Sunae Korean restaurant for weekday lunch with Mom: Jinnaedjang

Why Jinnaedjang for a Korean lunch with Mom in Sunae and Jeongja?

Jinnaedjang Bundang Jeongja (진된장 분당 정자점) is the doenjang stew (Korean soybean paste stew) and handmade jeon (Korean pan-fried pancakes) place I picked for a weekday lunch out with my mom. There are surprisingly few good places to eat around Sunae and Jeongja, so I agonized over where to go. I didn't want another ordinary franchise. I wanted proper home-style Korean food, and that's how I ended up here.

Conclusion first: my mom, who adores doenjang stew, and I, who love yukjeon (beef jeon) and makgeolli, were both really happy.

Where is Jinnaedjang Bundang Jeongja, and is there parking?

Jinnaedjang Bundang Jeongja is near Neunggol Park in Sunae and Jeongja, between Seohyeon Station, Sunae Station and Jeongja Station, with parking for 2 cars in front of the building. The parking out front was convenient. You can walk from the station or drive, which I liked.

Jinnaedjang opening hours: from 9:30 a.m.

Jinnaedjang Bundang Jeongja is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30–21:40, with last order at 21:00, and closed every Monday. Please check the hours before you go. It opens much earlier in the morning than you'd expect, which makes it a great place for an early meal too. I came for a weekday lunch with my mom.

Home-style meals and jeon: good for daytime drinks and work dinners

Jinnaedjang works for a baekban-style lunch like mine, but also for company dinners, jeon, makgeolli and daytime drinking! The doenjang stew itself feels like a home-style set meal, but since it's also a jeon house it's a great place for makgeolli, so if you're after a drink, it would work really well as a pub too.

Overall it has the feel of a clean, tidy restaurant! The staff and the owner were really kind, and the mood is just right for either a meal or a glass of makgeolli, which I liked. There are also baby chairs, so it's easy to come with a baby or the whole family.

Jinnaedjang menu and what two people paid

Jinnaedjang isn't only doenjang stew and yukjeon. It also has all kinds of handmade jeon, many types of doenjang stew, and meal dishes. Please see the photos for the menu and prices.

Mom and I ordered like this! It was a truly perfect combination.

• Yukjeon + shrimp jeon (beef jeon + shrimp jeon) ₩16,900
• Mushroom-packed doenjang stew ₩9,000 × 2
• Extra dried radish greens (ugeoji) ₩2,500
• Gyeongju rice makgeolli ₩5,000

Jinnaedjang, known for tasty yukjeon and doenjang stew: so how does it actually taste ⁉️

How many side dishes does Jinnaedjang serve?

Jinnaedjang serves 6 clean, simple side dishes. There's more variety than I expected, so it felt like being at a baekban (set-meal) restaurant. They're seasonal side dishes, so they may differ a little in spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Mushroom-packed doenjang stew with extra ugeoji (dried cabbage greens) 💫

At Jinnaedjang you can add extra sides (sari) to the doenjang stew, so we added ugeoji (dried radish greens) to the mushroom-packed doenjang stew. I've never been anywhere with so many kinds of doenjang stew, and since you can add extras, you can customize your own stew.

My mom likes mushrooms and isn't a big meat person, so I ordered the mushroom-packed stew. You can add extra beef or order the beef doenjang stew, and there are many other kinds, like blue crab doenjang stew and naengi (shepherd's purse) doenjang stew, so order to your taste.

How does Jinnaedjang's doenjang stew taste?

The moment I took my first spoonful, the doenjang flavor was amazing! It's not just salty paste. It's nutty and savory with real depth of umami, so the more you eat, the more you fall for it.

There are really a lot of mushrooms, so the broth is rich, and the flavor from the mushrooms boosts the umami. My mom eats doenjang stew almost three times a week, and she kept saying how delicious this one was, so I felt really proud that I'd suggested coming.

A meal and a drink at Jinnaedjang: Gyeongju rice makgeolli

Jinnaedjang has quite a variety of makgeolli (Korean rice wine), and I ordered the Gyeongju rice makgeolli (₩5,000), one I hadn't tried. A place with stew and handmade jeon feels incomplete without a bottle of makgeolli! So I ordered one right away.

Signature beef and shrimp jeon: portion and taste

Makgeolli and handmade jeon are true love! I ordered Jinnaedjang's signature yukjeon and shrimp jeon (₩16,900). It's the meeting of yukjeon, which I really love, and plump, springy shrimp jeon, and it's so good you could say people come here just for the jeon.

The portion of the yukjeon and shrimp jeon is quite generous too, which I liked. At a pub you wouldn't get this much at this price, but here the portion is really generous.

The golden color from being pan-fried by hand in oil is lovely, and the jeon is slightly crispy outside and moist inside. If you like jeon, you can't help but love it!

Shrimp jeon: springy and plump

The texture of the shrimp jeon that came alongside was crazy good! One bite and you feel the springy shrimp right away, moist like juice. Soft outside, bouncy inside, so good!

It's oily but not greasy, which I liked. With jeon you sometimes get tired of the oil, but here I never got sick of it, even as I kept eating 💫 Maybe because it's just really good jeon 😉

Yukjeon (beef jeon): melt-in-your-mouth tender

With the first bite of yukjeon, you immediately understand why it's Jinnaedjang's signature. Is meat really this tender? Not a trace of toughness, it truly melts.

The thinly sliced beef loosens softly in your mouth and the savory flavor rushes up, which is so appealing! The thin egg coating, which wraps the meat without overpowering its taste, is another highlight.

Doenjang stew with ugeoji: what Mom thought

Jinnaedjang's doenjang stew with extra ugeoji had real depth even from a small spoonful, which I loved. My mom exclaimed how good it was the moment she tried it! It's completely different from doenjang stew made at home. It has its own charm, and it's really worth coming for.

When you bite into the broth-soaked ugeoji, the nutty flavor bursts out, and it softens and seems to deepen the doenjang taste! Plus fragrant mushrooms and soft tofu 〰️ If you like doenjang stew, you have to stop by.

Eating a bowl of rice together with the doenjang stew made for a comfortable, delicious meal. Eating out often leaves me feeling bloated these days, but maybe because this is a specialist in doenjang stew, a fermented food, my stomach felt settled afterward, which I loved.

Would I go back to Jinnaedjang Bundang Jeongja?

I liked that Jinnaedjang Bundang Jeongja lets you have a hearty early breakfast from 9:30 a.m., and after work you can end the day happily with makgeolli and jeon. I came this day for a meal and a daytime drink, but it's great just for eating too, and next time I thought I'd come for drinks with my husband 🖤