Osong Station udon restaurant in Cheongju: fish cake udon and soba

I've come here with my family for udon and pork cutlet at lunch every now and then — it's a place with clean, generous Japanese-style set menus, and I finally wanted to write up a proper review. This time I ordered a whole spread of mains: fish cake udon, mori soba, and cheese pork cutlet. Every single dish tasted like it had real care put into it, and I left full and satisfied.

Haengbokhan Udon Gage Cheongju Osong Branch: hours and parking

Haengbokhan Udon Gage Cheongju Osong Branch is open daily from 11:00 to 02:00, with last order at 01:00. For parking, you'll need to use the lot behind the store or park in the back alley.

• [Hours] Daily 11:00–02:00 / last order 01:00
• [Parking] Use the lot behind the store or park in the back alley

Haengbokhan Udon Gage Cheongju Osong Branch, famous for udon near Osong Station, runs a Naver review event — leave a review and get a free sweet tomato, soft drink, or alcoholic drink.

I always come here at lunchtime, whether it's a solo bowl of udon, a meal for two, a family outing, or coworkers grabbing lunch together. Roadside parking right beside the store is possible during a grace period, but otherwise you'll usually need to park in the back alley.

What the restaurant and seating are like

The store overall has a clean, tidy atmosphere, with floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of spacious seating, so it was comfortable to eat here. The tables are spaced generously too, making this a udon spot that works just as well as a date course with a friend or partner as it does for a family meal out.

So many people come here at lunchtime to happily eat udon at Haengbokhan Udon Gage — the prices are reasonable too, which is why it's so well known for lunch near Osong Station.

There's a hanger for coats, disposable aprons, and even a baby chair.

The self-serve bar has red pepper flakes, kimchi, pickled radish, and coffee for after the meal, and as soon as you sit down they bring out kimchi and pickled radish first.

The three dishes ordered for lunch

Gakgi udon and old-style pork cutlet are the famous items, but this time I ordered fish cake udon, cheese pork cutlet, and mori soba.

Order like this and the food comes out fast — you barely wait at all and can eat quickly, which makes Haengbokhan Udon Gage Cheongju Osong Branch a great way to make the most of a precious lunch break.

Fish cake udon (eomuk udon)

I'm normally a fan of udon broth, but this was my first time trying the fish cake udon here, and the warm, deep broth flavor was outstanding. It was packed generously with fish cake, so it was fun to fish pieces out one by one, and the chewy noodles soaked up the spicy-yet-refreshing broth perfectly. With the weather turning a bit chilly lately, this is a udon that warms you right up inside.

Mori soba with chilled dipping broth

The mori soba has springy, well-boiled buckwheat noodles that you dip into a cold, savory-salty broth with bits of ice floating in it — dunking the noodles in gave my mouth a clean, refreshing burst of umami flavor.

You definitely need to stir in the grated turnip and wasabi first to bring out the full flavor. The noodle texture was just right, and above all the cold, savory broth was outstanding — the kind of mori soba you keep reaching for.

Cheese pork cutlet

The cheese pork cutlet that came out last grabs your attention just from its looks — inside a crispy fried coating is savory, stretchy, melted cheese. Dip it deep in the cutlet sauce and take a bite, and you get the rich flavor of the cheese and the fried pork at the same time, a perfectly crispy-outside-juicy-inside taste that keeps you reaching for more.

If you like cheese and pork cutlet, this is a flavor that's genuinely hard to dislike, and the accompanying sauce paired well with it too.

Between the crispy-outside-juicy-inside cheese pork cutlet, the savory warm broth of the udon, and the cold, springy noodles of the mori soba, I got to properly enjoy all three combinations, and it made for a perfect meal. If you're looking for real pork cutlet, udon, and soba, give Haengbokhan Udon Gage Cheongju Osong Branch a try — the udon place famous near Osong Station in Cheongju!