Cheongju jjamppong with spice levels 1–3: Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong

From Yullyang-dong to Gyodong Jjamppong in Yongjeong-dong

"Let's go get a bowl of spicy jjamppong" — that was the excuse to get some fresh air, so we drove from Yullyang-dong to Yongjeong-dong. Taking the third ring road, it took about 15 minutes haha. From Yullyang-dong, everywhere is a 20-minute cut!! Lolol

It's tucked in an alley you reach by turning left toward Geumcheon-dong from the Lotte Mart in Yongam-dong, so if you just type it into your navigation it'll guide you there fine haha.

Gyodong Jjamppong started out in Gangwon-do and is famous enough that most people have probably tried it at least once. My husband and I both prefer Cheongju-style jjamppong over jjajangmyeon, so when I heard Gyodong Jjamppong's Yongjeong-dong branch was one of the best Chinese restaurants in Cheongju, off we went 😃

They say if it's not good, it's free!!! But it IS good 😭😭 so you'll actually have to pay lol.

Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch, Yongjeong-dong

• Hours 10:20–21:20
• Break time 15:00–16:00
• Last order 21:00

You can pick your jjamppong spice level, from 1 to 3

Whoa, here you can choose your jjamppong spice level‼️ There are levels 1 through 3, so whether you can't handle spicy food or you love it, you can pick what suits your taste.

I'm generally into spicy food — I've got some spice pride lol. It's not the kind of heat where they just dump capsaicin in for a one-note burn — it's more like deeply spicy and delicious at the same time, if that makes sense!!??

Some places are so brutal you're clutching your stomach in pain, but this place is deliciously spicy 🤭 And jjamppong is really all about the broth‼️

Meat-based broth, level 3 vs level 1

You eat the spicy broth with the vegetables and noodles, taking a spoonful of broth in between — the depth of flavor really differs by level haha. The rich, savory meat-based broth was amazing!!

My husband never used to like spicy food, but thanks to me he's come a long way lol. He usually sweats buckets when eating spicy food, but that day he said he didn't want to sweat, so he ordered level 1 — and then said "This isn't spicy at all lol, I should've gotten level 2~" lolol

I gave him some noodles from my level 3 bowl and he enjoyed it a lot haha.

Everyone's palate is different, so the perceived spiciness varies from person to person, but I loved that you can each pick your own level to match your taste ^.^

The old-style tangsuyuk we ordered alongside, eaten dam-meok style

We also ordered old-style tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) with the jjamppong. These days you see a lot of thin, crispy-battered tangsuyuk, but sometimes you just crave the old-style version haha.

The tangsuyuk at this Yongjeong-dong spot has a slightly thick batter, so the texture when you bite in is spot on lol. And we don't do dip-and-eat or pour-it-all-over — we do dam-meok, you know what I mean? Lolol

For Cheongju-style Chinese restaurant tangsuyuk, if you soak it in the sauce for a bit, the sauce really soaks into the batter — the outside stays chewy and you get more of the sauce's sweetness. That's how we like to eat it lol. Tangsuyuk eaten this way is genuinely delicious lol.

When you go looking for a Chinese restaurant in Cheongju, jjajangmyeon or tangsuyuk usually come to mind first, but that day it was the jjamppong that really delivered — true to Gyodong Jjamppong's reputation 👍👍 Especially loved that you can pick your spice level from 1 to 3, so everyone can order to their own taste ^^

Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch's menu lineup

The menu isn't just jjamppong — there's a wide variety of familiar Chinese restaurant dishes like jjajangmyeon, tangsuyuk, menbosha, yurinji, crispy fried squid, and more‼️ (Some grandpas at another table tried to order ganjjajang, but FYI, they don't have it.)

There are tons of great restaurants in Yongjeong-dong, but whenever you're craving Chinese food Cheongju-style, head to Gyodong Jjamppong in Yongjeong-dong and try the spice-level jjamppong 💕

On a day when we were craving the deeply spicy, meat-based Gyodong Jjamppong at a Yongjeong-dong Cheongju restaurant, we filled up on a solid meal at Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch, where you can choose your spice level to match your taste ❤️