Kid-friendly Korean restaurant in Sinbuldang-dong, Cheonan: Hyangtaek

Where is Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch in Sinbuldang-dong?

Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch is a Korean restaurant at Golden Plaza II, 1st floor units 109-110, 192 Buldang25-ro, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do. It's open daily 11:00-20:00, with a break time from 15:30-17:00 and last order at 15:00 and 19:30. Parking is at the Golden Plaza II building lot, free for 2 hours with a meal.

These days I sometimes crave a meal that's easy on the stomach and satisfying rather than something heavily seasoned — and today was exactly one of those days haha. This time I went to Hyangtaek in Sinbuldang-dong, Cheonan. They had menus that looked good for a clean, simple meal, so I stopped by and ordered eggplant doenjang rice bowl, mackerel gondre rice bowl, and grilled deodeok with mushrooms :) If you're into Korean food that lets the natural flavor of ingredients like eggplant or gondre (mountain greens) shine, these menus are worth a look.

How long is the Friday lunch wait at Hyangtaek?

Inside the dining room

I visited between 1 and 2pm on a Friday and it was fully booked. Waited about 5 minutes before getting a table haha~

The interior is so pretty! Totally my style 🖤 They have a baby chair too :)

Hyangtaek's menu and the banchan that come with it

What's on the menu

This is how the basic side dishes come out — the one next to the salted seafood was so good my second kid asked for a refill and ate a ton of it haha

They gave us kids' tableware too~~ And here's a 🌈how to enjoy Hyangtaek🌈 guide for reference.

What we ordered was eggplant doenjang rice bowl, mackerel gondre rice bowl, and grilled deodeok with mushrooms :)

Eggplant doenjang rice bowl: soft eggplant with savory doenjang

First up was the eggplant doenjang rice bowl! A pretty exciting menu if you like eggplant. Cooked eggplant gets that distinct moist, soft texture, right? Taking a spoonful with rice, the eggplant's softness combines with the savory, salty umami of the doenjang (soybean paste).

The highlight is how the eggplant gently mashes in among the rice, blending naturally rather than sitting apart ✨ The doenjang wasn't the kind of sharply salty style — it played more of a supporting role adding umami when eaten with the rice, which I liked.

After one spoonful, you get rice → eggplant → doenjang flavors all together, so my spoon kept going back for more than I expected ✨ Even if you're not into eggplant's slightly mushy texture on its own, mixed with the seasoning and rice it goes down much easier! Personally, piling plenty of eggplant and doenjang seasoning onto warm rice and taking a big bite was the way to go :)

Mackerel gondre rice bowl: mild grilled mackerel with gondre greens

This dish had a completely different mood from the eggplant doenjang bowl! Mackerel's distinct clean, nutty flavor paired with gondre (mountain greens) made for an overall clean, comfortable eating experience. Mackerel's charm is that eaten with rice it's not dry but has that fishy nuttiness. Adding gondre brought a fragrant herbal note that made it feel much richer than just fish alone :)

Especially with the gondre mixed into the rice, a subtle aroma came through, which I loved 🌈 Add a bit of the salted seafood on top and it's insane‼️‼️

Flake the mackerel a bit, then scoop it up with the gondre and rice together — nutty mackerel + fragrant gondre + clean rice, all three coming together at once. If you prefer the taste of the ingredients themselves over heavy seasoning, this kind of dish will suit you better‼️

Grilled deodeok with mushrooms: fragrant deodeok, chewy mushrooms

And the side dish we ordered alongside — grilled deodeok with mushrooms. Personally, of everything we had that day, this was the one that paired best with the rice bowls. Deodeok (mountain bellflower root) has that distinct fragrant aroma and a crisp yet chewy bite; grilled, it takes on a subtle smoky char while keeping its own scent, which worked well with rice. Deodeok's aroma builds the more you chew it, so this was a dish where slow chewing brought out more flavor than eating it in one bite 🖤

Taking a spoonful of rice bowl then a bite of the grilled deodeok kept switching things up nicely in the mouth. It also works well as a side for rice, and if you like Korean food, adding a dish like this to share is a good idea.

What to order together at Hyangtaek with kids

The three dishes we ordered that day each had a different character, which made them great to share together :) The eggplant doenjang bowl was savory and soft. The mackerel gondre bowl was clean with gondre's fragrance. The grilled deodeok with mushrooms was fragrant with a chewy bite. So rather than just one dish, sharing several made the differences in ingredients and flavor much clearer! Especially good for visiting as a family, each ordering something different and sharing a bit of everything :)

Why Hyangtaek works as a family meal spot in Buldang-dong, Cheonan

Searching for places to eat in Sinbuldang-dong these days, a lot of the options lean toward meat or drinking food. That day at Hyangtaek I got to try dishes using familiar Korean ingredients like eggplant, gondre, mackerel, deodeok, and mushrooms, which I liked :) It felt like a good place to go when craving something a bit lighter and more filling rather than heavy or heavily seasoned food. Especially useful if you're looking for a family meal spot in Sinbuldang-dong or somewhere to eat with your parents, since there's a good variety of menu choices~

Final verdict on Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch

Overall verdict on Hyangtaek, a Korean restaurant spot in Sinbuldang-dong, Cheonan — here's how I'd sum up what we tried :)

• Eggplant doenjang rice bowl → soft eggplant meets savory doenjang
• Mackerel gondre rice bowl → clean mackerel with fragrant gondre
• Grilled deodeok with mushrooms → fragrant deodeok with chewy mushrooms

Above all, all three dishes let the ingredients' flavor come through well when eaten with rice, making them a good fit when craving a filling Korean meal ✨ If you're in Sinbuldang-dong, Cheonan looking for a Korean dish a bit different from usual, Hyangtaek is worth a visit as a Buldang-dong meal spot 🖤 Next time I visit, I'd like to try the other dishes one by one 🌈