Gaepo-dong army stew with spicy jjamppong broth: Uncle Budae Jjigae

Uncle Budae Jjigae Ilwon Branch army stew

I was looking for good eats in Gaepo-dong and my husband and I were craving budae jjigae (army stew) for dinner, so we headed to Uncle Budae Jjigae Ilwon Branch. It's close to home so we dropped in pretty casually, but the broth was richer and the toppings much more generous than expected, and we left quite satisfied. If you like your broth spicy and thick rather than the standard version, the jjamppong budae jjigae combo I had would suit you well.

Where is Uncle Budae Jjigae Ilwon Branch, and when is it open?

Uncle Budae Jjigae Ilwon Branch is located at 40 Ilwon-ro 9-gil, 102-ho, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

It's about 790m from Daecheong Station Exit 4, and since it's inside the Ilwon food alley, it wasn't hard to find. It's fairly close to Gaepo-dong too, so it was a convenient spot when we, like many locals, wanted a hearty dinner near home.

Business hours are 11am to 9pm, with a break time from 3pm to 5pm. Last order is at 8:20pm, so if you're planning a late dinner visit, it's worth checking the time beforehand.

What the dining room at Uncle Budae Jjigae feels like

The restaurant overall had a clean, comfortable atmosphere.

Some people might picture budae jjigae places as a bit old and crowded, but this one was relatively pleasant.

It was easy to walk in comfortably for dinner with my husband, and it also seemed like a fine spot for a family meal or a dinner with coworkers nearby.

Apparently the brand has been running for over 10 years in Daejeon, and now this style of budae jjigae has made its way to Ilwon-dong too.

Uncle Budae Jjigae menu and prices

The signature Uncle Budae Jjigae is ₩13,000, and the Value Budae Jjigae is ₩12,000. Beef Brisket Budae Jjigae is ₩14,000, Jjamppong Budae Jjigae is ₩15,000, and Beef Intestine Budae Jjigae is ₩17,000. Rolled egg is ₩9,900. That day we added beef brisket to our jjamppong budae jjigae!

If you love a thick, spicy broth, adding beef brisket to the jjamppong budae jjigae is a pretty powerful combo.

Jjamppong budae jjigae, 15,000 won: a generous pot from the start

The moment the pot arrived, my first thought was, 'wow, this is really loaded.' Ham and sausage, of course, but also vegetables, glass noodles, and seafood were all packed in densely.

On top of that, we added beef brisket, so the pot looked even more overflowing.

There was already meat in it, but with the extra, it was even more piled up haha.

There was plenty of American-style sausage too, giving it a satisfying bite, and with so much glass noodles and vegetables, it was fun picking through everything.

Above all, the broth felt a bit different from a typical budae jjigae.

It had that distinct rich, smoky jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) flavor come through pretty clearly, along with the umami from the seafood.

Add the flavor of the ham and beef brisket on top of that, and the broth turned out quite heavy and rich.

It wasn't jjamppong budae jjigae in name only — it really did have that authentic spicy, thick jjamppong flavor.

Honestly, with seafood, ham, and beef brisket all in there, it would be hard for this combo not to taste good.

The butter rice was the surprise of the meal

One thing that stood out at Uncle Budae Jjigae Ilwon Branch was that a piece of butter comes out along with the rice.

I placed the butter on the warm rice to let it melt a bit, then added the hot broth and toppings and mixed it all together. It worked better than I expected.

With the nutty flavor of the butter added to the spicy, rich broth, the heat mellowed out and I kept eating more rice. It was definitely a more memorable combo than plain white rice.

Unlimited self-serve ramen noodles seal the deal

The basic side dishes were good too.

Bean sprouts, kimchi, fish cake, and other side dishes that pair well with budae jjigae come out, and you can grab more as needed from the self-serve bar.

Personally, the thing I was most happy about was that the ramen noodle add-in is self-serve and unlimited. After eating through most of the toppings and letting the broth reduce down, we added in the ramen noodles.

The broth was already fully infused with the flavor of ham and beef brisket, so once the noodles went in it basically felt like a rich jjamppong ramen.

At that point I really wanted a glass of soju, but I was driving that day so I regretfully held off haha.

Worth it for a filling dinner in Gaepo-dong?

One-line review — a generous pot with rich jjamppong broth, ham, seafood, and beef brisket all in one.

I was debating where to eat in Gaepo-dong and dropped in pretty casually with my husband, but we ended up enjoying it much more than expected. I'd especially recommend it if you like your budae jjigae spicy and rich, or if you like the style loaded with plenty of ham and sausage. Eat some with the butter rice, enjoy the toppings, and then finish with the unlimited ramen noodles — it makes for a really filling meal. If you order the jjamppong budae jjigae at Uncle Budae Jjigae Ilwon Branch like I did, try adding the beef brisket too. If you're looking for a place to have a relaxed dinner with your husband or family near Gaepo-dong, this is somewhere I'd happily go back to.