Budae-jjigae at 11am opening near Dujeong Station, Cheonan: Cheongwon

My fridge at home is basically empty these days and I have zero energy to cook, so I've just been making food for my toddler and letting delivery or eating out cover the adults haha. Since my husband and I are trying to squeeze in as many meals out together as we can before the baby comes, we've been going out a lot — and this time we headed back to Cheongwon Restaurant, a budae-jjigae spot in Cheonan I'd been to once before and loved. (I had such good memories of it that I went again.)

Where is Cheongwon Restaurant, and what are the hours and parking?

Cheongwon Restaurant is at 32-4 Dujeongsangga 4-gil, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, tucked into an alley near Dujeong Station. Hours are 11:00–21:00, closed Sundays, with no break time. I went right at the 11am opening, before the lunch rush. There are about 3–4 parking spots in front of the restaurant, and there was room to spare, so parking was easy.

I arrived a bit after 11, and there were already plenty of lunch customers. The budae-jjigae is boiled right at the table, but the dining room was nicely air-conditioned so it wasn't hot to eat there.

Cheongwon Restaurant menu and the Korean beef mince

This Cheonan budae-jjigae favorite keeps things focused, with just three items on the menu: Songtan budae-jjigae, Cheongwon budae-jjigae, and pork cutlet (donkatsu) for kids. Being a place that concentrates on one dish gives it real local-favorite energy.

Cheongwon Restaurant uses 100% domestic mince to make its budae-jjigae. Near the register there were several price tags posted for the Korean beef mince.

Banchan and the Cheongwon budae-jjigae for two

The food came out quickly after ordering, which really matters at lunchtime — waiting for food during a short lunch break is stressful. The banchan (side dishes) were kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, sweet stir-fried fish cake, and watermelon. Getting watermelon was such a nice surprise haha.

We ordered the Cheongwon budae-jjigae for two, and it arrived in a big pot — this Cheonan budae-jjigae spot really doesn't skimp on portions. The Cheongwon version has cheongyang chili peppers in it, but they're cut small so it isn't spicy haha. As you boil and eat, the broth disappears fast, so the staff set out extra broth on the side for refills.

Free egg roll, plus unlimited rice and ramyeon

Visit by 11:30am and you get a free egg roll — and it's a generous portion haha. With unlimited rice and ramyeon refills, Cheongwon Restaurant is a great Dujeong-dong spot for eating until you're full.

There's so much in the pot — sausage, ham, minced meat, scallions, beef brisket — it's a genuinely hearty bowl, and it was so good. The rich flavor of the meat and ham, plus the occasional bite of chili pepper, worked really well together. Since there's so much to eat, just add more broth as needed and keep boiling. This is seriously delicious budae-jjigae!!!!

The free egg roll is thick and generously portioned. Even if you visit after 11:30am, you can still get the egg roll service by leaving a receipt review. White rice, budae-jjigae, stir-fried fish cake, egg roll, and ramyeon noodles together is just the best combo.

Why you should add the ramyeon later to keep it chewy

I like to scoop a full small plate of the stew first to taste it, then add the ramyeon noodles afterward. If you boil them together from the start, you can taste the raw flour flavor of the noodles, so I always eat it this way.

There's a generous amount of scallion shreds, beef brisket, and ham packed in. I love the solid ingredients in a stew, and even after fishing out plenty, there's still so much left — I love that. With Korean beef mince, sausage, and cheongyang chili peppers, the stew is loaded with ingredients, has just the right kick of spice, and the seasoning is spot on. This Cheonan budae-jjigae favorite has such a rich broth too — slurping it straight from the spoon is amazing.

At this Cheonan budae-jjigae favorite, the ramyeon noodle add-ons and steamed rice are both unlimited refills!!!! That's exactly why it's such a popular Cheonan budae-jjigae spot.

And you absolutely have to eat the budae-jjigae ramyeon noodles chewy. Even after cooking briefly, they soak up the broth flavor so well you can slurp them up happily haha. The stew portion is so generous that just the basic rice and one round of ramyeon noodles left me completely full.

Takeout discount and the verdict on Cheongwon Restaurant

There were plenty of dine-in customers, but also a lot of people picking up takeout. Ordering 2 servings to go gets you a ₩2,000 discount. The ingredients were fresh, so even with all the different components mixed together, it tasted fresh and clean. I'd recommend Cheongwon Restaurant, a Cheonan budae-jjigae favorite where you can eat until you're happily full.