Cupboard Cafe Goer · 12 stories

Quiet Cupboard, Gyeonggi and Daejeon/Chungcheong Cafes

Writes about small cafes and everyday restaurants across Gyeonggi and Daejeon/Chungcheong. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés

PlaceAsan, ChungnamRestaurants

Pork BBQ in Baebang, Asan: beat the line for pork skirt at Arego Gogi

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch is a charcoal BBQ restaurant serving 48-hour aged pork on the eating street one minute from Baebang Station in Asan, Chungnam. Knowing Arego Gogi usually has a wait, the writer arrived right at opening and grilled two plates of whole galmaegisal (pork skirt, 150g) and a 200g whole pork neck over charcoal. The meal came with the kimchi stew served when you order 3 or more servings of meat and ssam greens from the self-serve bar. Verdict: Arego Gogi's aged pork is chewy yet clean-tasting and the side dishes are generous, making it a good-value BBQ spot in Baebang.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
PlacePyeongtaek, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pyeongtaek shabu-shabu: 2 servings for 3, 4 beef add-ons, Songdam

Songdam Kalguksu (송담칼국수) is a shabu-shabu and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) Korean restaurant near Anjung Station in Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi. Because Songdam Kalguksu has no break time, the writer, her sister and a child arrived after 3 pm, ordered 2 servings of mild beef shabu-shabu (₩11,000 each), added 140g of beef four times (₩7,000 each) and ate barley rice, chive kalguksu and corn bread like a full course. Songdam Kalguksu doesn't require one order per person, so it's a good-value restaurant where a group can simply add more meat.

Written May 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnseong, GyeonggiCafés

Large Pyeongtaek-Anseong date café: mocha bread to go, Chat Baker

Chat Baker Brunch & Bakery Café is a 500-pyeong, two-floor brunch and bakery café on Seodong-daero in Gongdo-eup, Anseong, Gyeonggi, near Anseong Farmland and Starfield. On an evening date around 5 p.m., the writer had a blueberry smoothie (8,500 won), fresh lemonade (7,000 won), salt bread, mocha bread, fresh corn loaf and a ciabatta sandwich, and the leftover Chat Baker mocha bread was still tasty the next day without reheating. Chat Baker is a cool, spacious spot to linger over bread and drinks on a hot summer day, whether for a date or a group meetup.

Written Jun 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan Korean restaurant: bulgogi grilled to order, Yukdaejang

Yukdaejang Cheonan Baekseok Branch is a yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) and bulgogi Korean restaurant in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan, in front of Cheonan Baekseok I'Park Apartments Complex 2. The writer dropped in around 4 PM, with no break time to worry about, and ordered one brisket yukgaejang (14,000 won) and one seoksoe bulgogi grilled to order (15,000 won), both served generously in a big bowl and on a big plate. With easy parking and seating for solo diners and groups, Yukdaejang Cheonan Baekseok Branch is a filling, good-value meal.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlacePyeongtaek, GyeonggiRestaurants

Early dakgalbi dinner before the 6pm wait in Godeok: Semo Dakgalbi

Semo Dakgalbi Pyeongtaek Godeok Urban Grove Mall Branch is a dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) restaurant on the 2nd floor of Urban Grove Mall in Godeok, Pyeongtaek. Arriving just after 5pm, two diners shared the 41,000-won set of dakgalbi, bibim makguksu (spicy mixed buckwheat noodles) and shredded potato pancake; the griddle-cooked dakgalbi was so generous they had no room left for fried rice. A wait starts around 6pm, so the best move at Semo Dakgalbi is to go early.

Written Oct 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan cutlet dinner with Mom, dumplings as bibim-mandu: Jinsim King

Jinsim King Donkkatsu Cheonan Seongseong branch is a value-for-money pork cutlet (donkkatsu) restaurant in Seongseong-dong, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, across the road from E-Mart. Over dinner with Mom, the writer ordered a king double cutlet (16,900 won), king jjolmyeon (chewy spicy-sweet noodles, 9,500 won) and fried dumplings (5,500 won), ate the dumplings with the jjolmyeon like bibim-mandu, then boxed up the leftovers to reheat in an air fryer the next day. Jinsim King Donkkatsu is a generous-portion family dinner spot, with the jjolmyeon and dumplings as the highlights.

Written Jul 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamCafés

Cheonan café for big dogs and gorgonzola pizza: Geurimseu Cafe

Geurimseu Cafe (그림스카페) is a large, dog-friendly brunch and bakery café on Mijuk 5-gil in Guryong-dong, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan. On a sweltering summer day, the writer visited Geurimseu Cafe with her child and sister for gorgonzola pizza (14,900 won), an Americano (6,000 won), and lemon (7,000 won) and grapefruit (7,500 won) ades, and met dogs such as a golden retriever at the next table. With pool-view and garden-view seats and a chewy gorgonzola pizza served with honey, Geurimseu Cafe is a good place in Cheonan to cool off indoors on a hot day.

Written Aug 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan Chinese restaurant: veggie-topped sweet-sour pork, Bultina

Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong Sinbang Branch is a Chinese restaurant specialising in cockle jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) on Seobu-daero in Sinbang-dong, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan. For a family dinner we ordered level 1 cockle jjamppong (₩11,000), jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles, ₩8,000), a medium tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour pork) topped with fresh raw vegetables (₩22,000) and rice, and a family who said they weren't hungry finished every last drop of broth. Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong is a good-value Chinese restaurant for a family meal out, with loaded jjamppong, thick jjajang sauce and sweet-and-sour pork that stays crisp to the end.

Written Aug 1, 2026Sponsored
PlacePyeongtaek, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pyeongtaek sundaeguk restaurant with 250g of fillings: Old Gyeongseong

Old Gyeongseong Sundaeguk Pyeongtaek Jije Dongsak Branch is a Korean restaurant on Mosan 1-gil in Dongsak-dong, Pyeongtaek, specializing in sundaeguk (Korean sausage soup) and pork gukbap (pork and rice soup). Three diners ordered two bowls of sundaeguk with intestine and sundae and one pork gukbap at 11,000 won each; every bowl held 250g of fillings that never seemed to run out, and the milky bone broth had no porky smell at all. Old Gyeongseong Sundaeguk is a busy neighborhood gukbap spot that was full even before 6 pm.

Written Aug 5, 2026Sponsored
PlacePyeongtaek, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pyeongtaek shabu-shabu, 3 extra beef plates and corn bread: Songdam

Songdam Kalguksu is a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and shabu-shabu restaurant with house-made noodles on Gangbyeon-ro in Anjung-eup, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi. Arriving after 3pm, three diners ordered 2 servings of beef shabu-shabu at ₩11,000 each, added 3 extra 140g plates of beef, plus kalguksu, porridge and corn bread, eating the full course from barley rice to porridge. With no break time and a large parking lot, Songdam Kalguksu is a good pick for a family meal out.

Written Aug 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan BBQ open till midnight with doenjang sulbap: Motsaenggin

Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch is a Korean BBQ and grilled makchang (pork intestine) restaurant in Cheonan's Cheongsu-dong (Cheongdang-dong), next to the Hanaro Mart near the Cheonan Tax Office. Two people visited around 8pm on a weekday and ordered two plates of cheonsang mokssal (pork neck) at 180g for 16,000 won each, pre-grilled makchang at 150g for 15,000 won and doenjang sulbap (soybean paste rice) for 5,000 won, with staff grilling the meat at the table. Between the table full of banchan and the self-serve side bar, Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji is an easy pick for group dinners in Cheonan.

Written Jul 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAsan, ChungnamRestaurants

Unlimited soft-serve, Asan grilled fish: Busan-e Tteun Godeungeo

Busan-e Tteun Godeungeo Asan Tangjeong Branch is a hearth-grilled fish and 15-dish Korean set-meal restaurant on the second floor of a building right in front of Tangjeong Station in Asan, Chungnam. A dinner visit just after the 5pm reopening brought the grilled mackerel set at 16,000 won and the aged kimchi mackerel stew at 17,000 won, both switched to pot rice for 1,000 won each, plus self-serve spicy stir-fried pork, seasoned vegetables and unlimited soft-serve ice cream. With a large dining room and parking down to basement level 3, Busan-e Tteun Godeungeo works well for a family meal out with children.

Written Sep 26, 2026Sponsored
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