Jinjeop Korean restaurant with a Jeju crab jang set: Chuojeong Namwon

I went for a drive toward Namyangju with my mom and we ended up at Chuojeong Namwon Chueotang in Jinjeop :)

We originally went for chueotang, but this isn't just a chueotang place, haha. You can get yellow crab jang, duck bulgogi, fried loach, and loach dumplings all in one meal, so we came out properly full!

Parking and the room layout at Chuojeong Namwon Chueotang

Chuojeong Namwon Chueotang was a great place to visit by car! There's a parking lot behind the restaurant, so we could walk in without worrying about parking.

Even before going in, one thing caught my eye — the fish tank! Live loaches were swimming around inside it, haha. Very fitting for a chueotang place 😆

Inside, it was much cleaner and more spacious than I expected. The tables had decent spacing and the whole place felt comfortable, which seemed good both for family meals and group visits.

They even have a room that seats up to 28 people! Sounds great for company dinners or family gatherings when there are a lot of you 👍

Another thing that surprised me — the owner is apparently a master of soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang). No wonder I was pretty excited about the yellow crab jang at a chueotang place, haha.

What comes with the Chuojeong set?

At Chuojeong Namwon Chueotang, we wanted both the chueotang and the yellow crab jang, so after some deliberation we ordered the Chuojeong set, which lets you have both! The Chuojeong set includes:

• Duck bulgogi
• Jeju yellow crab jang
• Fried loach
• Chueotang (loach soup)
• Loach dumplings
• Pot rice

That's what you get, haha.

First came the side dishes and duck bulgogi, and I liked how clean and tidy the side dishes looked overall. Especially the kimchi! It was fresh geotjeori kimchi, and apparently they make it themselves with domestic napa cabbage.

The duck bulgogi came out with its own gas burner, so it stayed warm the whole time we ate. The seasoning was tasty and the meat was tender, and it went really well with the side dishes.

Jeju yellow crab jang: the dish that empties your rice bowl

Finally, the crab jang arrived! Honestly, since it's crab jang at a chueotang place, I figured it'd just be a side dish, but it exceeded expectations, haha.

The crab meat was packed full and there was barely any fishy taste, so my mom and I kept saying how good it was. This is definitely a dish where the 'master' title makes sense! Eaten with rice, it was a real rice thief, haha. They also said the yellow crab jang is available for takeout!

Fried loach and loach dumplings at Chuojeong Namwon

The fried loach came out too, and it was genuinely delicious. Crispy outside, savory inside! Most importantly, the earthy smell I was worried about was barely noticeable. I think even people who don't usually like chueotang could enjoy this fried version, haha.

And then the loach dumplings! It was my first time trying loach dumplings, and I was surprised at how good they were, haha. The outside was golden and crispy, and the inside was light and savory — I kept reaching for more. If you've never seen this dish before, you should definitely try it, haha.

How the chueotang and pot rice tasted

And finally, the chueotang and pot rice arrived. Chueotang can be a bit love-it-or-hate-it because of its distinct smell, but this place's version had almost no gamy or muddy taste — it was clean and mild. One warm spoonful and I understood why people eat chueotang like a health tonic, haha. My mom said it was delicious too, which made me proud :)

And of course, the pot rice! The rice was cooked with a nice chewy texture and went really well with the chueotang.

Rice with the crab jang, rice with the duck bulgogi, rice with the chueotang... in the end we finished every single bite, haha.

The self-bar and other details inside the restaurant

Chuojeong Namwon Chueotang also has a self-bar. You can help yourself to more side dishes, and there's minced garlic, minced chili, and more so you can season your chueotang to your taste. I love places with a self-bar like this, haha.

There's also a nice initiative here — they provide free chueotang and pork cutlet to Korean War veterans. Knowing this restaurant does good things alongside serving great food made the meal feel even better somehow, sniff.

On our way out, I noticed a corner of the restaurant selling snacks like cookies, yakgwa (honey cookies), and jjondegi (chewy Korean taffy), haha. Good for grabbing a little something after your meal! I also noticed the table next to us ordering a lot of pork cutlets, and they looked so good visually that I want to try the cutlet next time, haha. The value on that cutlet looked amazing!!!

Is Jinjeop worth the drive for a meal with mom?

This time we stopped by while driving around Namyangju with my mom, and after eating, she was satisfied enough to say, "I wish there were a restaurant like this in our neighborhood," haha.

I wish there were a restaurant like this in our neighborhood

Overall I thought the food was good and the place was clean and spacious, so it'd work well for family meals or group gatherings. I especially liked that it wasn't just chueotang — we got to try duck bulgogi, Jeju yellow crab jang, fried loach, loach dumplings, and pot rice all in one meal.

If you're looking for a hearty meal around Jinjeop in Namyangju, Chuojeong Namwon Chueotang is worth a visit :) We really left stuffed to the brim, haha. A drive with mom → a delicious meal → the perfect combo, success ❤️