Jukjeon Korean lunch: perilla sujebi and kongguksu at Bodeul Sikdang

Looking for a Jukjeon lunch spot? Try Bodeul Sikdang

On hot days I crave cold kongguksu (noodles in chilled soy milk), and on rainy days I really want perilla sujebi. Bodeul Sikdang (보들식당) serves both, which made this visit even more satisfying.

I went while looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Jukjeon, and one meal was enough to see why so many people recommend it. The food felt made with care, the portions were generous, and I was impressed by how much is made in-house.

Bodeul Sikdang location and opening hours

📍 Address 164 Hyeonam-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi, South Korea (Sinju Plaza, Unit 111)

🧭 How to get there Right in front of the Naedaeji Village Hillstate Hyundai 1st Apt. bus stop, Unit 111 on the first floor of Sinju Plaza

🕒 Hours Tue–Sat: 11:00–21:00 ☕ Break time: 15:00–17:00 📝 Last order: 20:30 ❌ Sundays: closed ❌ Mondays in the 1st and 3rd weeks of each month: closed

Parking

There's a parking lot right below the building, which is handy.

A café-like interior for a perilla sujebi specialist

I love perilla sujebi and always hunt down good places, but they're harder to find than you'd think. And finally, I've found a great perilla sujebi spot in Jukjeon!

Do I even need to talk about the benefits of perilla seeds? Good for you, of course. And tasty too, so it's the best of both worlds.

They say the bossam pork uses only domestic 1+ grade chilled meat. No wonder it tastes different.

The interior feels more like a café than a Korean rice restaurant near Dankook University. It's clean and stylish, so I bet it's popular for lunch not only with Bojeong-dong residents but also with Dankook students.

The menu is focused, as you'd expect from a specialist restaurant.

Even the free side dish stands out

Before the food arrived, a bowl of doenjang (fermented soybean paste) soup came out, and I was surprised with the first spoonful. You usually don't expect much from the free soup at a restaurant, but this one was different.

It was savory with deep umami and perfectly seasoned, and I thought, "This place really knows what it's doing." I could guess the owner's skill before even touching the main dishes. They could open a doenjang soup shop and do great.

If a restaurant cares about even a basic like this, it's easy to recommend for lunch in Jukjeon.

It's a perilla kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) specialist, but it's summer, so we had to have kongguksu too. We ordered both without a second thought.

Rich, nutty perilla sujebi

The first dish I tried was the perilla sujebi. Bodeul Sikdang reportedly uses dough kneaded by hand every morning, and the texture was clearly different. The chewy yet soft sujebi went really well with the thick perilla broth.

The broth was deeply nutty without being heavy, and I kept spooning it up. They say they make the stock daily with osari anchovies (early-summer young anchovies), and maybe that's why a clean umami lingered behind the nuttiness.

It's a bowl that settles your stomach, so it would be a good choice to bring your parents.

Black soybean kongguksu, a summer favorite

Kongguksu is a must in hot weather. The thick soy milk was really nutty, with a natural, homemade flavor and nothing artificial. They use additive-free fresh kalguksu noodles, and maybe that's why the noodles were springy and blended well with the soy milk.

The soy broth is really thick and creamy. And it's made with seoritae (black soybeans), which I love. After one bowl I felt full but comfortable. I'd definitely recommend it as a summer lunch in Jukjeon.

Don't skip the tender HanDon bossam

Another popular dish at Bodeul Sikdang is the HanDon (Korean domestic pork) bossam. They use top-grade HanDon pork belly and boil it with their own method, so it was really tender and moist.

There was no gamey smell at all, and the juices got nuttier the more I chewed. Above all, the side dishes served with the bossam were excellent.

The cabbage geotjeori (fresh, lightly seasoned kimchi) made fresh daily was crunchy and just spicy enough, and it was the perfect match with the bossam. Add the chewy radish kimchi and it never felt greasy, so my chopsticks kept going back. Do try a piece of bossam topped with both geotjeori and radish kimchi.

Homemade food is more trustworthy

Many restaurants use ready-made products these days, but Bodeul Sikdang reportedly prepares most of its food itself.

• Sujebi dough kneaded by hand every morning
• Additive-free fresh kalguksu noodles
• Broth made with osari anchovies
• Homemade cabbage geotjeori
• Homemade radish kimchi

You can feel that care in every dish. Maybe that's why the flavors weren't aggressive yet kept me thinking about them, and after the meal I felt properly full and comfortable.

Verdict: why I recommend it for lunch in Jukjeon

Having eaten here, I understand why so many people recommend it for lunch in Jukjeon. The free doenjang soup alone is impressive, the perilla sujebi had a rich, nutty broth, and the kongguksu was the best summer treat.

Add the tender HanDon bossam with homemade geotjeori and radish kimchi, and nothing felt lacking. Best of all, you can taste the care in the food.

If you're looking for a hearty lunch or a place to eat with family, I confidently recommend Bodeul Sikdang in Jukjeon. It was so satisfying that I want to come back for the fresh kalguksu next time.