Cheonan chicken stew spot across from Lotte Mart: Sottture

Why we stopped at Sottture Dakdoritang, across from the Seongjeong-dong Lotte Mart

I was out running errands in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan, recently and stumbled onto a place I hadn't expected to find. That day I'd stopped at the Seongjeong-dong Lotte Mart, then swung by a big pharmacy nearby — and by the time I'd finished all that, I was starving and started looking for somewhere to eat. I'd heard there was a spot right across the street that made really good dakdoritang (Korean braised spicy chicken), so I decided that would be dinner. That's how I ended up at Sottture Dakdoritang. Even from outside you could see steam curling up over the cauldron out front, and honestly that alone made me even hungrier.

Does Sottture Dakdoritang have parking? Size of the dining room and seating

Sottture Dakdoritang has its own parking lot, which made it easy to get to by car. If you're looking for a good dakdoritang spot in Seongjeong-dong, this is worth checking out — and once inside, it turned out to be bigger than I expected. It's not the kind of scale you usually see on this particular street, so it caught my eye right away. And parking to match! When you go looking for good food in Cheonan, you sometimes find a great restaurant with terrible parking, so having a proper lot here was a relief.

Sottture Dakdoritang menu and prices

The whole chicken dakdoritang, meant for 2–3 people, was ₩35,000, and the chicken-and-a-half version for 3–5 people was ₩45,000. Inside, the dining room was quite roomy too. Tables weren't crammed together, and there were plenty of spots for larger groups, so it seemed like a good fit for a family meal or even a Seongjeong-dong work dinner. There were also several side dishes on hand that pair well with the stew.

One reason I thought this place would work fine with kids: they have pork cutlet on the menu. So even if a child can't handle spicy chicken stew, you can order a nicely fried cutlet alongside it, which makes it less of a hassle to bring the whole family. That day we ordered the basic whole chicken dakdoritang, plus flat mandu (griddled dumplings), since I'd heard it was a popular side.

Two to three minutes at the table: rice cakes and vegetables first

The dakdoritang comes out already partly cooked, so they said you only need to simmer it another 2–3 minutes at the table. The wait wasn't long, which was nice, and once it had bubbled a bit you're supposed to start with the vegetables and rice cakes. As the pot started bubbling away, that great dakdoritang smell drifted up, and at that point I really just wanted to dig in.

I picked up the rice cakes and vegetables first, and the sauce was exactly my kind of flavor. It reminded me a little of tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), but a bit spicier and with more depth than a typical tteokbokki sauce. It wasn't just aggressively spicy for the sake of it — it was a genuinely well-balanced dakdoritang sauce that paired well with the chicken. The rice cakes had soaked up the seasoning so thoroughly that I kept reaching for them even before I'd touched the chicken.

How was the chicken at Sottture Dakdoritang?

Once the chicken was fully cooked, I dug into the meat properly, and this was another win. The chicken was plump and springy with a nice sheen to it. Whatever chicken they're using seemed fresh — the texture of the meat itself was good, and there wasn't much dryness to it. The sauce had soaked in well, so it was delicious with plain rice, and it would make a great drinking snack too. In particular, the combination of the flat mandu with the chicken that day was surprisingly delicious.

Early-evening mood: is Sottture Dakdoritang good for a group dinner?

This place is apparently known as a dedicated dakdoritang spot in Cheonan, and sure enough, quite a few tables were already clinking glasses in the early evening. There were families eating dinner together, but plenty of tables were friends or coworkers drinking over dakdoritang too. Since the stew itself is hearty with a rich, well-seasoned broth, it really does suit drinking food. If you're looking for a group dinner spot in Seongjeong-dong, this seems like a solid option.

Wrapping the chicken in flat mandu

I pulled off a good bit of chicken meat, set it on a piece of flat mandu, dabbed on a little dakdoritang sauce, and ate it that way — and honestly, I'd recommend this combination to anyone. The crispy griddled mandu with the sweet-spicy dakdoritang sauce and the springy chicken kept me reaching for more.

Ending the meal with self-cooked fried rice

Eating dakdoritang naturally makes you want to add a noodle topping — apparently instant ramen noodles work really well in it too. Spicy sauce plus ramen noodles is hard to go wrong with, but that day we skipped the noodles and went for the self-cooked fried rice as our final course instead. Cooking rice in the leftover sauce is really the essential finishing move for dakdoritang. With egg mixed in too, adding that nutty richness, it was even better than I expected. Even after all the chicken, rice cakes, and flat mandu, the fried rice felt like a whole new beginning!! Spicy sauce, nutty egg, and rice together made for a satisfying finish.

Ice cream after the meal at Sottture Dakdoritang

One small nice touch after finishing the meal: they had ice cream ready as a palate cleanser. After all that spicy dakdoritang, a cold, sweet scoop of ice cream made the meal feel neatly wrapped up. Wrapping chicken in flat mandu was a real treat, and with the self-cooked fried rice on top of everything, I left feeling like I'd properly taken care of a meal.

If you're in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan, craving dakbokkeumtang or dakdoritang, and want somewhere that works for a family meal, drinks with friends, or a group dinner, Sottture Dakdoritang is worth keeping in mind. Next time I'm back near the Seongjeong-dong Lotte Mart, I'll probably stop by hungry again, just like this time. I think next time I'll add the ramen noodles too. And of course, the fried rice at the end is non-negotiable, haha.