Paju Korean restaurant for perilla oil tofu: Cheonje Guksu

A great Paju spot for noodles and pork suyuk. We stopped by near Heyri with our child and had such a satisfying, filling dinner 🙂

Cheonje Guksu location and parking in Paju

Cheonje Guksu (천제국수) is a 7-minute drive from Heyri Village in Paju. There is a dedicated parking lot in front of the restaurant, and it is open daily from 11:30 to 20:00. On weekends it closes at 19:30, and it is regularly closed every Tuesday.

We had gone out around Heyri on a weekday evening and, while wondering what to have for dinner, spotted that they had simple noodle dishes as well as suyuk, so we gave it a try. It had been a long time since I visited Heyri Village, and now that the evenings are cooler, it is such a nice place to wander around. Even though it is nearby, I somehow had not gone much—I should visit more often haha.

Cheonje Guksu gave us very generous portions, and everything tasted clean and delicious, so we enjoyed our meal. The restaurant was in a quiet area, but it was convenient to reach by car, and the open space in front of the parking lot was spacious, so there was no need to worry about parking.

Inside the restaurant and seating

We went for dinner at around 7 p.m. It felt a little late, but the owner welcomed us kindly.

Perhaps because they also make tofu, they seem confident about their kongguksu (cold noodles in soy milk broth), too. I heard it is also known as a great kongguksu spot 🙂

There was also a tidy self-service station. Kimchi and vegetables were prepared there!

One side of the restaurant had tables, and there was floor seating as well, so you can choose whichever is more comfortable. We like floor seating, so that is where we ate 🙂

The restaurant was very clean, and perhaps because it had not been open for long, it felt pleasant and fresh.

What we ordered at Cheonje Guksu

We ordered janchi guksu (banquet noodles) for ₩7,000, one serving of pork suyuk for ₩7,000, and perilla oil grilled tofu for ₩7,000. There was also a suyuk-and-tofu set, but we wanted something light with noodles, so we ordered one serving of suyuk—and the owner gave us such a generous amount.

We are a family of three with a 9-year-old, and we ordered two bowls of janchi guksu—wow, we were so full 😉 They are so generous haha.

Janchi guksu, pork suyuk, and tofu

The side dishes arrived right after we ordered. They even served large pieces of tofu among the banchan (Korean side dishes). The tofu was wonderfully nutty~ The peppers and kimchi tasted freshly made in-house, too. The crisp peppers were lightly seasoned, which made them perfect with the noodles.

Our child enjoyed the tofu, too. The perilla oil tofu we ordered was grilled beautifully as well. The pieces were huge, so honestly, I could have been full just from the tofu haha.

The tofu was grilled in perilla oil, and tofu is surprisingly difficult to grill. If you do it wrong, it breaks apart, and getting it nicely golden takes care. They grilled it beautifully golden~ It was not too oily, so we enjoyed it as a light dish.

The boiled pork had absolutely no unpleasant smell. Once again, our child ate all the suyuk haha. I cannot believe they serve such a generous portion for ₩7,000 for one serving—we initially considered ordering two, but one was plenty filling. The balance of fat and lean meat was just right, and it had been simmered to a lovely chewy texture.

The seasoned radish that came with it also had strips of dried squid. The seasoned chives were thin, nutrient-rich chives? Those kinds of chives are tastier. Overall, I could feel that the owner puts a great deal of care into preparing the food.

We dipped it in salted shrimp and enjoyed it. They said the one-serving pork suyuk can only be ordered with noodles.

The noodles were generously topped with fried tofu, zucchini, and chives. The broth was a clear anchovy broth, but the anchovy aroma was not overly intense, which I liked. There was no fishiness at all; it was clean yet deep. Our child loves fried tofu, and was happy that there was plenty of it haha.

We enjoyed it with kimchi. Kimchi and noodles were a great match.

And something that quietly caught my eye during the meal was the tableware. From the noodles to the side dishes and suyuk, everything was served in yugi (traditional Korean brassware). Perhaps because the soft golden glow of yugi suits food so well, even an ordinary meal felt a little more neat and warm 🙂

As an aside, I have wanted to get yugi tableware for guests for a long time, but it is pricier than I expected, so I am still just thinking about it haha. When dining out with a child, I always check first whether there is something they can eat. That day, our child happily ate the janchi guksu with fried tofu, as well as the tender suyuk and tofu, so we were able to have a relaxed meal, too.