Cheongju Chinese restaurant after Junimal Zoo: Gyodong Jjamppong

We went to Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch after a fun-filled day with the kids at Cheongju's Junimal Zoo and Jumping Go kids' café! We went there for the jjamppong but ended up completely won over by the tangsuyuk instead — this is a real Cheongju Chinese restaurant gem!

The meat is way thicker than the batter, so one bite gives you crunch followed by tender pork packed all the way through!! Such a great spot for a Chinese food family dinner with the kids^^

Where is Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch, and is there parking?

Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch is on the 1st floor of 44 Yeonguncheon-ro 133beon-gil, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do. Hours are 10:20 AM to 9:20 PM, with a break time from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.

After going to the Cheongju zoo with the kids and then to a nearby kids' café, I was totally drained hahaha. After a full day of chasing the kids around, we wanted something hearty and spicy for dinner, so we headed to Gyodong Jjamppong, a Yongjeong-dong favorite in Cheongju.

Parking was easy since there's street parking near the restaurant! We arrived around 5:30 PM and there were plenty of spots available :)

Is Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch good with kids?

Once inside, the space was bigger than expected with lots of tables. When you go to a Chinese restaurant with kids, you notice things like table spacing and seating — this place felt comfortable for a family meal^^ They even have baby chairs :)

What's on the menu at Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch

As the name suggests, Gyodong Jjamppong is known for its jjamppong, so they have the basics like jjamppong and soft tofu jjamppong!

Beyond basic jjajang and jjamppong, they had a variety of newer items too, like beef-brisket jjamppong hot pot and crispy fried squid!

What the family ordered and what it cost

• Jjamppong ₩10,000
• Shrimp fried rice ₩9,000
• Mini glutinous tangsuyuk ₩14,000

We ordered a good variety like this.

Gyodong Jjamppong's spicy jjamppong, piled with bean sprouts

Gyodong Jjamppong comes with bean sprouts piled generously over the red broth, so it looks hearty right from the start!

There's also seafood like shrimp and mussels in it, giving the broth a refreshing, clean taste!

Behind the spicy, rich broth there's a faint hint of what reminds me of mala spice? It gives it a different charm from typical jjamppong. Since there's no option to choose spice level, people who can't handle spicy food might find it a bit numbing!

The noodles held their chewy, springy texture without going mushy, so they clung nicely to the spicy broth^^

My husband is a huge Gyodong Jjamppong fan and insisted we had to stop by after the Cheongju zoo — it had been a while since I'd had it and it was really good^^

My spice-sensitive husband said it was a bit spicy, but I usually love spicy food so I thoroughly enjoyed the rich broth and chewy noodles ^^

The broth with its subtle mala hint was appealing too! If you come here, the tangsuyuk is a must!

Mini glutinous tangsuyuk: why the pork was so thick

The dish that made this place stick in my memory as a Yongjeong-dong favorite was, without a doubt, the tangsuyuk!!!! We ordered the mini size, and even at first glance the portion wasn't small at all, which I liked haha.

But when I picked up a piece, the tangsuyuk itself was really thick. At first I thought, 'Is this a thick-batter style?' Since I hate thick batter, I worried I'd picked the wrong menu ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ so I cut one in half!!!

And the cross-section genuinely surprised me.

The batter wrapped the meat in a thin layer, and inside it was packed solid with thick pork, no gaps at all!!!

Wait, shouldn't this be called fried meat instead of tangsuyuk....hahahaha

Genuinely a rare find — thin batter, meat doing its job properly!!!!

When you bite in, the thin batter shatters crisply first, then the thick meat follows with a tender chew! Even though the meat is thick, it's never dry or tough — the more you chew, the more the clean, savory meat flavor fills your mouth. Really delicious.

Since the batter ratio is small, even eating several pieces in a row, you taste the meat itself rather than flour or oiliness — great for eating with kids too! The hidden gem menu at this Cheongju Chinese restaurant favorite is the tangsuyuk!! Trust me, everyone hahaha.

Shrimp fried rice the kids could eat

We ordered fried rice for the kids! Gyodong Jjamppong's fried rice leans more oily than fluffy-grained.

The rice grains have a savory richness from the oil, and the jjajang (black bean sauce) that came with it was sweet and salty, so mixing it in made a great combo.

The taste changes quite a bit between eating the fried rice plain versus mixed with jjajang, so it worked well for the kids, and the adults enjoyed pairing it with the jjamppong too!

After trying a variety of dishes at this Cheongju Chinese restaurant favorite with the kids, our family's clear pick was — no contest — the tangsuyuk haha. This is the Yongjeong-dong spot for tangsuyuk!!!haha

Final verdict on Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch

If you're looking for a hearty lunch or dinner spot after a fun day out with kids in Cheongju, check out Gyodong Jjamppong Yongjeong Branch, one of the Yongjeong-dong favorites known for its tangsuyuk! We went in for jjamppong and walked out completely won over by tangsuyuk packed with thick, satisfying meat.haha