Warm Stool Sitter · 8 stories

A Warm Stool Through Daejeon and Jeju

Writes about small restaurants and cafes found while wandering through Daejeon, Chungcheong, and Jeju. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés

PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Quiet gyukatsu restaurant in Cheonan Sinbu-dong for catching up: Izawa

Izawa Cheonan Sinbu-dong Branch is a Japanese restaurant in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan, specialising in gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet), where each table has a mini grill for cooking the gyukatsu to your preferred doneness. The writer grilled the gyukatsu crispy outside and juicy inside, ate it with sauce and wasabi, and liked the rice and salad refills and the quiet atmosphere. Izawa Cheonan Sinbu-dong Branch suits anyone in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan who wants a gyukatsu meal and a good chat with a friend.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Burger break in Cheonan Shinsegae: spicy bacon double, Downtown Burger

Downtown Burger Shinsegae Department Store Cheonan-Asan is a handmade burger shop on the 4th floor of Building B at Shinsegae Department Store in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan. During a shopping trip, the writer ate an avocado burger and a spicy burger with bacon, both with double patties: the sauce cut the richness of the avocado, and the spicy burger was hard to stop eating. With 1 cola refill and a clean dining room, Downtown Burger Cheonan-Asan is worth a return visit for a date or a meal with friends while shopping.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuRestaurants

Hamdeok black pork BBQ with an aging fridge at the door: Jeju Samchun

Jeju Samchun (제주삼춘) is a black pork BBQ restaurant near Hamdeok Beach in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, where staff grill aged black pork for you over a charcoal brazier. At dinner the writer ordered the 500g Jocha Set (neck and pork belly) with pollock roe, grilled seaweed and meljeot (salted anchovy sauce), got a free kimchi stew through the receipt review event, and added more neck after a round of somaek (soju mixed with beer). The halogen lighting was a letdown, but Jeju Samchun's aged black pork and the ease of having it grilled for you made it a satisfying black pork spot on Jeju's east side.

Written Jul 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamCafés

Sinbu-dong café in Cheonan: first white macadamia financier, Brewers

Brewers Coffee Cheonan Sinbu Branch is a baked-goods café in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan, near the bus terminal. On this visit the writer tried the white macadamia financier for the first time, alongside the usual go-to salted caramel financier and 2 iced americanos. With financiers made from generous ingredients and coffee that is not too acidic, Brewers Coffee is a good fit for anyone in Sinbu-dong who wants both dessert and atmosphere.

Written Jul 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, DaejeonRestaurants

Daejeon pork bone grill: medium-spice sauce vs salt-grilled, Yeonam

Yeonam Charcoal-Grilled Pork Backbone & Gamjatang is a charcoal-grilled pork backbone and gamjatang (pork bone stew) restaurant in Daeheung-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, near Sungsimdang. On a second visit, two people had dinner at Yeonam with a medium half-and-half pork bone grill platter and make-your-own rice balls. The medium-spice sauced bones were savory rather than sweet, and the salt-grilled bones were mild and not salty. The portion was large, so two people should order a small with sides; Yeonam's 2 leftover pieces went home as takeout.

Written Aug 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Retro Korean BBQ in Cheonan with cheese egg custard: Sampyeong Sikdang

Sampyeong Sikdang Cheonan Sinbu Branch is a retro-style Korean BBQ restaurant near Cheonan Terminal in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan, serving quick-frozen pork belly (naengsam) grilled at the table. The writer grilled the frozen pork belly alongside kimchi and minari (water dropwort) and added a cheese-overflowing dirty egg custard, stew and cold noodles with icy broth, but the old-school grill house atmosphere left the strongest impression. For frozen pork belly and a drink in a genuinely retro setting in Sinbu-dong, Sampyeong Sikdang Cheonan Sinbu Branch is worth a visit.

Written Sep 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamCafés

Dog-friendly Cheonan café window seat and cream brûlée flan: Brewers

Brewers Coffee Cheonan Sinbu Branch is a dog-friendly café in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan, known for financiers and baked goods. Sitting at a window seat with her dog Mango, the writer ordered two iced Americanos, a salty caramel financier and a cream brûlée flan for a total of 18,500 won. After more than 10 visits, she plans to return to Brewers Coffee for the desserts and the friendly staff.

Written Sep 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, DaejeonRestaurants

Daejeon pasta restaurant with bushman bread for cream sauce: Plate

Plate is a pasta and steak restaurant in an alley in Sunhwa-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon. On this third visit to Plate, the order was bacon cacio e pepe (10,900 won), steak cream ragu (15,900 won) and corn cream soup (1,500 won), finished with an extra bushman bread to mop up the leftover cream sauce. Plate seats only four or five parties, so expect a weekend wait, but it sits near Sungsimdang and slots easily into a Daejeon trip.

Written Aug 21, 2026Sponsored
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