Cheongju Korean lunch for five, mackerel two ways: Jeju Badang

Today I want to introduce Jeju Badang, a Cheongju restaurant I found while looking for a filling Korean lunch spot in Gagyeong-dong haha.

We went as a group of five and ordered the lunch special: three grilled mackerel rice sets with pot rice, and two braised mackerel sets with pot rice. The grilled and braised fish were both delicious, but there's also a self-serve bar where you can freely grab side dishes, so we ended up eating way more than expected haha.

Where is Jeju Badang, and is there parking?

• 📍 Address: 28 Seohyeonnam-ro, 2nd floor, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea
• ⏰ Hours: 10:30 – 22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00, last order 20:30)
• 🚗 Parking: Dedicated parking available in front of and behind the building
• 👶 Kids' facilities: Baby chairs / kids' zone available

Jeju Badang is located in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, on the 2nd floor of the building. We drove there, and since there's parking space both in front of and behind the building, it was easy to park. You can tell from the photos how spacious the lot is haha. Having easy parking is the best when you're eating with a group or with family 😳

What the Jeju Badang building looks like

Jeju Badang is on the 2nd floor of a large building. At first the name made me think it might be a restaurant actually on Jeju Island lol, but it's actually a Cheongju Korean restaurant that mainly serves grilled and braised fish caught off Jeju. From grilled mackerel to braised mackerel, braised hairtail, and grilled tilefish, there's a wide variety of fish, so it seems like a great spot for people who love seafood!

Room for five, plus a kids' zone inside Jeju Badang

Once inside, the space was bigger than I expected. The wood-tone interior with a stone wall reminiscent of Jeju really matched the name Jeju Badang haha.

The tables weren't cramped either, and even our group of five could eat comfortably.

There was also something that people looking for a Gagyeong-dong Korean restaurant with kids would appreciate 😳

They had baby chairs ready, and there was a separate kids' zone off to the side where children could play!! When eating out with kids, they can get bored while the adults are eating, so having a space like this makes it a solid choice for a family meal haha.

What comes with the Jeju Badang lunch special

There were 5 of us, and we ordered from the lunch special. We got 3 grilled mackerel rice sets with pot rice and 2 braised mackerel with pot rice haha. Besides grilled and braised mackerel, the lunch special has several other fish options, and you can choose plain rice or pot rice as your side!

The unlimited self-serve side bar: fried chicken was the surprise

And what I really liked about Jeju Badang was the self-serve bar!

The first round of side dishes comes out, and if you run out, you can grab more from the self-serve bar.

There was a wide variety of Korean side dishes prepared, like kimchi, seasoned vegetables, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), and lettuce wraps, which went great with the fish. But honestly, the chicken and japchae were what stuck with me the most 🫣

It's a little funny to come for grilled fish and end up raving about the chicken 😂 but the chicken at the self-serve bar was way tastier than I expected. It's not a one-and-done thing either — you can freely go back for more, so I kept going back for seconds haha. It also seemed like a nice option for families, since if the kids don't like fish, they can eat chicken instead haha.

Grilled mackerel set with pot rice: half a fish, served whole

And now the grilled mackerel rice set with pot rice we ordered! It comes with half a mackerel served whole, grilled to a golden brown — just looking at it made me want rice 😳

Grilling fish at home can be a hassle because of the smell, so it's nice to enjoy it out like this haha. The savory flavor of the mackerel paired with pot rice definitely felt more like a proper meal than plain rice would. Grilled mackerel especially goes well with rice, and with all the side dishes added on, the whole spread felt really generous.

Braised mackerel and scorched-rice tea from the pot rice

The braised mackerel we also ordered had mackerel and radish in a red seasoning sauce — total rice-thief visual 🤤. If the grilled version was clean and light, the braised one, with its seasoning, paired really well with the pot rice. Splitting grilled and braised between the five of us meant we got to try both instead of just one, which was great haha.

Personally, I liked the pot rice almost as much as the fish. After scooping out the rice and adding water, you get warm scorched-rice tea at the end of the meal. Eating the grilled or braised mackerel with warm pot rice, then finishing with scorched-rice tea, was seriously filling 😳 With unlimited side dishes from the self-serve bar too, it felt like a really complete lunch.

Is Jeju Badang worth it for a group of five?

Jeju Badang, the Cheongju restaurant we visited craving grilled or braised fish! We ordered the lunch special as a group of five — three grilled mackerel rice sets with pot rice and two braised mackerel sets with pot rice — and overall we were satisfied. The grilled and braised mackerel with pot rice made for a hearty meal, and the self-serve bar with unlimited side dishes was a nice touch too. Especially the chicken at the self-serve bar — it was way tastier than expected, so I kept reaching for more lol.

The parking lot is spacious, the interior is roomy, and with baby chairs and a kids' zone, it's worth checking out for anyone looking for a Gagyeong-dong or Cheongju Korean restaurant for a family meal. Grilling fish at home is such a hassle, so I'd definitely consider coming back next time I'm craving grilled fish in Cheongju haha.