Paju Korean restaurant for budae jjigae: Mom's Uijeongbu

When I’m craving a hot, comforting soup dish near Heyri Art Village in Paju, I recently stopped by Mom's Uijeongbu Budaejjigae (맘스의정부 부대찌개) for lunch while I was over in Heyri! There are lots of cafés and atmospheric restaurants around Heyri Art Village and Provence Village, but sometimes you just crave this kind of hot, spicy Korean food~ Budae jjigae (army stew) is seriously perfect for eating right now. As the weather gets cooler, soup is calling my name.

Close to Heyri Art Village, with parking

Mom's Uijeongbu Budaejjigae is close to Heyri Art Village, so it’s in a great spot for a meal before or after looking around Heyri!!

The restaurant is in the Roadville commercial building, and you can use the parking lot behind it~ Most of all, I loved how easy the parking was. They also support up to two hours of parking, so you can eat at your leisure without worrying about it haha.

The restaurant is spacious enough to handle group diners with no problem! We went for a slightly in-between brunch-and-lunch meal, but once we started eating, customers began coming in!

Kiosk ordering and signature budae jjigae

When we went in, ordering was easy on the kiosk, and you can order through the app too! Places with easy ordering like this are definitely convenient these days. Along with the original budae jjigae, Mom's Uijeongbu Budaejjigae has aged-kimchi budae jjigae, spicy budae jjigae, beef-brisket budae jjigae, and more, plus extras like assorted add-ins and ramen noodles. That day, we ordered the signature budae jjigae for two and added the assorted add-ins.

You can also help yourself to side dishes at the self-service bar.

The basic budae jjigae would have been good on its own, but we wanted lots of different ingredients, so we added the assorted extras!! I also loved that a bowl of rice is included when you order budae jjigae at Mom's Uijeongbu Budaejjigae, so there’s no need to order rice separately! Rice with budae jjigae is essential, right!!

A refreshing budae jjigae broth from bean sprouts

As it started bubbling away, the ham, sausages, and all the add-ins came together—and budae jjigae really tastes best when it’s boiling away right at the table. What especially caught my eye was the bean sprouts. Maybe because the budae jjigae contains bean sprouts, the broth felt much more refreshing and clean than typical budae jjigae, without being overpowering. It was so clean I almost thought, can budae jjigae broth be this clean?

The rich flavor from the ham and sausages was balanced by the refreshing bean sprouts, so the broth didn’t feel too heavy. It had a nice spicy kick that kept me reaching for another spoonful—just right with rice! Adding the assorted extras made it much more generous too. It was fun picking out the classic budae jjigae ingredients like ham and sausage, and with plenty of add-ins, it was quite filling for two people haha.

Assorted add-ins, including ramen noodles

The assorted add-ins even include ramen noodles! Ramen noodles are an absolute must in budae jjigae—something would be missing without them haha. Sometimes it almost feels like I eat budae jjigae just for the ramen noodles!

I think budae jjigae tastes best when you put one piece of an ingredient on a spoonful of rice and eat it with the broth! The refreshing broth with bean sprouts especially had me going back for more! It’s a good place to stop when you’ve only been looking for cafés around Heyri Art Village but need a substantial meal, or when you’re craving a spicy yet refreshing soup dish in Paju. Above all, it’s convenient: parking is easy with two hours supported, and ordering is simple by kiosk or app. If you’re planning to visit Heyri Art Village, budae jjigae is a good meal option. We had the signature budae jjigae this time, so next time I’d like to try the aged-kimchi or beef-brisket version too!