Cheongdang-dong pork belly dinner with parents in Cheonan: Motsaenggin

My parents had just gotten back from a trip and still seemed pretty worn out — the last thing they needed was to come home and cook.

Where is Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch, and how late is it open?

🥓 Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch is a pork belly restaurant in Cheongdang-dong, located on the 1st floor of 39 Cheongsu9-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan. It's open daily from 11:30 to 24:00, last order at 23:00, and there's a large basement parking lot in the building.

• Address: 39 Cheongsu9-ro, 1st floor, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
• Parking: Large basement parking available in the building
• Hours: Daily 11:30 – 24:00
• Last order: 23:00

Don't do anything today, let's just go eat some meat!

So I took my parents out to dinner ♡ Today's destination: Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch. Honestly this is a place I'd wanted to try ever since I first passed by it in Cheongdang-dong.

I happened to walk past Cheongdang-dong one day and saw a banner hanging outside the store that said, "Free soy sauce egg rice for children under 5." When you're eating out with a young kid, the kids' menu is often a headache, so seeing a place think of that in advance warmed my heart. (My kid is all grown up now, but still!!!!!♡)

"Ah, the owner must really care about kids," I thought, and decided then I had to visit — and today, finally, I made it to this Cheongdang-dong pork belly spot everyone raves about!! Let's go eat some Cheongdang-dong pork belly ♡

Is parking easy? Basement parking right under the restaurant

🚗 Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch has its own basement parking lot, so I parked easily and walked straight into the restaurant. When I'm looking for a good pork belly place in Cheongdang-dong, taste matters, but parking is a big deal to me too. Not having to circle the block for parking made it much easier bringing my parents along.

Inside Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji: a big hall with an open-air grill-yard feel

✨ It's a place that just opened, so everything was clean! Even the sign was shining ^^ Both the outside and inside felt tidy overall, and once inside, the space was bigger than expected. The outdoor area is fully open, so the sightlines are wide and it doesn't feel cramped at all — it has that outdoor-BBQ vibe. That earns it a pass as a great Cheongdang-dong pork belly spot for lunch too♡ The weather was nice, and as soon as we sat down a breeze drifted in, which just put me in an even better mood haha.

The place was kept clean too, so it felt comfortable dining there with my parents. It seemed like a solid spot for a weekday work dinner in Cheongdang-dong, and a good atmosphere for a family visit on the weekend too. Thinking about the vibe here, I get why so many people looking for pork belly in Cheongdang-dong end up choosing this for family meals.

What we ordered: pork belly for 3 and the free stew from the Naver booking

🥩 We ordered three servings of pork belly and two bowls of rice at Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch. Ordering is simple via kiosk. And because I'd made a Naver reservation for this Cheongdang-dong pork belly spot ahead of time, we also got a free doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). Score!

There was a good variety of pork cuts — pork belly, pork jowl — plus various side dishes, so I stood there a while deciding what to order haha.

After ordering, I checked out the self-serve bar — a variety of banchan (side dishes) neatly laid out, so we could take as much as we needed. The basic side dishes came out right away too, and each one was tasty enough that our chopsticks were busy even before the meat arrived.

What I liked most was how kind the staff were. The owner and staff even showed us the best way to wrap the meat in lettuce — it didn't feel like they were just serving food, it felt like they were genuinely looking after us.

Staff grill the pork belly for you, so there is time to talk

🔥 It was such a relief that the staff at Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch grill the meat for you. When you're eating with your parents, if you're the one constantly flipping and grilling, you barely have time to actually talk.

They timed the meat perfectly too, so we could relax, chat, and focus on eating. I picked up a piece of nicely browned pork belly — and yeah, pork belly really is best eaten fresh off the grill.

Dipping it in the salted hairtail jeotgal (fermented sauce) added a savory, salty depth that brought out the meat's flavor even more. Wrapping the meat in lettuce with a bunch of side dishes and taking a big bite — yeah, that's exactly the taste I was after. I'd come looking for a good Cheongdang-dong pork belly spot, and getting to mix and match toppings made the meal even more fun.

What my parents loved most: salted pollack roe at the self-serve bar

🥢 And the thing my parents loved most, drumroll... the salted pollack roe (myeongnanjeot) at the self-serve corner haha! My mom and dad both love myeongnanjeot, so seeing it available at the self-bar made them so excited haha. They went back for seconds, then thirds...

This myeongnanjeot is delicious~

Watching them say that and keep eating made me feel proud ♡. It really confirms that when you're treating your parents to a meal out, the food quality matters, but having even one dish they specifically love bumps up their satisfaction big time.

Good with kids? The free soy sauce egg rice for under-5s

💛 It brought me back to the reason I first wanted to visit — the banner about free soy sauce egg rice for kids under 5. My kids are grown now, but I know that kind of consideration for moms with young kids isn't a given. So beyond just being a good place for pork belly, it left a warm impression on me. Today I came with my parents, but next time I need to bring the kids to this Cheongdang-dong favorite, Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji, for pork belly.

Verdict: was Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji worth it for a family dinner in Cheongdang-dong?

Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch had a clean, spacious dining room, easy parking, kind staff, and the fact that they grill the meat for you made the whole meal effortless. Best of all, seeing my parents enjoy the food made today's choice a win!

I visited hoping to treat my just-returned-from-a-trip parents to a good meal of meat, and I left in a good mood myself. If you're looking for a place for a family meal in Cheongdang-dong, a solid spot for a work dinner, or somewhere easy to enjoy pork belly, this one's worth a visit. Next time I'll be back with the kids! Off to find more good Cheongdang-dong pork belly today too ❤️