Baengnyeon Boribap, a Sintanjin Korean restaurant

I heard there was a great barley rice spot, so I headed out to Sintanjin. A whopping 12 banchan (side dishes) and unlimited barley rice, plus a nice little dessert waiting at the end — let me introduce you to Baengnyeon Boribap, a Korean restaurant in Sintanjin.

Baengnyeon Boribap hours, break time and parking

Baengnyeon Boribap is on the 1st floor of 358 Sintanjin-ro, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, open daily from 11:00 to 20:30. Break time is 15:00–17:00, and last order is 19:40.

• Hours: Daily 11:00 - 20:30
• Break time: 15:00 - 17:00
• Last order: 19:40
• Address: 1F, 358 Sintanjin-ro, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, Baengnyeon Boribap
• Parking: Dedicated lot in front of the restaurant

You can visit Baengnyeon Boribap with zero parking worries. The lot is huge, and there's even a second lot on top of that.

There's a menu display right by the entrance too. Nice if there's a wait — you can study the menu ahead of time.

Visiting Baengnyeon Boribap at 2pm on a weekday: no wait, plus a waiting lounge

I went a little after 2pm on a weekday, right before break time, so there was no wait at all. But there's usually a wait apparently — they even have a machine for registering your spot in line.

And there was a separate, really pretty waiting zone labeled the 'greeting room.' Waiting somewhere like that, time would fly by~

Discounts and free extras at Baengnyeon Boribap

The owner also has some nice discount perks going.

• 10% off tables dining with a pregnant guest, for a healthy delivery
• 10% off tables dining with a soldier protecting South Korea
• 10% off tables celebrating a birthday
• Birthday accessory rental (birthday headband & sash)
• First-aid kit on hand for guests' health
• Dental floss provided for guests' teeth

Discounts plus these little extra services — such a generous owner with such thoughtful touches 💗

The interior was just as spacious as the parking lot, with regular tables and sofa seating, which looked great for visiting with elderly family or kids. And yes, baby chairs are provided too 🙂↔️

Aged kimchi cheonggukjang barley rice set with Handon pork cutlet, 14,500 won

At this Sintanjin Korean restaurant, Baengnyeon Boribap, you order through the table-order system. We ordered two of the aged kimchi cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) barley rice with Hanwoo pork cutlet sets at ₩14,500 each. You can also each order a different set meal, so feel free to pick to your own taste.

What's on the 12-banchan self-serve bar?

Ta-da!!!!!! Just like the title promised, there are a full 12 banchan. Japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), meat dishes, mukbap jelly, wrap greens, and all kinds of namul (seasoned vegetables) piled high.

Here's the banchan we piled up — looks so good already. You're supposed to go back for small refills often, but they told us the self-serve bar closes at 14:40 so to load up while we could, so we grabbed enough to be full. They said too much food gets wasted otherwise, so please go back for small portions often, folks. *₩5,000 environmental fee

How do the barley rice and aged kimchi cheonggukjang taste?

By the time we brought our banchan back, the barley rice and cheonggukjang were already out. The barley rice is also unlimited at the self-serve bar, so if you want more, go grab it. The cheonggukjang was rich, spicy, and packed with beans. No funky smell at all — more like a doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) vibe. One bite in and I was like, wow, this is so good!

They arranged all the banchan we'd brought back nicely and added sesame oil and gochujang (red chili paste) from the table. The sesame oil seemed like a good quality one too — the nutty aroma was fantastic.

Mixed it all up and took a bite — the nutty sesame oil hits first, then a mouthful of crunchy namul and that great-textured barley rice all together. So good. Every single banchan was so tasty there was just no way this bibimbap (mixed rice) could be anything but delicious… 👍🏻

The Handon (Korean pork) cutlet that comes with the set

I was happily chowing down and had completely forgotten about the pork cutlet when it showed up. I was so hyped about the self-serve bar that I was like, oh right..? there was a pork cutlet coming..? and snapped back to reality 😂

The cutlet included in the set was freshly fried, so it was warm — crispy, thick meat but a thin coating, exactly the way I like it. The portion was massive too; I thought there's no way I finish this, but I did ✌🏻

Dessert after the meal: crackers and misutgaru

And for post-meal dessert, they had crackers and misutgaru (roasted grain powder drink) set out, so I scooped some into a paper cup on my way out~

From the banchan spread that felt like a full Korean buffet, to the delicious pork cutlet, to the dessert on the way out — everything was perfect at this Sintanjin Korean restaurant, Baengnyeon Boribap. My workplace is nearby, so I'll be back whenever I want a really solid meal. Thanks for the food today!