# Cheongju donburi restaurant lunch: tarae-buta-don at Momo Lab - By Owol (https://superchart.com/en/@coffee-stopover/) - Written Sep 10, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Cheongju, Chungbuk - Sponsored: This post is based on a visit where the restaurant provided the meal. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@coffee-stopover/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@coffee-stopover/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/index.md) ## In short Momo Lab Cheongju Downtown Seongan-gil Main Branch is a Japanese donburi (rice bowl) restaurant inside Art Avenue 198 in the heart of Seongan-gil, Cheongju, Chungbuk. Instead of the usual black katsu, this visit ordered yakitori-don and tarae-buta-don just before the lunch peak, breaking the egg yolk and mixing it into the tarae sauce. Momo Lab serves a welcome drink and even keeps hair ties and floss in the table drawer, making it a filling weekday lunch near the office. ## Good to know - **Location**: Unit 102, Art Avenue 198, 9-1 Jungang-ro, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do (in the heart of Seongan-gil) - **Parking**: Nearby parking tower - **Ordered this time**: Yakitori-don, tarae-buta-don - **Usual orders**: Black katsu, traffic-light cream udon nabe, gyukatsu - **Extras**: Welcome drink (tea); disposable floss and hair ties in the table drawer - **Time of visit**: Arrived just before the lunch peak and was seated with no wait *as written by the visitor on Sep 10, 2026* Momo Lab on Seongan-gil is the place I keep coming back to because the black katsu and sinhodeung cream udon nabe are so good, and it doesn't hurt that my office is right nearby! ![Visit photo of Momo Lab, a Japanese restaurant on Seongan-gil in Cheongju](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-01-1nn81-900.webp) ![Street view around Momo Lab on Seongan-gil](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-02-1npm2-900.webp) ![Entrance area of Momo Lab's Cheongju Seongan-gil main branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-03-ay7qe-900.webp) This time, instead of my usual katsu, I timed my lunch break to try some rice bowl (don) menus I'd never had before. ## Where is Momo Lab, where to park, and when to arrive for a no-wait lunch Momo Lab sits right in the middle of Seongan-gil in Cheongju, so it's super accessible for office workers nearby or anyone on a date downtown. If you're driving, there's a parking tower close by you can use easily. Since my office is right around the corner, I just walked over. I got there just before the lunch peak, and luckily I was seated with no wait at all. The food also came out fast, which makes it a perfect lunch spot for busy office workers. ![Interior design of Momo Lab](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-04-1bnjb-1200.webp) ![Tables and seating atmosphere at Momo Lab](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-05-barzx-900.webp) ![Momo Lab's welcome drink served in a red cup](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-06-1q42j-900.webp) ## Inside Momo Lab: the welcome drink and what's in the table drawer As soon as you sit down at Momo Lab, they bring out a welcome drink in a cute little red cup. The interior is gorgeous the moment you walk in — the kind of place that makes you go "wow." It's a nice way to cleanse your palate before the meal. Open the table drawer and you'll be charmed all over again by how thoughtful the owner is. There's disposable Japanese-style floss to help you finish up neatly after eating, and even hair ties so you can tie your hair back comfortably while you eat! ![Floss and hair ties inside Momo Lab's table drawer](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-07-172lu-900.webp) Small details, but you can really feel how much they care about their guests. ## How do Momo Lab's yakitori-don and tarae-buta-don taste? Leaving my usual gyukatsu behind, I ordered two bowls I'd never tried: yakitori-don and tarae-buta-don. ![Momo Lab's yakitori-don topped with egg yolk](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-08-zoc3h-900.webp) ![Momo Lab's tarae-buta-don drizzled with tarae sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-09-hnax5-900.webp) ![Two rice bowls set out for lunch at Momo Lab](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-10-67zo8-900.webp) ### Yakitori-don at Momo Lab Think of it as a Japanese-style chicken skewer rice bowl. Warm rice comes drizzled with just the right amount of sweet-savory soy-based tarae sauce. Crack the nutty egg yolk sitting on top and mix it all together, and the tenderness of the chicken and the umami of the sauce just explode. ### Tarae-buta-don at Momo Lab In the name, "tarae" refers to the sweet-savory sauce, "buta" means pork, and "don" means rice bowl. So it's exactly what it sounds like — a delicious seasoned pork rice bowl! The difference between yakitori-don and tarae-buta-don basically comes down to chicken versus pork as the main ingredient. The buta-don also comes topped with a fresh egg yolk, and mixing it in brought together the savoriness of the pork and the tarae sauce fantastically. ## Verdict: Momo Lab as a Seongan-gil lunch spot After always ordering katsu, this was my first time trying the rice bowl menu, and it exceeded my expectations. It's great for a quick, filling lunch, and with the good price and great taste, it was a total thumbs-up for my palate! If you're looking for a place on Seongan-gil in Cheongju with a great atmosphere and thoughtful little touches, I highly recommend visiting Momo Lab and trying not just the black katsu but also these delicious rice bowls. ![Mixing together a rice bowl at Momo Lab](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-11-1ixyg-900.webp) ![Table at Momo Lab after finishing the meal](https://img.superchart.com/images/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch-12-6xe4l-900.webp) ## Momo Lab: address, parking and visit details - Name: Momo Lab (Cheongju Seongan-gil) - Location: inside Seongan-gil, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk (parking tower available) - Recommended menu: Yakitori-don / Tarae-buta-don / Black katsu / Sinhodeung cream udon nabe - Highlights: welcome drink provided / thoughtful service with hair ties and floss / fast food service ## Where it is - Momo Lab Cheongju Downtown Seongan-gil Main Branch (모모랩 청주시내성안길본점) - 9-1 Jungang-ro, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea, Art Avenue 198, Unit 102 - 충청북도 청주시 상당구 중앙로 9-1 아트에비뉴198 102호 - 36.6380249, 127.4887521 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EB%AA%A8%EB%AA%A8%EB%9E%A9%20%EC%B2%AD%EC%A3%BC%EC%8B%9C%EB%82%B4%EC%84%B1%EC%95%88%EA%B8%B8%EB%B3%B8%EC%A0%90/@36.6380249,127.4887521,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@coffee-stopover/momolab-seongangil-donburi-lunch/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt