Gongju restaurant for donkatsu sets and maze soba: Myeonsikdang

On a day when September's sky was beautifully blue, I took a trip to Gongju, Chungnam, which has been gaining attention lately as a small-city travel destination! When you're traveling, you end up thinking a lot about your budget too, right? So I visited Myeonsikdang Gongju University Branch, the great-value donkatsu place I had been looking for!

A variety of dishes near Gongju National University

Maybe because it is located right near Gongju National University, they had foods students would enjoy, including ramen, donkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet), rice noodles, and butadon (pork rice bowl)! It was also so nice for ordering and eating with a child!

A donkatsu set we shared with a child

This is the donkatsu set we ordered to eat with a child! The set also came with mini butadon, so it was great that the child and I could share it!

My niece ordered the chogye naengsoba, chilled buckwheat noodles with chicken! It may be new, because it was not on the regular menu, but it was on the tablet menu!

The donkatsu we ordered for the child was crisp outside and tender inside too! It was not greasy from being soaked in oil, and the inside was nicely cooked, so the child ate it well! It was tender rather than dry, so both the child and I enjoyed it!

We added the mini butadon when ordering the donkatsu set. The meat had a smoky grilled aroma and was not overly salty, with the clean flavor of the pork coming through beautifully—it was truly delicious! Even though it was mini-sized, it was surprisingly filling!

Chogye naengsoba and my top-pick maze soba

The chogye naengsoba came with spicy dadaegi seasoning, so rather than tasting like regular soba, it was a little spicier and, with the chicken, tasted like chogye naengguksu! Perhaps because they were buckwheat noodles rather than regular noodles, they did not get too soggy over time and stayed chewy!

Everything we ordered was delicious, but my top pick was maze soba!! The noodles were chewy and generously topped, making it really tasty. At the end, I left a little topping, added kombu vinegar, and mixed it with rice—it was so satisfying! Noodles can leave you hungry again so quickly... but Koreans live on the power of rice, don't we?

The neat self-service station

Side plates, kimchi, pickled radish, water, cups, and soup are self-service! There is a self-service station in the middle, so please use it!

I was honestly a little surprised by how clean and tidy the self-service station was! The staff kept it clean regularly!

Photo review event

• For the Naver receipt photo review event, scan the QR code, verify your receipt and take a photo, select keywords, and write a photo review. Show it to a staff member to receive one complimentary canned drink.
• They say a free single-person set meal voucher is given away by drawing every Monday.
• There is also an Instagram photo review event: upload a photo and post, then show it to a staff member to receive one complimentary canned drink. They also hold a Monday drawing for a free single-person set meal voucher.

From group tables to solo-dining seats

The exterior had calm white and beige tones! It was large, so I think it would be easy to spot!

There were spacious tables that could accommodate groups, so I do not think a group visit would leave you short of seats! The dining area was spacious and had windows, making it feel open rather than stuffy!

There were solo-dining seats for eating alone, and they were not cramped, so they did not feel stifling. There were also seats by the window, so it would be nice for a date in Gongju, enjoying a meal while looking outside!

My experience using the public parking lot

For parking, use the entrance to the Daehak-ro public parking lot. When we visited at around 11 a.m. on Sunday, there was plenty of space and it was open free of charge, so it seemed convenient for parking! The lot was bigger than I expected!