Lean marinated pork BBQ for two in Sinbang-dong, Cheonan: Chamdaru

Every lunchtime I end up agonizing over what to eat! While searching for lunch spots in Sinbang-dong, Cheonan, I found Chamdaru Cheonan (참다루 천안점), which offers marinated pork BBQ as its lunch special, and went to check it out. I love meat, and Chamdaru turned out to be way tastier than I expected! So I'm going to introduce it in this post :)

Where is Chamdaru Cheonan, and what about parking and facilities?

Chamdaru Cheonan is near Geongang Park in Sinbang-dong, Cheonan, and you can park right in front of the restaurant. It has floor seating and Wi-Fi, welcomes groups, and you order through a tablet at the table.

• Facilities: floor seating, Wi-Fi, groups welcome, tablet ordering at the table
• Parking: available in front of the restaurant

I heard we could park right in front, so we parked there and went in. The inside was really clean! BBQ places in Sinbang-dong are sometimes a bit messy, but at Chamdaru everything from the tables to the floor was sparkling clean!

The owner is also very kind. From the moment we walked in until we left, the owner looked after us warmly and kept asking attentively whether we needed anything. Thanks to that, we could enjoy a comfortable, tasty meal.

Is the Chamdaru lunch special available on weekends?

The lunch special at Chamdaru Cheonan can only be ordered on weekdays, not weekends. With the lunch special, you get rice plus a choice of either a stew or cold noodles (naengmyeon).

We visited on a weekend, haha, sob! So we ordered 2 servings of the regular marinated pork BBQ.

What are the basic side dishes at Chamdaru like?

The side dish lineup at Chamdaru Cheonan is so good! Each side came neatly presented, and they tasted clean and went really well with the marinated pork BBQ. If you run out, you can go grab more yourself at the self-serve corner~

Isn't Chamdaru's marinated pork BBQ fatty?

Chamdaru's marinated pork BBQ had almost no fat and a high proportion of lean meat. That's just 2 servings and look how generous it is. What I liked most was the condition of the meat!

Usually when I order pork galbi (marinated ribs) or marinated pork BBQ, there's so much fat attached that the texture gets greasy and I end up cutting it off... which leaves less edible meat than you'd think. Chamdaru in Sinbang-dong, Cheonan was different!

With almost no fat and mostly lean meat, it was easy to eat! Since I didn't have to keep trimming off fat, I could eat plenty. haha

Even though it's mostly lean, it wasn't dry at all! The texture was very tender with a decent amount of juice~ The marinade soaked into the meat well too, so this is a lunch dish that makes you clear your bowl of rice in no time.

I got the feeling that this is a place that cares about the taste and quality of the marinated pork BBQ itself.

Is the marinade too salty?

The marinade on Chamdaru's pork BBQ is sweet and salty, but not too salty. That sweet-salty marinade is seriously good! The meat isn't tough but tender, with a great chew. Usually after eating pork galbi or marinated BBQ I get thirsty and keep reaching for water, but at Chamdaru the marinade isn't salty, so I never needed to. haha

Is 2 servings of marinated pork BBQ enough?

Even just 2 servings of Chamdaru's marinated pork BBQ was generous enough to leave us full. I think two grown men could order just 2 servings and still eat without feeling shortchanged! It's such good value that I'd recommend it as a lunch option in Sinbang-dong, Cheonan.

What else is on the menu at Chamdaru Cheonan?

Looking at the menu at Chamdaru Cheonan, they also sell pork belly and beef short rib meat. There's zucchini gukbap (rice soup) and galbitang (short rib soup) too, so if you're struggling to pick a lunch, I recommend Chamdaru with its variety of choices!

Next time I'm nearby, I'll come back and try the other dishes too :) If you want a hearty, feel-good lunch, I recommend Chamdaru Cheonan!