Cheongju Korean restaurant, lunch-only gochujang pork, 2pm cutoff

Today I want to give an honest review of a Korean restaurant I'd recommend among the food spots in Sajik-dong, Cheongju — Ttukbangjip (뚝방집). This place is only open 11am to 3pm, just 4 hours a day, so you can only catch it for lunch, but it's a charcoal-grilled gochujang pork spot worth the trip, haha.

Ttukbangjip

Parking and the vibe inside

There's a parking lot in front of and beside the building, which made it easy to visit, and there's also plenty of roadside parking near Musimcheon stream nearby, so driving here is convenient too.

The inside was bigger than I expected, with quite a lot of tables. If you're planning to visit with 4 or more people, I'd recommend booking ahead.

There's a receipt review event too! If you leave a review you get free kimchi mari guksu (cold kimchi noodles) or a bottle of makgeolli (rice wine), so everyone should try it, haha.

Orders close at 2pm

All orders close at 2pm. Even if you're still eating inside, you can't add anything after two, so order early. If you show up after 1:30pm, it's best to just order everything you want to eat right when you sit down.

We ordered the gochujang-grilled pork for two, plus two bowls of rice. I heard the kimchi mari guksu here is great and thought about ordering it, but decided to save it for next time, haha.

Any side dishes you run short on, you can grab from the self-serve bar. It was clearly well-kept and clean, which as a customer I found really satisfying.

The basic side dishes and cheonggukjang

The basic side dishes come with lettuce wraps and scallion salad, both of which go great with the gochujang pork.

And cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) comes included as standard! This tasted exactly like the cheonggukjang my grandma used to make, so I think older folks would really love it too. It had plenty of tofu and ground meat in it, and overall a generous portion, so it never felt lacking.

How was the charcoal gochujang pork?

The main dish, gochujang-grilled pork, is cooked to order over charcoal at a grilling station outside, so it can take a little while. If you want to add an order mid-meal, keep that wait time in mind and order early.

The meat wasn't tough or dry at all — it stayed juicy — and the seasoning was genuinely delicious 👍🏻👍🏻

Front to back, this gochujang pork is packed with smoky charcoal flavor and genuinely delicious ㅠㅠ Honestly I didn't expect much, but it was better than I thought, and I found myself wanting to come back. It also has a bit of a drinking-snack feel, so if you like day drinking, it'd pair well. I really can't figure out why they only run a lunch service ㅜ

The gochujang pork portion was plenty for two people, and it goes so well with rice that I really recommend adding a bowl to eat alongside it.

How spicy is it?

The gochujang seasoning wasn't spicy at all, so even someone who can't handle spice like me could eat it comfortably, and looking at other tables, it seemed like kids around elementary-school age or older could handle it too. It's a great spot for a family lunch out, or for lunch after walking around Seongan-gil.

If you love smoky, well-seasoned grilled meat, this is a genuine must-visit spot. It goes great wrapped in lettuce too, so definitely try the wraps. I'm not usually a big fan of lettuce wraps, but it paired so well with the meat that I ended up wrapping several, haha.

Wrap-up

If you want a delicious Korean lunch near Seongan-gil in Cheongju, I'd recommend this place. It was packed with smoky charcoal flavor and genuinely delicious, and it's great for a filling meal. Everyone, go check out Ttukbangjip~❤️🔥

I'd definitely go back! If you like Korean food, it's also a solid pick for a date~