Yangju army stew with self-serve rice for solo diners: Choi Budae

I visited Choi Budae Jjigae, a well-known budae-jjigae (army stew) spot in Ojeong, Yangju, and had a really satisfying meal overall — let me walk you through it!

Where is Choi Budae Jjigae, and what are its hours and parking?

• 📍Location: 51 Ojeong-ro 10-gil, 1st floor (partial), Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• ⏰Hours: 10:30-21:00 (weekdays) / 11:00-14:30 (Sunday), closed every Saturday
• 🚘Parking: Available⭕️

The parking lot at this Ojeong, Yangju favorite is behind the restaurant, and you can also park in front, so it's convenient to get to by car!

Is Choi Budae Jjigae comfortable for eating alone?

The interior overall felt more like a comfortable place to sit down and eat than a busy or overwhelming one!

It's a comfortable atmosphere for solo dining too, so you can come without any pressure haha

The table spacing was also just right, so I was comfortable throughout the meal, and the staff were friendly, which made for a pleasant dining experience!

What is on the menu at Choi Budae Jjigae?

The menu at this Ojeong, Yangju favorite is centered around budae-jjigae!

There were also a variety of items you don't often find at other budae-jjigae places, like naengmyeon (cold noodles), grilled Spam, rolled egg, and tteok-mandu-guk (rice cake and dumpling soup)!

There's also a receipt review event, so give it a try haha

Side dishes and the self-serve rice and plum tea bar

First came dongchimi (watery radish kimchi), stir-fried fish cake, and dried radish salad! Since budae-jjigae is a dish with broth and various ham-type ingredients, it's nice to have side dishes to pair with it in between bites, and I was glad they came together haha

The stir-fried fish cake was a familiar side dish that went well with rice, and the dried radish salad had a chewy texture that also paired nicely with the soft rice or soupy dishes!

There was also a self-serve bar set up on one side of the restaurant! Rice and plum tea were ready there, so I could help myself to as much as I needed

When eating budae-jjigae, there are times you want extra rice, and it was nice being able to just grab more from the self-serve bar haha At the end of the meal, I could also have some plum tea! It went well with cleansing the palate after budae-jjigae

How the army stew tastes as it simmers at the table

The budae-jjigae I ordered came out and I started simmering it at the table!

At first it looked like the broth and ingredients were separate, but once it started boiling, the ham, sausage, and tofu blended into the broth and it gradually looked more and more appetizing

As the ingredients heated through and the broth boiled, the flavor of the ham and sausage mixed into the broth, making it richer than at the start haha

The broth was the kind that went well with rice, and rather than one strong, intense flavor dominating, it was a nice balance when I scooped up several ingredients together!

The ham had a soft bite, and the sausage had that distinctive springy texture

With tofu in the budae-jjigae too, it was fun picking out the softer-textured ingredients here and there haha

Eating the tofu after it had simmered enough in the broth, the flavor had soaked in a bit even to the inside!

A filling meal of budae-jjigae with rice

Putting ham and tofu on top of rice and adding a little broth, I could taste several flavors in one spoonful, which was great

The budae-jjigae broth especially went well with rice haha

Soaking the rice a little in the broth and topping it with ham or sausage made for a filling meal on its own, without needing many extra side dishes!