Seohyeon Plaza lunch special, hairtail stew in Cheongju: Jeju Badang

Today I'm introducing Jeju Badang, where I had a really filling Korean meal in Cheongju haha. Eating out has gotten pretty pricey lately, so even a meal for two can feel like a splurge — but Jeju Badang serves up hairtail stew and grilled fish as the mains along with a generous spread of side dishes, and the lunch special was honestly such good value.

Daily 10:30–22:00 / Break time 15:00–17:00 / Last order 14:30, 20:30

Where is Jeju Badang, and what about parking and hours?

This Cheongju Korean restaurant favorite is located on the 2nd floor of the Seohyeon Plaza building. If you're driving, there's a parking lot right in front of the building, which was convenient.

It's open daily from 10:30 am to 10 pm, with a break time from 3 to 5 pm.

Inside Jeju Badang: a play room and baby chairs

Walking inside, it had that neat and cozy feel you'd expect from a Cheongju Korean restaurant. The tables were spaced generously apart too, so we could eat comfortably haha.

There's a play room and baby chairs, so it seemed like a great spot for a family meal — and honestly, while eating I kept thinking how nice it would be to bring my parents here too!

Jeju Badang menu and prices

Here's the menu and prices for this Cheongju Korean restaurant favorite. Jeju silver hairtail stew, braised mackerel, grilled silver hairtail, grilled tilefish, grilled mackerel, grilled atka mackerel — the signature dishes are all fish stews and grilled fish you'd get in Jeju. The set menu options looked good too, so ordering a set if you're visiting with a group seems like a solid move.

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Side dishes and the unlimited salad bar at Jeju Badang

They set the table right away with neat Korean side dishes, seaweed soup, and stir-fried pork — honestly, this alone could finish off a bowl of rice hahaha. In particular, there was a chewy dried mushroom side dish I'd never had before that, along with the seaweed soup, totally hit my sweet spot.

And here's the amazing part about Jeju Badang — the salad bar has an incredible variety of Korean side dishes, and you can help yourself to as much as you want! The salad bar was clean too, and there were plenty of dishes that aren't served as standard sides, so I'd recommend setting up your plate before you dig in haha.

There's even japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), chicken, sweet rice snacks, plum tea, and iced tea for dessert, so it's perfect for cleansing your palate after the meal.

This is what I loaded up haha. There was fun in tasting a bit of everything even before the main dish arrived, and it wasn't just for show — everything was actually delicious. A generous, great-value Korean restaurant in Cheongju.

Lunch special: boneless silver hairtail stew with rice, 21,000 won

Lunch special boneless silver hairtail stew with rice, 21,000 won. What I ordered — the boneless silver hairtail stew and grilled atka mackerel — arrived. This is a single serving of the hairtail stew, and the portion is pretty generous, right? The red seasoning looked absolutely delicious.

Since it's boneless, there's no need to pick out bones — you can just scoop it up freely, which was so convenient, and the flesh was moist rather than dry, really delicious. The seasoning was so good it practically demanded rice, and my husband raved that Jeju Badang's hairtail stew was even better than the one he ate in Jeju!

Lunch special: atka mackerel set with pot rice, 17,000 won

Lunch special atka mackerel rice bowl with pot rice, 17,000 won. I don't know how they grilled it, but the atka mackerel rice bowl had such soft, moist flesh — so delicious haha. I was genuinely surprised atka mackerel could taste this good.

It wasn't overly salty either, so it didn't feel heavy, and the wasabi that came with it helped cut through any richness too. The skin on the grilled atka mackerel was an absolute delicacy. If you visit Jeju Badang, I'd recommend both the boneless hairtail stew and the grilled atka mackerel haha.

Pot rice and scorched-rice tea to finish

The pot rice that came with the grilled atka mackerel was freshly cooked, and the rice tasted really good. Pouring water into the pot to make warm, nutty scorched rice tea to finish the meal left my stomach feeling settled.

On the way out, they even had toothpicks, dental floss, and candy.

Jeju Badang is really great for a family meal with kids or parents. Both the fish stew and grilled fish were delicious, and with a salad bar full of refillable side dishes, I'd recommend this generous Korean restaurant favorite in Cheongju!