Cheongju diner with barley water and free makgeolli: Ttukbangjip

Today I went to [ Ttukbangjip ] in Sajik-dong, Cheongju! What's really unusual about this place is that they only do lunch business haha. I'd been wanting to go for ages but the timing never worked out, so I finally went with my boyfriend when our schedules matched!

Ttukbangjip in Sajik-dong, Cheongju: address, hours and parking

• Address: 435 Musimseo-ro, 1st floor, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00–15:00 (last order 14:00)
• Parking: Available in front of the restaurant

Why is a lunch-only place this busy?

It really does seem like being open only for lunch means they get a lot of customers!

There was a smoky charcoal grill smell filling the air from right at the entrance haha. It seemed like the owner was grilling it all personally — really sweating and toiling over it, so of course it's going to taste good! The place was pretty spacious~~~~ and the tables were spaced far enough apart that we could talk comfortably.

They said if you write a receipt review, they'll give you Cheongju makgeolli (rice wine) as a freebie!!!!!

What we ordered at Ttukbangjip and what it cost

What we ordered was: charcoal gochujang pork ₩14,000 (for 2), and rice ₩1,000 (2 bowls)!

The water wasn't just plain water but seemed to be barley water??? Honestly regular water tastes a bit fishy to me so I can't drink it easily. This was such a nice touch for someone like me!

Self-serve side dish bar, barley water and free cheonggukjang

They bring out about 4 side dishes~~~ and every single one was really tasty! The kimchi especially was totally my style haha.

If you run low on side dishes while eating, you can just grab more from the self-serve bar!

They also bring out scallion salad and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew)!

I was shocked when I saw the cheonggukjang. They give you this as a basic side...? No way, seriously lol. This isn't your average basic cheonggukjang. It's packed full of beans inside, and the broth was so delicious I kept going back for more!!!!! I think this place might actually be a cheonggukjang specialist haha.

Charcoal gochujang pork for two: portion size and taste

The meat came out right after the cheonggukjang! Wow... can you see how it looks? Looks so delicious hehe. It's a portion for two, and there's quite a lot of it!!!!!

And the combination with the cheonggukjang was so good! The gochujang pork is a bit spicy but not super, super hot, you know? But the cheonggukjang has a slight kick to it, so I just kept eating!

I have another post about a spicy seafood noodle place where I really dug in face-first, and I felt the same thing there — some places where the first bite is just okay, but the more you eat, the more you keep going without getting tired of it, still tasting like that first bite. I felt that Ttukbangjip is exactly that kind of place! You just keep eating. You don't get sick of it! It really felt like the textbook definition of Korean home-style cooking!

Two bowls of rice from someone who never finishes one

I can't even finish one bowl of rice normally! When my boyfriend and I go out to eat, I eat so little that he ends up struggling to finish my leftovers too — but here it was the opposite lol.

Can you see this...? It's the rare sight of me eating the rice my boyfriend left behind lol (he usually can't eat much at his first meal lol). This is a genuinely good restaurant that got even a small eater like me to finish two bowls of rice lol. I think the cheonggukjang especially is the kicker! Honestly, even while writing this post I want to go back again~~~~~~~ Please keep the business running for a long time, owner... T.T

Cleaned my plate down to the kimchi!!!!! If you're looking for a place to eat in Sajik-dong, Cheongju, I highly, highly recommend [ Ttukbangjip ]!!!!!