Cheonan Korean BBQ with free doenjang stew refills: Hanmaeum

Where to park at Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Cheonan Sinbuldang

At Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Cheonan Sinbuldang (한마음정육식당 천안신불당점), you can park in the building's underground lot (B1 and B2) or the public lot in front. The Golden Parking Tower in the Tous les Jours building allows 2 hours, and the Richard No. 50 lot is also an option.

I went to this Cheonan BBQ place, known for premium aged raw meat, and with so many parking options I didn't have to worry about parking at all.

Atmosphere and partitioned window seats

The restaurant is spacious and clean, and the ventilation is good, so you can enjoy your meat comfortably. The tables are roomy too, so meals are relaxed.

I especially liked the window seats separated by partitions. It's a cozy spot where you can chat comfortably while grilling.

A large play room for kids

There's a large play room inside the restaurant, which makes it a good BBQ place to come to with children.

What side dishes and self-serve bar options does Hanmaeum have?

The premium aged raw meat is kept in a dedicated meat fridge, and the quality shows. Extra side dishes and sauces are well stocked at the self-bar.

Fresh lettuce, perilla leaves and peppers are there for wraps, and the freshly tossed geotjeori (fresh kimchi salad) is crunchy and nutty.

The well-seasoned gosari namul (bracken fern side dish) is good as is, and also good lightly grilled on the grill. The tangy pickled peppers go well with the meat and cut the richness.

With soft dotorimuk (acorn jelly), nutty macaroni corn salad and more, the sides are varied, and I happily snacked on them while waiting for the meat to cook.

There are sides kids can eat too, like nutty rolled omelet and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) that's sweet rather than spicy.

The onion salad is sweet, not spicy, with mustard sauce, and great piled onto meat. The bean sprouts are also good lightly grilled in the meat fat on the grill.

There's also pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi) with a spicy, savory seasoning, and well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi that's delicious grilled in the meat fat.

Sauces come in variety too, including fresh wasabi, salt and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste for wraps).

Are bibim jjolmyeon and doenjang stew included for free?

Yes, bibim jjolmyeon (spicy mixed chewy noodles) is served as a side dish. The tangy sauce whets the appetite, and it's loaded with cabbage, scallion salad and other vegetables, so it goes well alongside the meat.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) packed with tofu and zucchini also comes as a side. The broth is rich and savory, so a bowl of rice disappears in no time, and refills are free!

Aged half pig 500g: price and cuts

The aged half pig is ₩38,000 for 500g. It comes with five cuts: pork belly, five-layer pork belly, pork neck, pork jowl and gabrisal (the muscle at the pork rib end). It's a good order when you can't decide what to eat, and even two people can try a variety of cuts.

Aged pork can be ordered as a whole-pig or half-pig set, or by the cut you want. Beef also has whole and half sets, so you can enjoy a range of cuts like jingalbi-sal (prime rib finger meat), galbi-sal (rib meat), bone-in short rib, buchaesal (oyster blade) and usamgyeop (beef brisket).

How does the aged pork taste?

I started by putting pork neck and five-layer pork belly on the well-heated grill to get them golden and tasty~

The grill is powerful so the meat cooks nicely, and thanks to the aging there was no gamey smell, just juicy, moist meat. It was so good that I savored it piece by piece.

A light dip in sauce alone is tasty, but for a balanced meal I piled on onion salad and vegetable sides to make wraps.

I hadn't had pork jowl and gabrisal in a while, and the texture was great and so juicy. Really good.

Why Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Cheonan Sinbuldang is worth a visit

The premium aged raw meat is high quality and tasty, and the varied side dishes make the meal generous. Bibim jjolmyeon and doenjang stew come as extras, and the big play room makes it easy to visit with kids. I recommend Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Cheonan Sinbuldang!