Market-style mackerel baekban, Cheonan Korean restaurant: Hyangtaek

I visited Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch, well known as a Korean restaurant in Buldang-dong, Cheonan. It's a place where anyone looking for good Korean food in Cheonan or Buldang-dong — office workers, families, couples — can comfortably enjoy the true flavor of Korean cooking.

The signature dishes include the eggplant doenjang (soybean paste) bowl with a deep, savory flavor, mackerel gondre (dried gondre greens) rice combining fragrant gondre with light, clean-tasting fish, herring roe bibim noodles with a popping, umami-rich texture, and the chamnamul (aster greens) squid bowl loaded with fresh greens and squid. Hyangtaek is a Korean restaurant specializing in dishes that bring out the natural flavor of each season's ingredients.

What kind of Korean restaurant is Hyangtaek?

Hyangtaek started in 2022 in a quiet, roughly 23-square-meter space in Gyo-dong, Daegu. Over time, with care added along the way, it grew into the well-known Korean restaurant it is today. It keeps a standard that doesn't change with time — the natural flavor of good ingredients — and makes Korean food that fits naturally into everyday life. Hyangtaek's food and space aren't flashy, but they aim to be memorable.

Gim, seasoning sauce and vinegar: the sides you need for mixing

These are the side dishes for eating Hyangtaek's food the best way. Laver, sauce, and vinegar are all delicious eaten alongside a bibimbap-style bowl.

Before eating, read the 'how to eat it deliciously' guide first — it'll help you enjoy Hyangtaek's food even more.

Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch was so clean that I felt good the whole meal.

There's a Naver receipt review event here — leave a review and get free hanpan mushrooms.

Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch menu and prices

Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch menu

• Rice dishes – Mackerel gondre rice 14.0 / Eggplant soybean paste bowl 13.0 / Yukhoe bibimbap 14.0 / Chamnamul squid bowl 13.0
• Noodles – Herring roe bibim noodles 13.0
• Sides – Grilled deodeok mushrooms 9.0 / Hanpan mushrooms 6.0 / Hanpan galbi 10.0 / Cheongsong-style chicken bulgogi 9.0

Ordering mackerel gondre rice, eggplant doenjang bowl and grilled deodeok

I ordered mostly signature dishes: mackerel gondre rice and the eggplant soybean paste bowl for the meal, plus grilled deodeok mushrooms as a side. It was more delicious than I expected.

The mackerel gondre rice struck a great balance between the mackerel's clean flavor and the fragrant gondre greens, and the eggplant soybean paste bowl had an outstanding, soft doenjang flavor.

With the table set full at Hyangtaek, the meal begins.

How to eat Hyangtaek's mackerel gondre rice

To eat the mackerel gondre rice, use your chopsticks to tear the mackerel into small pieces, then mix it evenly with the rice and sauce, and take a full spoonful.

The eggplant soybean paste bowl is delicious the same way — tear the eggplant apart and add a bit of vinegar.

The mackerel gondre rice is also great wrapped in laver — adding a bit of the jeotgal (salted seafood) that comes with it makes it a real treat.

Old market mackerel baekban, sized for one lunch

Hyangtaek's food carries the memory of old market meals. Markets have mackerel or hairtail baekban (set meals), and here that idea is elevated into something refined. Tearing the mackerel apart and mixing it into the rice, the flavor that spreads in your mouth is amazing.

Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch is a great spot for lunch. There's nothing better for a quick, satisfying meal, which is why so many people come in during lunch hours. If you're craving a simple, delicious lunch, come to Hyangtaek.

All of Hyangtaek's ingredients are domestic. That's how a Korean restaurant should be, haha.

If you visit Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch, try ordering what I ordered — the dishes went really well together.

Where do you park at Hyangtaek Cheonan Buldang Branch?

Parking is free at the restaurant building. Whether it's lunch or dinner, you can eat without worrying about parking, so feel free to bring your car.