Yangju army stew restaurant with extra bacon: Choi Budae Jjigae

A go-to spot for family meals in Ogjeong — Choi Budae Jjigae, a spicy budae-jjigae (army stew) restaurant.

Where is Choi Budae Jjigae in Ogjeong, and is there parking?

Choi Budae Jjigae is on the first floor of the R1 commercial building at 51 Ogjeong-ro 10-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, across from the knowledge industry center. Free parking is conveniently available behind the building.

• Address: 51 Ogjeong-ro 10-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Weekdays 10:30–21:00
• Break time 14:30–17:00
• Sunday 11:00–14:30
• Closed every Saturday
• Parking: Free parking behind the building

Back when my partner and I were dating, we often went for budae-jjigae in Uijeongbu, so this is exactly the kind of budae-jjigae place I love — being a soju person myself. Clean, spicy broth with no cheese and no baked beans, that's what keeps me coming back regularly since I moved to Ogjeong. This time we dropped by for lunch together after a while.

Choi Budae Jjigae menu and prices

• Buzzi-mari ₩14,900
• Bubokk-mari ₩15,900
• Gimzzi-mari ₩14,900
• Mul-naengdu ₩12,900
• Bi-naengdu ₩12,900
• Budae-jjigae ₩11,000
• Budae-bokkeum ₩12,000
• Fresh meat kimchi stew ₩11,000
• Tteok-mandu-guk ₩10,000
• Slushy naengmyeon ₩10,000

The set menu pairs a main dish with a small egg roll, and you can mix sets with single orders. You can also add egg roll, king mandu (dumplings), or grilled spam as sides, and there are various toppings you can add to the main dishes — sausage, ham, bacon, ground meat, and more.

Write a Naver receipt review and you get a free ramyeon noodle topping. For budae-bokkeum, noodle toppings can't be added, but they'll give you dried seaweed flakes and sesame oil instead so you can turn it into fried rice.

Lunchtime mood and the self-serve side dish corner

Choi Budae Jjigae gets busy during the lunch peak, so I went a bit after the rush and got a relaxed seat. The interior is clean, and the restroom, located toward the back, is spotless too.

Basic side dishes are provided, and you can top up from the self-serve corner if you want more. With one menu item ordered per person, rice refills are unlimited, and there's even plum tea for dessert afterward.

Side dishes that go great with the stew: dried radish strips and stir-fried fish cake. We always end up refilling these every time we eat here.

The dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) that comes with the individual rice bowl is clean and refreshing.

When you order budae-jjigae, they set a pot of secret broth on the table ahead of time so you can add as much as you like.

Buchi-mari and budae-jjigae with extra bacon

We ordered one serving of buzzi-mari and one serving of budae-jjigae, plus an added bacon topping. If you leave the lid on and let it bubble away, the kind staff will come by and, with a nice sense of timing, open the lid and finish cooking it for you.

They mix the seasoning paste well, and once the ground meat is fully cooked through, the budae-jjigae is done and delicious. The base spice level is on the sharper side, which I love — every time I come here I usually have a soju along with it, but this time we just kept it to a meal.

Ordering the budae-jjigae with the egg roll set made for a really generous spread. The portion is genuinely huge, so even as big eaters, the budae-jjigae amount was just right for the two of us, and the broth is never greasy — really clean and spicy. Truly one of my favorite budae-jjigae restaurants in Ogjeong.

They brew their own broth fresh every day, and once the ham and ground meat break down into the broth along with the spicy seasoning, one bite is enough to make you crave a soju. I also love that you can order single servings — and since rice is free with one menu item per person, my partner always ends up having two bowls.

Not flashy, but a flavor that nails the basics. Loaded generously with sausage and bacon, and they're not the cheap kind of ham either — really delicious. This was the first time I added bacon, and it genuinely kept coming and coming.

We scooped some onto our small plates, and also mixed it into our rice bowls — the broth is fantastic with drinks and just as good as a hangover cure.

The egg roll that comes with the set

The egg roll that came with the set arrives drizzled with ketchup and mustard — it'd probably work well as a side dish for kids too if you visit as a family.

The thick egg roll is delicious eaten on its own, or piled on top of rice. It goes well with both the kimchi stew and the budae-jjigae, so definitely order it as a set for the value.

There still aren't many restaurants in R1, but I really hope Choi Budae Jjigae never disappears and keeps going for a long, long time. It's my favorite Korean restaurant among the Ogjeong spots, and once again, it was absolutely delicious.