Kid-friendly BBQ restaurant in Bongmyeong-dong, Cheongju: Anmin

Going to a Korean BBQ place with a kid always turns into a bit of chaos — you're grilling the meat and looking after the kid at the same time. So when I eat out with my child, I tend to prefer places where the staff grill the meat for you.

I remembered having a comfortable meal at the Yulyang branch of Anmin a while back, since the staff grilled everything for us. This time, wanting to eat meat with my kid again, Anmin came to mind, so I visited the Cheongju branch instead.

Where is Anmin Cheongju, and is there parking?

Anmin Cheongju is located at 40 Deogam-ro 12beon-gil, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, in Bongmyeong-dong. There's a parking space set up right in front of the restaurant.

That said, the parking space isn't very big, so if it's full you'll need to park nearby — worth keeping in mind before you visit.

Anmin Cheongju opening hours and what the room feels like

Anmin Cheongju is open Monday through Sunday, 16:30–23:00. The interior has a vibe reminiscent of a Japanese charcoal-grill (yakiniku) restaurant — overall clean, and bigger than I expected.

We had booked ahead for 7pm on a weekday, and got seated right away as soon as we arrived. There was a pretty spacious waiting area near the entrance too, plus a separate spot for hanging up coats, which was handy.

Dining with a toddler: booster seat and kids' tableware at Anmin

Lighting was on the dim side, which set a nice mood for meat and a drink or two, and sure enough there were quite a few people there for gatherings or work dinners. Plenty of families eating together too, so it seemed like a good spot for all kinds of occasions.

Since we came with our child, they immediately set up a booster seat at our table, and gave us separate tableware and seaweed for the kid too. They thought carefully about everything you'd need when eating with a child, which made the meal a lot easier.

What we ordered: the Anmin half whole-pig set

We ordered the Anmin half whole-pig set, mashitte soy ramen, sweet rice scorched-rice soup (chapssal nurungjitang), and steamed rice :)

It was nice that they had a wider variety of alcohol than most restaurants. The atmosphere really suits meat with a drink, so it seems like a good spot not just for group dinners or gatherings but even for a casual date.

The basic side dishes were all neatly prepared one by one, and there were various sauces served alongside, so it was fun trying the meat dipped in different things.

Staff grill the pork for you, plus crispy pork skin

Best of all, at Anmin Cheongju the person grilling watched the condition of the meat and grilled it just right, so we could sit back and really enjoy the flavor without lifting a finger.

The pork skin was so much more tender and soft than I expected. Dipped in the bean flour, it just melted in the mouth.

Sweet rice nurungji soup, the dish our picky eater finished

My kid, who's usually a pretty picky eater, really dug into the chapssal nurungjitang. I think they ate about two-thirds of it. And since the meat was cut into bite-sized pieces, they ate that well too, which made the whole meal easier for us.

Is Anmin Cheongju worth it for a family or group dinner?

Going to a BBQ place with a kid usually means juggling grilling the meat and looking after the child at once, which can get chaotic — but at Anmin Cheongju, the staff grill everything for you, which made the meal noticeably easier.

The meat was grilled really well, and thanks to the variety of sauces and neatly prepared side dishes, there was a lot of fun in mixing and matching. Even my kid, who isn't usually a big meat eater, ate well with the scorched-rice soup and the meat, so it was a satisfying family dinner overall.

The place had a clean, slightly dim atmosphere that also seemed great for a drink in the evening. It felt like a good fit for family dinners as well as gatherings or work dinners, and next time I'd love to come back just with my husband, without the kid, for a date :)