Bean-free army stew and papaya slushie in Seongsu: Songtan Jindaegwang

Hopping between pop-ups in Seongsu wears you out fast, right? So I went to a hearty army stew restaurant to refuel. Let's take a look!

How close is Songtan Jindaegwang to Seongsu Station Exit 1?

Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch is in the building right outside Exit 1 of Seongsu Station on Line 2. It's genuinely steps from the station, so it's an easy move when you're out playing around Seongsu and get hungry.

You go in through the entrance next to Hit Karaoke on the left side of the building, and it's on the 2nd floor. Takeout orders get a 20% discount, which is great if you ever want to eat budae jjigae at home.

Interesting to see signage in multiple languages — looks like plenty of international visitors come here too.

The retro vibe was strong from the moment you walk in the door.

How the retro dining room differs from today's Seongsu

Rather than the sleek, hip look you often find in Seongsu these days, Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae Seongsu Branch is full of old-school, retro charm.

2000s music played in the background, and there were plenty of frames and knick-knacks that reminded me of my grandmother's or my aunt's house.

It felt like something out of an old drama or the Reply series — props you don't see much anymore, so it was fun just looking around haha.

What we ordered at Songtan Jindaegwang

We ordered the Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae for two with an added ramen noodle sarì. Besides the army stew, there were also add-on items like assorted sausages or Spam, so you could order extra of whatever ingredients you wanted.

Side dishes, millet rice and how the stew is cooked

Three side dishes came out: stir-fried fish cake, pickled onion, and seasoned scallions. Basic sides that pair perfectly with budae jjigae, and you could easily grab more from the self-serve bar if you ran out.

The rice is millet rice, and it's unlimited refills, so you can eat really heartily. The stew was so good I polished off a whole bowl haha.

The army stew needs to simmer for about 5 minutes. Set the timer and wait, and once it's done, staff come by and stir it just right.

There's even a guide on how to eat it, so you can just follow along.

Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae: how were the sausage and broth?

Once the timer went off, it was finally time to eat. We lifted the lid and the pot was genuinely packed with sausages.

There were many kinds of sausage, plus scallions, onion, and minced meat, so the ingredients were quite generous. Personally I'm not a big fan of the beans usually found in budae jjigae, so I was glad there weren't any here.

The sausages came in a good variety and a good amount. It looked like plenty at first glance, but even as we kept eating, the broth kept getting refilled so it never seemed to run low — never once felt like we were short on food lol.

All the sausages were tasty and went great with rice, and the broth was rich and properly spicy, pairing really, really well with rice.

Spoon a bit of the stew broth over rice, pile on plenty of sausage, and it's incredibly filling. It tasted even better after walking around Seongsu all day.

The stew was delicious from the first bite, but as it kept simmering, the broth felt like it got richer and richer. The flavor from the sausages and vegetables seemed to deepen the broth even more.

Adding Jin Ramen spicy noodles to the army stew

When they added our ramen sarì, it wasn't just any plain instant noodles — it turned out to be Jin Ramen spicy flavor! The stew seasoning was already so good that we didn't add the ramen soup packet at all. Maybe that's why the noodles soaked up the broth so well — also incredibly tasty.

The broth itself was rich and properly spicy, so it went great with the ramen too, and I got so full. I guess budae jjigae really isn't complete until you finish it off with ramen haha.

What desserts does Songtan Jindaegwang offer?

After the meal, dessert options were coffee, yogurt, and slushies — cola flavor and papaya flavor, all crowd-pleasers. Finishing the meal off with a cool slushie made the whole experience feel complete haha.

Final verdict on this Seongsu army stew restaurant

Songtan Jindaegwang Budae Jjigae was a great value pick, with a wide variety of sausages, unlimited rice and side refills, and generous portions. On top of that, the retro interior, so different from the vibe you usually see around Seongsu these days, was fun, and having dessert included was a nice touch. If you love budae jjigae, it's worth a visit at least once while you're in Seongsu.