Cheongju breakfast rib restaurant with DIY rice balls: Hongdeung 1997

What kind of restaurant is Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 Cheongju Main Branch?

📍 Open 09:00, close 24:00 📍 Closed every Tuesday 📍 Parking available Today I'm introducing a spot that's perfect when you're craving spicy cheesy braised pork ribs — 'Hongdeung Sikdang 1997 Cheongju Main Branch.'

This wasn't originally the location, by the way — it started in 1997 at Cheongju Gaya Livestock, then moved to Yongam-dong, and finally expanded and relocated to Yulryang-Sacheon-dong. So quite a few people probably remember it from the old spot, haha.

There's a row of parking spaces right beside the restaurant, so even a rookie driver like me had no trouble parking.

Choosing a menu on a quiet weekday morning at Hongdeung Sikdang 1997

There's a full menu board out front! I visited on a weekday morning — honestly I came for the famous 5-generation galbitang (short rib soup), but got sold on the spicy braised pork ribs instead, haha.

The galbitang, spicy braised pork ribs, braised pork ribs in a stone pot, and the premium beef brisket rice soup all look insanely good;;; So I was completely torn on what to order, haha.

I visited early so there weren't any other customers at first, but as it got closer to lunchtime the place filled up fast! And these tables aren't even all of it — there's a separate room on the right that looks great for get-togethers or company dinners.

How spicy are the domestic braised pork ribs?

The domestic spicy braised pork ribs comes in three heat levels: mild (about shin ramyeon level), spicy, and extra spicy! Since it was morning and I didn't want to shock my stomach too much, I went with mild, haha.

The basic side dishes came out first — icy acorn jelly, pickled radish (ssamnu) and perilla leaves. One bite of this and my appetite instantly woke up with that sweet-tangy flavor, haha.

And then today's star arrived — the spicy braised pork ribs, loaded with wide glass noodles, enoki mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, rice cakes, and green onion. Perfect portion for two, haha.

They told us we could eat the rice cake and noodles right away, and to lower the heat once the timer ran out. Normally waiting around wondering when it's done drives me crazy, but having a timer actually made it feel much more relaxed, haha.

While waiting for it to boil, corn cheese and steamed egg arrived as add-ons. Wow... the corn cheese really pulls its weight here, you absolutely have to keep an eye on it, haha. The steamed egg that came with it was soft and pillowy.

As it bubbled away, the spicy smell hit my nose — I snuck a taste midway and even as a spice wimp, it was totally manageable! (Couldn't resist the smell and dipped a bit early, haha.) It was already great as is, but then I noticed the cheese waterfall on the menu?!?! Couldn't resist — added it immediately!!

What does adding the cheese waterfall change?

The owner poured the cheese on personally! Wow, it was delicious then, and just looking at this photo now is making me drool again... haha.

Once it's loaded with cheese, the visual instantly gets so much better!! And the taste goes up right along with it, haha. Every time you lift a rib, the cheese stretches endlessly and my appetite went through the roof, haha.

Pulling off just the meat and eating a full bite — wow, the savory depth beneath the spice is seriously amazing!!!! For some reason braised pork ribs never taste this good when I make them at home. It's genuinely so, so, so delicious, ㅠㅠㅠㅠ and the spice level was perfectly at shin ramyeon level, so even spice wimps could enjoy it.

There's also chewy wheat rice cake sticks in there and the wide glass noodles soaked in sauce were a total home run, ㅠㅠㅠㅠ haha The mushrooms were also chewy and had absorbed the sauce so well they chewed almost like meat, haha — and even the king oyster mushroom with 'Hongdeung' carved into it was tasty.

Perilla leaf, pickled radish and corn cheese: the combo to try

This is exactly why I told you to keep an eye on the corn cheese!!! Wow, this perilla leaf + pickled radish + corn cheese combo comes endlessly, seriously... The soft spicy ribs wrapped in perilla leaf aroma, then the tangy pickled radish comes in, plus the nutty popping corn kernels, ㅠㅠㅠㅠ it was meat eaten from the morning but I still found myself craving soju, haha.

My partner who came with me said this combo was basically unbeatable, and nearly wiped out all the pickled radish here, haha.

By the way, the side dishes here are self-serve, so you can grab more anytime you want!! No need to feel self-conscious grabbing extra pickled radish, haha.

Finishing with DIY rice balls and instant mix coffee

Alright... after eating meat, what's next? Rice balls, obviously, haha. You make the rice balls yourself, with seasoned rice + pickled radish + seaweed + sesame seeds provided. I mixed it all together with a nice hand-mashing technique, haha. Making it yourself is the only way to get that perfect one-bite rice ball, haha.

This is about the size of my bite?! haha.

You know this is definitely a dipping situation, right?!?! Dunking it deep into the sauce that's gone thick and gooey with melted cheese is the only correct way!!! Oh man... this is it. I can't drink alcohol, but I can absolutely handle rice ball dipping, haha.

And of course, the corn cheese makes another appearance here too, haha. I don't know why it's so good or how much corn I've eaten at this point, but I fully approve of this corn cheese combo!!!! It was truly an amazing meal even in the morning — no soju involved, but with corn cheese around, this combo was perfect anyway — 🌟

And of course, mix coffee to finish, haha. After spicy food, you gotta knock one of these back to wrap things up properly.

Cleanliness, parking and tips before you visit

This place even has a disinfection certificate posted, showing they're serious about hygiene, so I could eat comfortably knowing that, haha (I'm sensitive about hygiene, haha). Though I got sidetracked by the spicy braised pork ribs and never made it to the 5-generation galbitang, I don't regret my choice at all, haha. Though next time I'll definitely go for the galbitang too, haha.

If you're in Yulryang-dong looking for a killer lunch, dinner, or drinking snack, this is definitely the place, haha. There are evening waits too, so call the restaurant ahead and they'll let you know the wait status! They also have a room available, so it's a great pick for gatherings or company dinners too!