Yullyang-dong rib restaurant with a no-lose lottery: Hongdeung 1997

Today I visited Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 (홍등식당1997), a spicy braised pork rib place in Cheongju. It was famous for its queues in a small alley in Yongam-dong, and it recently expanded and moved to Yullyang-Sacheon-dong. It was so good, so let me introduce it to you now!

Where is Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 Cheongju Main Branch, and what are the hours?

Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 Cheongju Main Branch is at 7 Satteum-ro, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju, right across from 1004 Black Market in Yullyang-dong. It is open 09:00–24:00 with a break from 15:00 to 17:00, and closed every Tuesday. Takeout and delivery are both available, groups are welcome, and there is a dedicated parking lot.

Atmosphere and seating at Hongdeung Sikdang 1997

When you walk into Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 in Yullyang-dong, the first thing you notice is the clean, spacious hall. The tables are spaced out comfortably, so it works well for a family meal and also feels fine for a group. They say there are group seats and private rooms too!!

How much is takeout rib stew at Hongdeung Sikdang 1997?

The braised ribs can be taken out for ₩13,900 per serving, and every menu item is available for takeout. There was a big takeout sign on one side of the restaurant. You can choose uncooked or fully cooked, and it keeps in the fridge, so it seems great to take home or on a camping trip haha

Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 menu and free extras

The main dishes are hanwoo (Korean beef) small gukbap (soup with rice), spicy braised pork ribs, and galbitang (beef short rib soup). There are also extras like additional ribs, cheese ssam (cheese wraps) and DIY fried rice. Each table has a menu.

• Free extra corn cheese when you order the spicy braised pork ribs
• Free extra rice when you order gukbap or ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) dishes

How to enter the no-lose Hongdeung lottery

There is also a no-lose Hongdeung lottery. You can take part by ordering ₩30,000 or more, with up to 2 people per table and only 1 ticket per table. You can use the prize the same day haha

• 1st prize: ₩30,000 discount coupon
• 2nd prize: ₩10,000 discount coupon
• 3rd prize: a rice ball or 1 bottle of alcohol
• 4th prize: a drink or an extra add-on noodle/ingredient (sari)

What we ordered and the side dishes

Here is what we ordered today.

• Spicy braised pork ribs, spicy level, for 2
• 1 extra serving of ribs
• DIY fried rice

The basic table setting at Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 includes pickled radish wraps (ssammu), perilla leaves, steamed egg, acorn jelly soup (muk sabal) and corn cheese.

From the soft, moist steamed egg to the nutty corn cheese, everything went well with the main dish.

The corn cheese has sweet corn piled with plenty of cheese, so it is good to share with kids too haha

How spicy are the spicy braised pork ribs at Hongdeung Sikdang 1997?

The braised ribs come in 3 levels: original, spicy and extra spicy, and I ordered the spicy one. The look of it, red and bubbling and appetizing, was the real deal from the start.

Along with the ribs there were rice cakes, mushrooms, tofu, green onion and more, generously packed, so picking through it was fun too. It was spicy yet kept you reaching for more, perfect with rice!!

The broth is boiled down rich, and you feel the hot, sharp kick right away. The deep flavor of kimchi in the spicy broth adds savoriness, and it felt like the longer it simmered, the richer the broth got haha

The tender meat had no gamey smell and was clean-tasting while soaked with the broth, great with rice. With tofu and mushrooms packed in too, picking out the ingredients was fun.

The broth is hot and addictive, so it suits both as drinking food and as a filling meal haha

Wrapping rice, ribs and pickled radish in perilla leaves

I put rice, meat and a radish wrap on a perilla leaf and ate it in one bite, and the combination was really good. The spicy sauce mingles with the rice, and the fragrance of the leaf plus the crunchy, tangy radish keep it clean with no greasiness!!

Finishing with DIY fried rice

Fried rice to finish, of course, right? We stirred rice, seaweed flakes and kimchi into the leftover sauce, and the nutty, salty, spicy flavors really came alive. A faint smoky wok flavor was added too, so we scraped the bottom clean.

Who should eat at Hongdeung Sikdang 1997?

Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 gave us a filling meal, from the hot, sharp braised ribs and chewy add-ons to the perilla leaf and radish wraps and the fried rice at the end!! It is actually introduced as a spicy braised rib spot in Yullyang-dong. If you like spicy food, I recommend visiting once. I especially recommend wrapping radish, rice and ribs together in a perilla leaf. If you are looking for a good place in Yullyang-dong, Cheongju, I recommend Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 for its spicy braised ribs ❤️