Cheonan seolleongtang restaurant with mild dakgaejang: Yukdaejang

Restaurants in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan always seem to be packed haha. I don't usually crave yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) on a regular basis, but every now and then I get a hankering for it, and it's actually hard to find a place that looks decent. Recently one of my blog neighbors raved about dakgaejang (spicy chicken soup), and since that sounded more like my style than yukgaejang, I got curious — and sure enough, it hit the spot >.< If you've been looking for yukgaejang or a good hangover soup, I recommend Yukdaejang bb

Where is Yukdaejang Cheonan Baekseok Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Yukdaejang Cheonan Baekseok Branch is located at 46-5 Handeul 2-ro, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, and it's open daily 10:00–21:00 (last order 20:30), year-round with no closed days. There's a cluster of well-known restaurants in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan, and the yellow arrow marks where Yukdaejang sits — there's a wide parking lot right in front, and since it's right beside the main road, it's pretty accessible in general, which makes it easy to stop by for a meal haha. No pets allowed, though.

How big is the restaurant, and how do ordering and payment work?

Yukdaejang in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan mainly serves rice-based meals, but they also do bossam (boiled pork wraps) here! You can check the general menu on the standing signboard right out front. The interior is also pretty spacious, so it'd work well as a group dinner spot too. The kitchen isn't fully open to view, but you order right at the table and pay at the counter — a simple system haha.

Self-serve banchan corner and kid's chair at Yukdaejang

They set you up with basic side dishes to start, but if you run out while eating, you can grab more from the self-serve corner set up to one side :-) The spoon and chopsticks wrapper even has a bit of old Hangul script on it haha. There's also a kid's chair available, so this seems like a good spot for a family gathering too — if you're looking for yukgaejang in Cheonan, Yukdaejang seems like just the right call! Simple and I like that haha.

Yangji seolleongtang, 11,000 won: the pick when spice is too much

The yangji seolleongtang (ox bone soup with brisket) at Yukdaejang Cheonan Baekseok Branch is 11,000 won — a mild, non-spicy option for anyone who finds the heat of yukgaejang a bit much. Yukdaejang Cheonan Baekseok Branch is actually a franchise, and the original store is in Incheon! To be exact, it started in 2011 in Namchon-dong under the name Sodamgol, but the name later changed to Yukdaejang. Yukgaejang is the signature dish here, but even that isn't overly spicy, and you can adjust the spice level, so it's worth checking that when you order haha. The ingredients in Yukdaejang's seolleongtang have a bit of a yukgaejang-like character to them, which felt kind of unusual, but it actually worked surprisingly well! Crunching on some kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) alongside the yangji seolleongtang made for a really nice combo :-)

How spicy is the dakgaejang at Yukdaejang?

Dakgaejang is 11,000 won — the base is basically yukgaejang, but with chicken added in, and the spice level was mild enough that even a spice wimp like me could handle it comfortably. This was the dish I was most curious about! With chicken in it, it came out lighter and cleaner overall, and if you want it spicier, you can go for the bul-yukgaejang (fire yukgaejang) version instead. Perfect for anyone wanting a spicy hangover soup fix! Yukgaejang is probably delicious too, but dakgaejang was definitely more my style? And zero burden on the stomach ★

Juicy dumplings, 7 pieces for 9,000 won — can you eat alone here?

The juicy dumplings are 7 pieces for 9,000 won, and even though Yukdaejang Cheonan Baekseok Branch doesn't have dedicated solo seats, there are two-person tables, so eating alone is totally doable. I went back and forth between the jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) dumplings and the meat dumplings before deciding haha. The juicy dumplings come as a set of 7, and being boiled dumplings they had a nice softness, but what really got me was how packed the filling was :-) A good side dish to pair with the dakgaejang or yangji seolleongtang too. I thought a place this spacious might not welcome solo diners, but solo dining is totally fine here!

New menu items and noodle choices at Yukdaejang Cheonan Baekseok Branch

I usually can't finish a whole bowl of rice at a restaurant... but I cleaned my plate here haha. They recently added a new menu item with gopchang (beef intestines), and there's also plenty of other Korean dishes like jeongol (hot pot), grilled bulgogi, and braised short ribs, so check the photos for the fuller menu :-) You can also swap rice for noodles, so even if people in your group have different tastes, everyone can order exactly what they want without anyone having to compromise. If you're in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan looking for yukgaejang, definitely give Yukdaejang a try!

• Yangji Seolleongtang ₩11,000
• Dakgaejang ₩11,000
• Juicy Dumplings (7 pieces) ₩9,000