Cheongju Japanese restaurant: torch-seared mini butadon set ₩12,200

Where Myeonsikdang Jiwel City is and where to park

Myeonsikdang Jiwel City sits right in front of Jiwel City Mall, so it's great to visit while wandering around the area! I actually went to check out Jiwel City and stopped by here too, haha.

• Hours: daily 10:30–21:30, last order 20:50
• Parking: 2 hours free if you use the LK Triplex parking lot

A full dining room at 1pm and the window solo seats

I visited around 1pm on a weekday and the place was completely packed! Students, couples on dates, moms, office workers — such a mix of ages and genders that it must really be a Cheongju hotspot. The inside isn't huge, but with a mix of 2-person and 4-person tables, there was still room to sit even during the busy lunch rush.

There are also window solo seats, so eating alone is totally doable~~~ I noticed a big banner out front, apparently the place was also featured on a YouTube channel called Jeongwaja.

Since I was eating alone, I sat at the window seat, and the sunlight pouring in while I ate was so good... For parking, you settle it yourself on the tablet by the entrance ~ (2 whole hours free, so you could even go grab a coffee nearby..✨)

What's on the Myeonsikdang menu?

Why is the menu so varied... katsu, ramen, soba, pho, udon, rice bowls, cold soba, mazesoba — so many main dishes, plus great-value set menus, that it was so hard to pick, hahahaha. Even the side dishes are varied, so you can try a bunch of things without even ordering a full main — such a clever restaurant.

What one person ordered

• ✔️ Tonkotsu ramen + mini fire-flavor butadon (Japanese pork rice bowl) - ₩12,200
• ✔️ Zero Coke - ₩2,000
• Total ₩14,200

I agonized between soba with cheese katsu ~ or ramen with butadon~, but ended up craving rice, so I went with the ramen and butadon combo, haha.

Tonkotsu ramen + mini fire-flavor butadon set, 12,200 won

Soon my ✔️ tonkotsu ramen + mini fire-flavor butadon - ₩12,200 set arrived — isn't this such great value?! These days even a plain bowl of ramen alone usually costs over ₩10,000, but here you get a full set at a single-dish price 😍 If this were near my office, I'd come once a week and work through the whole menu... I expected it to take a while since there were so many customers, but the food came out fast!

The mini butadon and its torch-seared smokiness

When the staff brought out the mini fire-flavor butadon, she said, "It's hot, please don't touch the top," probably because they torch-sear it to give it that fire flavor! Finely sliced meat piled high over white rice — it looks delicious just from the visual alone, >,<

Oh, the moment I took a bite, that fire flavor hit hard — this is good?!? At first I worried it might be a bit plain since it's just meat, but the meat has a light seasoning and that smoky torched flavor goes perfectly with the rice!

There was also a curry add-on option on the side menu — adding curry on top would probably make it even better, haha.

Inside the tonkotsu ramen: broth and toppings

The tonkotsu ramen comes with half an egg, a slice of char siu, bean sprouts, seaweed, and green onion.

You know to push the bean sprouts down into the hot broth, right~? I flipped everything over and there was plenty of noodles and plenty of bean sprouts too! The moment I tasted the broth, it was exactly the deep, rich tonkotsu flavor I wanted, so satisfying, haha. It goes so well with the mini fire-flavor butadon too, so I really recommend this set ☆

I started with the soft-boiled egg — the outside was chewy like a maekbansuk-style egg, and the yolk inside was so moist, even more delicious!!! Every time I eat ramen like this, why is the egg always so good... how do they even boil eggs like this... ㅠㅠ

I love ramen noodles that are thin and chewy exactly like this, and these noodles were chewy in just my style — good~!

The char siu was also nice and thick, so amazing eaten together with the noodles in one bite... I wonder if there was an egg and char siu add-on option... anyway, if there is, I'd like to add extra next time, >,<

Is Myeonsikdang Jiwel City worth it?

Great value, wide variety, and most of all delicious — for anyone looking for a good restaurant near Jiwel City in Cheongju, I recommend Myeonsikdang Jiwel City.