Kid-friendly lunch near Cheongju Zoo: galbitang at Hongdeung Sikdang

Hi everyone! 🤧 The kids wanted to see animals, so we went to Cheongju Zoo over the weekend! Since we planned to eat lunch in Cheongju first, I went looking for good restaurants nearby and found Hongdeung Sikdang 1997! ✨

Basic info for Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 Cheongju Main Branch

• Address: 7 Ssateum-ro, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk (576-1 Naedeok-dong, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk), South Korea
• Regular closing day: Every Tuesday
• Hours: Wednesday–Monday 09:00–24:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Parking: Available next to the restaurant
• Info: Baby chair available

Outside the restaurant and the parking lot

Hongdeung Sikdang in Cheongju is closed every Tuesday, and open the rest of the week from 9am to midnight. Break time is from 3pm to 5pm! :) Keep that in mind when you visit 🤧

The parking lot is right next to the restaurant—

Turns out the parking line by the church next door is also part of the restaurant's parking—it looked like there was room for about 6 cars, and it was nice and spacious.

The weather was so nice over the weekend that even casual shots came out pretty. Thanks to the pretty sky, I took a bunch of photos before we even went inside!

Inside the restaurant—comfortable seating with kids

Hongdeung Sikdang has about 6 tables. The spacing between tables felt just right, and the atmosphere was pleasant. There's a baby chair too, so anyone visiting with a baby should keep that in mind.

This is Hongdeung Sikdang's self-serve bar—pickled radish, perilla leaves, kimchi and more are set out here!

The menu and what we ordered

This is the menu board at Hongdeung Sikdang's Cheonan main branch—here's what we ordered!

• Spicy braised domestic pork ribs, basic flavor, 2 servings ₩29,800
• No. 5 galbitang ₩14,000
• Self-fried rice ₩2,000
• 2 bowls of rice ₩2,000

These are the side dishes that come out before the main dishes! Acorn jelly, pickled radish, and perilla leaves.

Oh, and when you order the braised pork ribs, steamed egg and corn cheese come with it too. I love corn cheese so much, and eating it alongside the braised ribs was the ultimate sweet-and-savory combo ✨🤧

Spicy braised domestic pork ribs for 2, simmered for 12 minutes

Of everything we ordered, the spicy braised domestic pork ribs for 2 came out first! There was a generous amount of ribs, and rice cakes, glass noodles, enoki mushrooms, and king oyster mushrooms were arranged nicely on top!

They tell you to simmer the braised ribs for 12 minutes. They leave a timer set to that time right beside the pot, and once it's boiled hard for the given time, you eat it with the broth reduced down, almost like a jjagalji (thick stew)!

The kids loved the No. 5 galbitang

While we waited, the No. 5 galbitang came out. It arrived still bubbling, and the ribs inside were so tender and delicious, with broth seasoned just right. The meat was so soft that even the kids ate it up happily, and they really enjoyed mixing rice into the broth too!

See how the broth on the braised pork ribs has reduced down? It wasn't too salty or too sweet, and it won over both my husband's palate and mine. It was plenty for the two of us to share, and pouring the broth over plain rice was so good it made me tear up! We polished off the braised ribs in no time, so—

Finishing up with self-fried rice

Now let's order the fried rice to bring things to a finale, shall we?

The fried rice comes with seaweed, kimchi, and rice! Frying it up in the leftover braised rib sauce is absolute honey. Mixing in the fried rice until it's all neat and combined is the best, you know?

With a dish like braised pork ribs, fried rice is absolutely essential..! Moist, well-seasoned fried rice just keeps going in even when you're already full.

Anyway! Definitely visit Hongdeung Sikdang 1997, a great restaurant in Yulyang-dong, Cheongju.