Grilled raw beef bulgogi dipped in broth in Cheongju: Ojangdong

721 Danjae-ro, Nam-il-myeon, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk, South Korea, with its own dedicated parking lot. Open 11:00–20:40 with no break time. Closed every Wednesday, or the following day if it falls on a holiday.

Hi everyone, it's Matjjang's Jeongseok! Today I visited a hanwoo (Korean beef) raw bulgogi restaurant in Nam-il-myeon, Cheongju called Ojangdong Heungnamjip. The place is huge with its own parking lot, so it's great for group gatherings or events too. The food quality and taste are excellent and the atmosphere is nice, making it a good spot to bring your parents.

The menu at Ojangdong Heungnamjip Cheongju Branch

The signature menu consists of hanwoo raw bulgogi, hanwoo gukbap (beef soup rice), and Hamhung-style cold noodles. The noodles come as mul-naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth), bibim-naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles), and hoe-naengmyeon (cold noodles with raw fish), and there's hoe-muchim (spicy raw fish salad) and suyuk (boiled pork slices) as side menu options.

I heard Ojangdong Heungnamjip was the first restaurant in Cheongju to sell hanwoo raw bulgogi. They only use grade 1++ or 1+ hanwoo for the beef in this dish!

Ojangdong Heungnamjip first opened in 1953, serving traditional Hamhung-style cold noodles with savory ox-bone broth, chewy sweet potato starch noodles, and skate hoe-muchim (spicy raw fish salad) — a heritage restaurant now run by the third generation.

It's actually a restaurant that appeared on the TV show Wednesday Food Talk.

Ordering is done via kiosk. We ordered two servings of hanwoo raw bulgogi. The flavor is outstanding — they use grade 2+ hanwoo (wait, actually 1++/1+ as noted) seasoned the moment you order with handmade soy sauce aged over 240 hours, so it can't help but taste amazing.

Self-serve bar side dishes and hot broth

If you run out of side dishes, you can grab more from the self-serve bar. Since every dish is made in-house with care, I'd recommend taking small portions multiple times rather than piling a lot on your plate and leaving leftovers.

What I loved even more is that not just noodle eaters but anyone ordering any dish can freely enjoy the broth. The side dishes were also reassuring — everything is domestic (Korean-sourced), except for the squid jeotgal (salted squid), including the kimchi.

The size of the restaurant and group bookings

The interior is huge. The first floor is big enough to seat about 100 people, and the second floor is a space that can be booked for groups of around 50. Apparently the second floor can be reserved for groups of 30 or more.

There are signs all around the restaurant explaining how to enjoy the food best. The cold noodles might taste a bit bland at first, so adding vinegar and mustard to taste can make them even more delicious.

How do you eat hanwoo raw bulgogi?

The hanwoo raw bulgogi uses only domestic 1++ or 1+ hanwoo, tossed the instant you order it in soy sauce seasoning aged for 240 hours, so it's on a whole different level from beef bulgogi hot pots elsewhere. It comes with vegetables — the meat goes in the center of the grill, while vegetables, glass noodles, and broth surround the edges, so you can dip the meat in the broth for a moist bite or grill it on the plate for a smokier, nuttier flavor.

The hot broth I grabbed from the self-serve bar was warm and savory — genuinely delicious. It really whets your appetite. I highly recommend grabbing some from the self-serve bar.

If you take part in the Naver receipt review event, you get a free soju, beer, or soft drink.

The side dish spread

They bring out the side dishes. The center grill has a special design — the edges hold the broth while the center is the actual grilling surface. Various seasonings are also set out on the table so you can sprinkle them on to taste.

• Fresh salad, crunchy watery cabbage kimchi, seasoned lettuce and green onion salad
• Bok choy namul, garlic scapes, pickled wood ear mushrooms, green onion kimchi

Even the cheongpomuk-muchim (seasoned mung bean jelly salad) is mild yet refined — the kind of side dishes older folks would really enjoy.

The taste of 1++ hanwoo raw bulgogi

Then they bring out the hanwoo raw bulgogi right away — and the visual is seriously impressive. Grade 1++ hanwoo with that gorgeous marbling, tossed fresh in seasoning right before serving... plus a variety of vegetables and glass noodles, hitting both flavor and health in one dish.

There's plenty of minced garlic mixed in too, doubling the savory flavor — a dish that's basically impossible for anyone, young or old, not to love.

They grill it perfectly on the plate, and taking a bite with the seasoned lettuce and green onion salad — it just melts in your mouth.

1++ hanwoo really is on a different level. Especially eaten with plain white rice — I don't think there's a Korean alive who could dislike this dish. It just melts away in your mouth.

The glass noodles are chewy and soaked through with the seasoned broth — the sweet-and-savory balance is incredible. Noodles, meat, and white rice together... honestly, two people could eat this and one might not even notice if something went wrong, it's that good.

The beef quality is so good that no matter how you eat it, it's guaranteed to be delicious.

This isn't just a regular beef bulgogi hot pot — because you grill the meat on the plate and then dip it into the seasoned broth, the seasoning really soaks into the meat and there's a subtle smoky aroma too, which makes it even more delicious. This style of bulgogi isn't common, so I felt like you really have to come to Ojangdong Heungnamjip to try this exact dish.

Everything on the menu, aside from the squid jeotgal (salted squid), is domestically sourced, including all the side dishes.

A café discount after your meal

If you bring your receipt from Ojangdong Heungnamjip, you can get a 10% discount at Cafe Eclogue, which won an award for beautiful architecture in Cheongju — worth a stop if you're planning a café visit after your meal.

Wrap-up

Today I visited Ojangdong Heungnamjip, a raw beef bulgogi restaurant in Nam-il-myeon, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju — a genuinely great restaurant carrying on deep flavors through three generations. The hanwoo raw bulgogi I had was a special dish grilled on a unique plate and dipped in broth, letting you enjoy both the smoky char and the tender beef flavor at once. It felt immediately like food made with care using high-quality ingredients — a refined taste. The restaurant is spacious with a clean, upscale interior, making it a great choice for hosting guests or bringing your parents. It also offers group bookings, so it'd be a great spot for a company dinner too!