Gojan Station kimchi stew restaurant with Mom: pancake to go, Choburi

It's not a franchise or a chain, so I wondered how it could be this polished. Choburi Kimchi Jjigae (초부리김치찌개) is a stew specialist in an unbeatable spot in Ansan ✨ I stumbled on it while visiting Ansan, and it's a great place for a family get-together, so let me introduce it!

Where is Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch, and where do you park?

Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch is in the Beopjo Town shopping block at Gojan Station Exit 2. If you come by car, use the public parking lot in front of the restaurant: paid on weekdays, free on weekends and holidays. Most people who live in Ansan know it, and if you don't, it's a Gojan-dong favorite you really should try.

What kind of restaurant is Choburi Kimchi Jjigae?

They say it's the only place in Ansan that serves kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae) as its single menu item. It has run steadily since 2006, now in its third generation, focused purely on taste.

The kimchi stew is made and sold out on the same day, and they say the special seasoning is aged for 72 hours. It's an officially certified Korean pork (handon) seller, and premium grade 1 Korean pork and domestic ingredients are standard.

Perks for opening time and lunch hours

Freshly cooked gardenia pot rice comes with the basic set. And the first three teams who arrive at 11:00 get a Bongpyeong chive buckwheat pancake free, so timing your visit seems ideal!

If you come for lunch between 11:30 and 1:00, there's an event giving a hearty Korean pork (skin-off) fresh meat topping for free. Plenty of takeout orders go out too at this Ansan Korean rice restaurant ✨

What are the interior and seating like, and is it good for gatherings?

Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch has 58 seats, mainly tables for 4 plus group seating, so it suits family gatherings, company dinners and get-togethers with friends. The space is pleasant and roomy, and quiet classical music gives it a calm mood 🤍

What comes in the 2-person set?

The rule at Choburi is one menu per person, and after ordering you can refill rice and all the side dishes at the self-bar, which I loved. We ordered a set with pot rice, stew and perilla oil fried eggs, plus a side.

For the side you can choose between the Bongpyeong chive buckwheat pancake and kimchi rolls. I wanted to try one, so I ordered the 30cm chive buckwheat pancake! I also double-checked that the first three teams at opening get the pancake free ✔️

When the stew arrived, I thought, can it really be this generous? I'd understood it was a 2-person portion, but it felt like 2.5 servings or more, with the ingredients nicely arranged. Reserve on Naver and you get a free wood ear mushroom topping too!

How to boil and eat the kimchi stew

Once it boils, you can eat it as is, or like jjageuri or duruchigi (thick, braised-style stir-fry stews), or add ramyeon noodles. Boiling it on the induction burner in front of you and eating it with all the side dishes was the best!

Boil it on level 6 for about 7 minutes and it's at the perfect point. Even if the broth reduces a little, the kimchi broth is also free to refill, so I just grabbed more from the self-bar, no problem 🧡

Three perilla oil fried eggs and gardenia pot rice

The 2-person set comes with perilla oil fried eggs made with a whopping three eggs 😌 The gardenia pot rice is yellow, so I wondered how it would taste, but it was just the same sticky, plain pot rice flavor, and I loved it ✨

How did Choburi Kimchi Jjigae taste?

The toppings looked hearty at a glance, and the Korean pork (skin-off) kimchi stew was seriously, genuinely delicious. It wasn't that spicy, and it was the kind of taste you keep eating and eating. Deep flavor, just the right kick, and real care in a kimchi stew 🥹

It's a stew with the basics done carefully. I refilled the broth several times, added ramyeon noodles, then simmered the kimchi topping down until it was thick and mixed it into rice. I guess this is why people come to Choburi Kimchi Jjigae..🧡

My self-bar favorite: the pickles

I went back to the self-bar a few times for more side dishes, and my favorite was the pickles (jangajji)! Choburi even sells them separately, so I was curious, and they have a basic savory depth and taste great plain or with rice, so I refilled my rice too (❁´◡`❁)

Taking the chive pancake to go and finishing with a grain slush

The tender buckwheat chive pancake was so big that I packed it to go! That's how good a spread you get for under ₩30,000. It was moist and mild, the kind you keep reaching for even when you're full.

I ended with a misutgaru (roasted grain powder) slush, a course-meal-style finish 🤭 Choburi Kimchi Jjigae is the best choice for group gatherings among Gojan-dong Korean rice restaurants ✨ That was my visit to a top Ansan spot that puts special care into its stew!

My favorite pick, great to come to with Mom.