Cheongju Korean restaurant that fits a baby trike: Jeju Badang

Where is Jeju Badang, and is there parking?

Jeju Badang is on the 2nd floor of 28 Seohyeonnam-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk — right next to Ipark and Gagyeongjai apartments haha^^ The parking lot is big and I had Jeju Badang set as my destination, but a raw fish restaurant popped up instead so I was briefly confused~~!

I'd been meaning to try Jeju Badang for a while and kept putting it off, then finally remembered and went for it :)

It's on the 2nd floor! Just park and take the elevator up. Jeju Badang uses ingredients from Jeju, so the taste is basically guaranteed :)

Why Jeju Badang works with a baby: seats wide enough for a trike

The dining hall at Jeju Badang had seats wide enough to just wheel the trike straight in and set the baby down. I've been taking my baby's trike instead of a high chair lately, and this place had plenty of room for it.

When I arrived well past lunch hour there were still quite a few people, and by the time I left as lunch was wrapping up, I could actually get a photo of the empty hall.

Jeju Badang also has a kids' zone

And there's a kids' zone where older kids can play, which is nice if a baby can't sit still through the meal haha. Seeing the doodles on the wall, I thought — maybe the owner has kids too haha.

What's at the self-serve corner: chicken, japchae, and drinks

At this Cheongju favorite, once you order a main you get access to the self-serve corner for side dishes! The chicken here is genuinely delicious...!

The japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) was warm, like it had just been made

The chicken was so crisp it must have been freshly fried — it genuinely tasted like something from a proper fried chicken shop. I figured they were frying the chicken in the same fresh oil they use for the grilled tilefish. Anyway, absolutely delicious. I joked that this place could pass as a chicken restaurant — I was almost full before the hairtail even arrived.

There's even a proper drinks setup at the self bar, and you can finish off with a coffee on the way out!

Unlimited seaweed soup and stir-fried pork at Jeju Badang

There are banchan (side dishes) already set at the table when you sit down, and anything not included there is at the self bar. Ask staff and the seaweed soup and pork stir-fry (jeyuk bokkeum) come unlimited! The pork stir-fry here is delicious too ^^ honestly every side dish was good~

The lunch set: boneless braised hairtail and grilled tilefish

For the lunch set at Jeju Badang I ordered boneless braised hairtail and grilled tilefish. The tilefish was so tender and chewy, cooked almost like it was fried, so the outside was crispy^^ Honestly you could fill up on the basic banchan alone^^

The tilefish is really big. If you come here, I'd definitely recommend getting the grilled tilefish. The braised hairtail's sauce is great too, but the tilefish is genuinely delicious.

The braised hairtail is boneless with braised radish laid underneath~ the radish was cooked really well^^

The rice is pot rice.. it really felt like a solid, satisfying lunch.

Between the side dishes and the chicken I was already stuffed, but I still finished off both the grilled tilefish and braised hairtail without leaving anything~

Jeju flavors in Cheongju: is Jeju Badang worth it?

If you're in Cheongju looking for a taste of Jeju, I recommend Jeju Badang! You can really feel the clean, well-made flavors of Jeju there.

So crispy on the outside~ it was really delicious