Cheongju hanok-style Korean restaurant, mackerel pot rice: Jeju Badang

Let me introduce Jeju Badang (제주바당), a Korean restaurant in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju.

Jeju Badang opening hours and parking

Jeju Badang is open from 10:30 to 22:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00. You can park in the parking lot inside the building.

Jeju Badang is in Gagyeong-dong. I had no idea there was a whole cluster of good restaurants here, and every single one was packed, haha. You can also park right in front of the restaurant!

Jeju Badang atmosphere: good for a family gathering?

Jeju Badang is a brand-new Cheongju spot that opened in April 2026, and the Korean-style salad bar is all-you-can-eat!!!

The entrance has a stylish hanok (traditional Korean house) feel, and the inside was clean and so pretty too, haha. The space is wide and divided by partitions, so it looked great for a private family gathering!

There's a kids' zone and a waiting area too, so it looked good both for bringing a baby and for taking your parents!

Jeju Badang menu and what we ordered

The Jeju Badang menu is split mainly into braised dishes and grilled dishes, and the boneless hairtail stew and grilled tilefish are the popular items!! We ordered the two below.

• Jeju boneless hairtail stew + pot rice (1 serving)
• Grilled mackerel + pot rice (1 serving)

Are the side dishes at Jeju Badang unlimited?

The moment we sat down, a full Korean spread came out, and once you finish the side dishes you can get refills. Doesn't it look like a traditional hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) restaurant, hahaha? Colorful seasoned vegetables and meat dishes too — these alone looked like enough to finish a bowl of rice in no time!

Especially the jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork) eaten in a lettuce wrap, it's just so good, right~~ Every side dish was well seasoned and absolutely delicious..!

Once you finish the sides, you can get refills!!haha Wouldn't you believe it if I said this was a real hanjeongsik place??? The sides were so good that we cleaned them out before the main dishes even arrived, and we were already getting full, haha.

Self-bar chicken and japchae

As they brought the side dishes, they told us there's chicken and japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) at the Jeju Badang self-bar and to help ourselves!

And the freshly fried chicken is no joke............❣️ The meat is juicy and the coating is crispy, kind of like Norang Tongdak chicken, haha.

Jeju Badang boneless hairtail stew: really no bones?

The boneless hairtail stew at Jeju Badang comes in an individual pot, so it's easy to eat, and all the bones are removed before it arrives. There wasn't a single bone while we ate!

They move the rice from the pot into a bowl and pour water into the pot for nurungji (scorched rice tea). You have to finish with the nurungji to make it a proper Korean meal~

The look of it is no joke, right??? It really felt like visiting a famous hairtail stew place in Jeju, haha.

The flesh is so plump~~~~ and melts in your mouth, haha. When you search for Jeju Badang, people always seem to order the boneless hairtail stew?? So we ordered it too, and I'm glad we did 👍👍

Jeju Badang grilled mackerel: better than the stew?

The grilled mackerel at Jeju Badang is enormous, and personally I thought the grilled one was far better than the stew. We had planned to order one hairtail stew and one braised mackerel, but I wanted to try the grilled one too, so we got the mackerel grilled! Huge, right??

Once you take out the bones, the glossy flesh is even more amazing!! You can feel it's on a totally different level from just grilling it at home!

Of course it was plump and lightly salty, so delicious ㅠㅠ There was no fishy taste at all, just rich and nutty, so it'd be great to come with kids!

The fish itself is fresh and plump, so personally I liked the grilled version way~ better than the stew!!!

What I liked about Jeju Badang

Delicious grilled mackerel, and boneless hairtail to enjoy

This is my honest review after a tasty meal at Jeju Badang in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju 💗

• The fish is fresh and plump, so it's delicious
• You can choose between grilled and braised, and there's pot rice
• The side dishes are each delicious like a hanjeongsik meal, and with chicken and japchae too, it's a flavor everyone likes
• There's a separate parking lot and a kids' zone, so it's good for a family meal