Yangju army stew dinner with soju and king dumplings: Choi Budae
In short
Choi Budae Jjigae is a budae-jjigae (army stew) restaurant in Okjeong-dong, Yangju, Gyeonggi. Over dinner, the writer ordered budae-jjigae for two at 22,000 won with ramyeon noodles and king dumplings split half kimchi and half meat, and the broth was good enough to finish four bottles of soju and beer. With easy parking and a wide hall, Choi Budae Jjigae works for a drink with dinner or a group gathering.
Good to know
- Location
- 985-4 Okjeong-dong, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do (51 Okjeong-ro 10-gil, part of 1F)
- Hours
- 10:30–21:00, closed every Saturday
- Budae-jjigae for two
- 22,000 won
- Ramyeon noodles
- 1,000 won
- King dumplings
- 6,900 won (4 pieces, kimchi and meat half-and-half available)
- Side dishes
- Dongchimi radish water kimchi broth, stir-fried fish cake, pickled radish
- Rice
- Unlimited refills with one menu order per person, from the self-serve bar
- Parking
- Plenty of parking space around the restaurant
- Price reference
- ₩22,000 ≈ $16.5 · ₩1,000 ≈ $0.7 · ₩6,900 ≈ $5.1 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 6, 2026
I went to Choi Budae Jjigae, a well-known spot in Okjeong, Yangju!! I used to think budae-jjigae (army stew) all tasted about the same, but Choi Budae Jjigae is definitely different, ㅠㅠ. The broth alone was different, and it was really delicious. I visited in the evening, and it turned out to be the perfect spot for a drink with dinner :D
Choi Budae Jjigae / 985-4 Okjeong-dong, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do / 10:30–21:00 / Closed every Saturday
Where is Choi Budae Jjigae in Yangju, and is parking easy?
There's plenty of space to park around Choi Budae Jjigae, so I parked easily and headed in! It's quieter and easier to park than the crowded Okjeong central shopping street, which I liked :ㅇ
Inside Choi Budae Jjigae: is the hall big enough for a group dinner?
The inside of this Okjeong restaurant in Yangju is really!! spacious. The place itself is big and the tables are spaced well apart, so it's easy to talk, and the first thing I noticed was how clean it felt. Wouldn't it be great for a group gathering or a company dinner too?
There was mellow music playing inside and the owner was so kind. Random side note, but the female owner is really pretty,,,
Choi Budae Jjigae menu and prices in Okjeong
From the menu at Choi Budae Jjigae, I picked budae-jjigae for two at ₩22,000, ramyeon noodles at ₩1,000, and king dumplings at ₩6,900, plus 2 bottles of soju and 2 bottles of beer, order complete!!!! I went back and forth with budae-bokkeum (stir-fried version), but ended up craving broth more, so I went with budae-jjigae!
- Budae-jjigae for two ₩22,000
- Ramyeon noodles ₩1,000
- King dumplings ₩6,900
- 2 bottles of soju, 2 bottles of beer
There's a wide range of options — budae-jjigae, budae-bokkeum, kimchi jjigae, naengmyeon (cold noodles), tteok-mandu-guk (rice cake and dumpling soup), and more!!! Plenty of add-ins for the budae-jjigae too.
Side dishes, the self-serve bar and unlimited rice
The basic side dishes are dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) broth, stir-fried fish cake, and pickled radish! Wow, the dongchimi broth is genuinely delicious,,,, I ordered soju right away ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Order one menu item per person and rice refills are unlimited!!! For side dishes, you use the self-serve bar! They even had plum tea :D They're running a Naver review event too, worth checking out.
Army stew for two, 22,000 won, with ramyeon noodles in the broth
It came out almost right after we ordered!! Budae-jjigae for two!!!
The rice was so fluffy and went even better with the stew :D If you run low on rice, you can refill it at the self-serve bar, so the value is great too, right?
As expected, ramyeon noodles are basically a must in budae-jjigae!!!! I don't usually like ramyeon noodles in other soups, but they pair best with budae-jjigae. The broth gets richer and it's so much more delicious ㅠㅠ
The visual of the budae-jjigae is insane. The longer it boiled, the better it got, and they gave us extra broth too, so whenever it boiled down too much, we could just top it up — which is how the drinks I meant to keep simple turned into 4 bottles ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
King dumplings, half kimchi and half meat
King dumplings, 4 pieces! They said half-and-half was possible, so I ordered kimchi on one side and meat on the other — and dumplings from outside really do taste better. Packed full inside!!!
Ah, while eating the budae-jjigae they added the ramyeon noodles in! Genuinely, genuinely delicious ㅠㅜ Want to eat it again.
Finishing the meal with fried rice in the leftover broth
The broth was so good that we added all the leftover rice and fried it up, and it tasted like a kind of budae-porridge? Really, really good. It's loaded with ingredients — ham, sausage, meat, tofu, rice cake, glass noodles and more — so the portion is quite generous!! It's technically for two, but it's a stomach-busting two servings ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Originally I was only going to have... one simple bottle of soju, but the budae-jjigae was so good I ended up drinking 2 bottles!!! It's been a while since I ate this well. I really recommend Choi Budae Jjigae, a great restaurant in Okjeong, Yangju, to all my neighbors!! :D
Where it is
51 Okjeong-ro 10-gil, 1F, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea경기도 양주시 옥정로10길 51 1층 일부
