Cheongsu-dong BBQ in Cheonan with open-door seats: Motsaenggin

Today I'm introducing my favorite BBQ restaurant in Cheonan :) Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji has several branches in Cheonan and Asan, but the one I visited this time is the Cheongdang branch!

Where is Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch? Location, hours and parking

Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch is on the 1st floor of 39 Cheongsu9-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, right in front of the Cheongdang-dong Hanaro Mart. It's open daily from 11:30 to 24:00, last order at 23:00, and you can park at the nearby Cheonan public parking lot.

• Address: 39 Cheongsu9-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: Daily 11:30 - 24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Parking: nearby Cheonan public parking lot

This Cheongdang-dong spot sits right in front of the Hanaro Mart, and the sign is big enough that it's easy to spot at a glance haha.

There's also a Hanaro Mart public parking lot right out front, so it's an easy spot to park and walk straight in!

A big dining room for Cheongdang-dong group dinners, plus open-door seats by the entrance

Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch has a large dining area with plenty of seats, making it a great spot for Cheongdang-dong work dinners or group gatherings. My seat near the entrance had the door open, so I got to grill meat with that outdoor-dining feel.

With such a spacious floor and so many seats, this would also be a great option if you're looking for a Cheongdang-dong group dinner spot or a place for a gathering :)

My seat was close to the entrance, and since the weather's been nice lately, they had the door open! So I got to grill meat with that open-air feeling, which was really great haha. If you're looking for outdoor-style dining in Cheonan, go to Motddung Cheongdang!!

The table setting and self-serve banchan bar at Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch

The standard table setting at Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch includes salted pollock roe, seaweed, washed aged kimchi, perilla leaf kimchi, plus a fried egg and corn mayo. Corn mayo refills are ₩500, and you can help yourself freely to the self-serve bar side dishes without feeling awkward about it.

Here's the standard table setting! The meat hadn't even come out yet and the side dishes were already so varied, right? Just the standard side dishes alone — salted pollock roe, seaweed, washed aged kimchi, perilla leaf kimchi and more — come out generously, so you can enjoy the meat in many different ways,

A fried egg and corn mayo came out too! As someone who really loves corn mayo, I was so happy to see it at a BBQ place. And when you want more, it's just ₩500, so refilling felt totally guilt-free haha.

True to its reputation as a Cheongdang-dong favorite, the self-serve bar was stocked with a wide variety of fresh side dishes! Popular restaurants are often so busy that refilling banchan can feel awkward, but at Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch, the free refills made it easy.

Menu and prices

Please refer to the photo for the menu :)

Raw pork ribs for two and cheonsang pork jowl for one, grilled by the staff

That day I ordered raw pork ribs for two people and cheonsang pork jowl for one at Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch. The staff grilled the meat themselves, so nobody in our group had to be busy manning the grill.

While we were eating the side dishes, the meat arrived! What I ordered was raw pork ribs for two and cheonsang pork jowl for one — you can tell at a glance how thick and fresh the meat looks, right?

Another perk of this Cheonan spot — the staff grill the meat for you, so no one has to be stuck grilling the whole time haha. At work dinners, it's usually the youngest staff or whoever ends up grilling and feeling awkward about it, but at Motddung in Cheonan, you don't need to worry about that at all haha.

While waiting for the meat to grill, I wrapped some rice in the roasted seaweed side dish and it was so good haha. The meat here is delicious, but if you come with kids, wrapping rice in seaweed like this would be a nice option for them too.

The raw pork ribs, grilled to a golden brown! They almost looked like pork jowl — a look I'd never seen before!!

The owner's jeotgal wrap combos at Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji

At Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch, the owner personally comes by to show you how to eat. From a seaweed, soy sauce, and scallion combo to dipping the meat in hairtail jeotgal (salted fermented hairtail) topped with perilla leaf and ginger — all using the side dishes provided.

For my first bite, I was wrapping the meat in white kimchi when the owner came over and showed me how to eat it deliciously :)

Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji's recommended wrap flavors! You just use the variety of side dishes at this Cheonan spot to combine them haha. Shall we take a look together?

First, combo No. 1: seaweed, meat, soy sauce, and scallion! Wrapping the meat in seaweed was a surprisingly fresh combination, and it was delicious too.

No. 2: pickled radish, kelp, meat, soy sauce, and scallion! This combo cut through the richness of the meat with the tangy pickled radish and kelp — sour and delicious!

No. 4: dip the meat in hairtail jeotgal, then top with perilla leaf, scallion, soy sauce, and ginger! The owner said this tastes like eel, and surprisingly, there was no fishy taste from the jeotgal at all — it really did taste like eel, which was amazing.

This is the version dipped generously in salted pollock roe! I'm not usually a fan of pollock roe, but eaten this way it was nutty and really delicious haha.

Rib bones or cheonsang pork jowl — which cut was best?

Of everything I tried at Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch, my personal favorite was the raw pork ribs. The rib bones came out whole, already scissor-cut so they were easy to pick apart, and the cheonsang pork jowl we ordered alongside was also nicely chewy.

Since I ordered raw pork ribs, the rib bones actually came out too haha — that's a treat in itself, and they'd already scissor-cut them so they were easy to pick up, giving me the taste of ribs along with the samgyeopsal-style meat. The cheonsang pork jowl we ordered was also really chewy and delicious! But personally, having tried nearly every cut at Motddung, raw pork ribs came out on top for me haha. This Cheonan spot does specialty cuts really well, so I'd recommend trying cuts here that are hard to find at other samgyeopsal places.

Final verdict on Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch

Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch in Cheonan is a great place to pair thick cuts of meat with a wide range of side dishes :) The meat is fresh and delicious, and with so many banchan on offer, it's also a good spot for a Cheongdang-dong group dinner or a visit with family or a partner haha. Personally, it's one of my favorite samgyeopsal spots in Cheonan, and I'd confidently recommend it to any friend visiting Cheonan — definitely worth a visit.