Black soybean noodle set in Sintanjin, Daejeon: Baengnyeon Boribap

Living alone, I sometimes crave a proper, healthy home-cooked meal. Shopping for ingredients and cooking at home is a hassle, and I can't even manage storing the ingredients — grilled fish especially is just out of the question haha.

Missing a full, healthy home-style spread, I went to 'Baengnyeon Boribap' in Wa-dong, Daejeon — let me introduce it.

Where is Baengnyeon Boribap and when is it open?

• 📍358 Sintanjin-ro, 1st floor, Baengnyeon Boribap, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon (Wa-dong)
• ⏰Daily 11:00–20:30 / break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 19:40
• 🅿️Dedicated parking available
• ✔️Reservations, solo dining, groups welcome
• ✅Kids' chairs, small plates, forks provided

It really stands out along the main road. My boyfriend commutes past this street and spotted it right away. A great pick for a family meal in Sintanjin.

The parking lot is really huge, right? There's space for 30 cars right in front of the restaurant. I could even see a second lot behind the café next door.

You can check the signature menu items even from outside :)

Inside Baengnyeon Boribap: seating and atmosphere

Even if there's a wait, you can relax comfortably in the waiting area at Baengnyeon Boribap :) The interior is really clean and spacious. The decor felt cozy and warm, and what I loved even more was how warmly the owner greeted us. The staff even wear cute 'Baengnyeon' headbands.

Menu and prices: black soybean noodle sets at 14,500 won

Baengnyeon Boribap has everything from the basic barley rice set menu and kids' barley rice sets to individual dishes like pork bone soup, pork cutlet, pork bulgogi, and grilled mackerel — a lineup that could satisfy anyone's taste.

📍Our order Soybean noodle barley rice mackerel set — 14,500 Soybean noodle barley rice pork bulgogi set — 14,500

We picked from the signature menu, and isn't it a great combo that lets you have both the soybean noodles and the barley rice main all in one meal?

You order and pay right at the table.

A big plate for piling on self-serve bar side dishes was already set out. Gochujang (red chili paste) and sesame oil are set on every table too.

What's on the 12-dish self-serve banchan bar?

They say the self-serve bar at Baengnyeon Boribap has 12 dishes that change slightly every day.

• Cold cucumber soup, acorn jelly, cabbage salad
• Sautéed mushrooms, white kimchi, sautéed eggplant
• Braised pork in soy sauce, radish salad, perilla leaf shoots
• Sautéed zucchini, seasoned bean sprouts

There's even japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and wrap vegetables... pretty generous, right?

Both barley rice and white rice are ready to go, so you can help yourself to as much as you want. Every side dish was neat and tidy, none too spicy or heavily seasoned — on the milder side, with the natural flavor of the ingredients coming through, which suited my palate perfectly.

How the mackerel and jeyuk pork set meals arrive

The soybean noodles, pork bulgogi, and grilled mackerel are set down together,

Barley rice comes as the default, but if you're not a fan, just grab white rice from the self-serve bar instead. The full spread is so generous, right?

We brought over small portions of whatever side dishes we wanted from the self-serve bar.

You shouldn't get greedy since you have to finish it all. A swirl of gochujang and sesame oil, mix in the side dishes, and give it a good stir. Ah, my mouth is watering just thinking about it :)

As expected, mixed rice bowls like this can't taste bad — it's just fundamentally good flavor.

Hmm, it had been a while since I properly ate barley rice, and the chewy, bouncy texture was so good.

Seoritae soybean noodle soup: add salt first

The soybean noodles genuinely taste healthy and good. They're unseasoned by default, so they give you salt — add it little by little and you'll hit that 'oh, this is it!' flavor everyone knows.

My boyfriend grumbled that he's a sugar person, not a salt person, but after trying the salt he slurped up the whole broth.

Jeyuk stir-fried pork and grilled mackerel

Pork bulgogi and grilled mackerel are the kind of flavors just about anyone would like. My boyfriend even went back for another bowl of rice just to finish the last bite of pork bulgogi and ended up completely stuffed. I also got a second helping of barley rice and mixed it up twice :)

The mackerel is domestically sourced. It was on the thinner side, but tasted quite good — no fishiness and the salt seasoning wasn't overdone, which personally satisfied me.

Dessert: rice snacks, coffee and 17-grain misugaru

For dessert, rice snacks, coffee, and misugaru are all set out.

After finishing your meal, treat yourself to a light dessert bite :)

Maybe because it has 17 grains, the misugaru is so nutty and tastes genuinely healthy and delicious. You have to try it.

✅Leave a Naver review and they'll give you one of the rice crispy snacks they sell. When we visited, some guests enjoyed the rice crispy dessert so much they went back in to buy some to take home :)

Is Baengnyeon Boribap worth a visit?

• ✔️A healthy, generous Korean meal
• ✔️Spacious, comfortable space
• ✔️Perfect for dates or family gatherings
• ✔️Plus a friendly owner :)
• ✔️Highly recommend for a meal that leaves you in a good mood.

Another really delicious meal today. I should bring my mom here next time she visits Daejeon.