Korean BBQ in Cheonan: short rib lunch with doenjang stew, Chamdaru

Hello, it's Today's Buta again!🐷 I heard about a BBQ place with really, really good value, and even better if you come for the lunch special, so I went to Chamdaru Cheonan (참다루 천안점) in Cheonan's Sinbang Tongjeong district for the first time in a while😄

Where is Chamdaru Cheonan, and what are the hours and parking?

Chamdaru Cheonan is at 23 Tongjeong 12-ro, 101-ho and 102-ho, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam, South Korea. It's open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with no break time. There looks to be room for 2–3 cars in front, and the back is marked with a solid white line, so just park sensibly.

Inside the dining hall, and visiting in a group

The hall isn't small, it's a nicely big size. The chairs let you tuck your belongings inside. If you're going as a group for a work dinner or lunch, call ahead.

What did we order for the lunch special?

We ordered the lunch special beef short rib (sogalbi-sal) for two. For the after-meal dish you can choose doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew), bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) or mulnaengmyeon (cold noodles in broth), and as a couple we got the doenjang-jjigae and the mulnaengmyeon. Even apart from the lunch special, the menu's value is really not bad. The prices are good value even if you come for dinner. But we came at lunch, so lunch special it is!

You order at a kiosk. Besides beef short rib they also have beef sirloin and marinated pork BBQ, just so you know.

If you do a receipt review event, they offer a naengmyeon event too. So at dinner, take home the after-meal naengmyeon with a review event.

I hear Chamdaru started in Seocheon, Chungnam. It's a really good-value restaurant.

I think they use good charcoal. The fire is so pretty, too. I really love charcoal more than gas or electric grills.

What do the lunch special's side dishes look like?

Even with the lunch special, Chamdaru Cheonan brings out a lot of side dishes, like myeongi-namul (pickled wild greens), marinated raw crab (yangnyeom-gejang), green onion kimchi (pa-kimchi) and japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), plus plenty of vegetables. The side dishes alone already feel filling.

The green onion kimchi is so good. I really, really love green onion kimchi.

This is the marinated raw crab. Places that serve gejang are rare these days, yet it comes with the lunch special. It's real grandma's-cooking gejang, and the crab is full of meat.

Need more sides? Use the self-serve corner

If you run short on side dishes, just grab more from the self-serve corner. Everyone, make sure you don't run out of sides there.

Lunch special beef short rib for two: portion and taste

When the beef short rib for two came out, I was surprised at first. At lunch specials you usually get a bit less, or hardly any, but Chamdaru Cheonan gives a lot even though it's beef short rib. The meat color passes the test. It looks fresh. Plus king oyster mushrooms, which I haven't had in a while!

First off, nice meat! You have to grill it well so it doesn't burn. Fresh beef short rib, it's going to be so good, I couldn't wait to cook it and take a happy bite.

Grilling now..😆

Wow, maybe because the charcoal is so good, the meat is cooking nicely without burning.

For the first bite, I dipped it in salt. Beef goes with salt, of course. The texture and the juices are crazy. It's chewy and delicious. You really do have to go to a good place for beef.

A bite with the myeongi-namul too. Meat really has to be eaten with myeongi-namul.

And a ssam (lettuce wrap) bite. Oh right, Chamdaru Cheonan has a nice variety of wrap greens, so I recommend it to ssam lovers too.

Doenjang-jjigae and mulnaengmyeon, then ice cream

The doenjang-jjigae has finally arrived. It's a tasty soybean paste stew with meat in it. It's savory and so good with rice that I ordered one more bowl of rice and ate happily.

The naengmyeon that came as the after-meal dish isn't a tiny one just because it's dessert. The portion is decent and it's refreshingly cold. It has some seasoning too, so it isn't bland, which made it even better😄

Oh right, at Chamdaru Cheonan, once you finish your meal they hand you an ice cream each. Ice cream for dessert, that's the golden rule, right?

Stored right next to the beer, haha. There are lots of kinds of ice cream, which is nice.

Melona and Yomamttae, a great way to finish the meal.

Final thoughts on the Chamdaru Cheonan lunch special

I hadn't had beef short rib in ages, and I loved that even though it's a lunch special the portion isn't small, the meat is plentiful and there are so many side dishes. The staff are really kind too. And Chamdaru Cheonan seems perfect for a simple meat lunch. Beef at this price isn't common. With so many sides, it's a great way to eat well and feel full. The touching ice cream dessert would probably be loved by little kids too. I recommend Chamdaru in Sinbang Tongjeong😆