Cheonan Korean restaurant for spicy beef budae-jjigae: Cheongwon

Its full name is Cheongwon Restaurant: Cooking Budae-jjigae, Cheonan Dujeong Main Branch! Maybe because the weather has gotten chilly lately, I was craving steaming rice and stew. So we visited Cheongwon, a great spot for budae-jjigae (Korean army-base stew)!!

Regular budae-jjigae can feel a little heavy because of all the ham, but Cheongwon budae-jjigae is spicy with absolutely none of that heaviness, so we enjoyed it right to the end.

Cheongwon Restaurant: Cooking Budae-jjigae, Cheonan Dujeong Main Branch

It is at 32-4 Dujeongsangga 4-gil, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam. It is open Monday through Saturday from 11:00 to 21:00 and regularly closed every Sunday.

This is the exterior of Cheongwon Restaurant. There is space to park in front of the restaurant.

I could not photograph the front because it was full of customers, but the interior is clean and comfortable.

The difference between Songtan and Cheongwon budae-jjigae

The menu is divided into Songtan budae-jjigae and Cheongwon budae-jjigae. Songtan budae-jjigae is the classic version we all know and love, with a wonderfully deep broth, while Cheongwon budae-jjigae uses the Songtan base with beef belly and Cheongyang peppers for an extra spicy kick. This spice-loving couple had to choose Cheongwon!!

Cheongwon Restaurant's best perk: unlimited refills of rice and ramen noodles! Oh my, unlimited rice with a dish that makes you eat lots of rice... We each had two bowls, haha.

Tips for cooking budae-jjigae deliciously

The budae-jjigae arrives with the lid on, and you must not open it until a staff member does~!

These are the basic side dishes. The fish cake side dish surprised me once because it was so tasty, then surprised me again because it was hot! I had never had a hot fish cake side dish before. It was sweet and so delicious. I could easily finish a bowl of rice with just the side dishes!

Once the budae-jjigae starts boiling, a staff member opens the lid and gives it a delicious stir. It was not even finished yet, but it already looked so good.

Wow, look at all that ham, minced beef, and beef belly. It kept appearing no matter how much we ate. The portion is seriously huge.

Each table has a broth kettle, so there is no need to call a staff member every time. Pour in broth to suit your taste~ My husband added more broth than I expected, so I was like, oh... but as it kept boiling and we added glass noodles and ramen, it turned out just right, haha.

There are so many different kinds of ham. They must use good ham because every single one was delicious.

It is truly the best when you pile all those budae-jjigae ingredients onto white rice and eat it...

Glass noodles and beef belly together

Ramen noodles are budae-jjigae's usual partner, but!! I suddenly craved glass noodles, so we added some. They had soaked up all that delicious broth and were so good. It was my first time trying budae-jjigae with glass noodles, and I recommend it!!

Eating beef belly on top of the glass noodles~ The glass noodle add-on is only ₩2,000, but the portion is really big and so delicious... Please, please add it!!

Scoop the broth and ingredients over rice, then give it a quick mix~ The broth has Cheongyang peppers, so it is pleasantly spicy with no heaviness at all. Budae-jjigae can start to feel a little tiring as you eat it, but Cheongwon Restaurant's budae-jjigae stays delicious to the end.

This rolled omelet came from the review event~ The “Cheongwon Restaurant” lettering in ketchup was such a nice touch. The omelet was so thick and looked delicious.

Wow, such a soft, tender rolled omelet~ It came from an event, but it was so delicious that I wondered, is this really free...? The rolled omelet goes so well with the spicy budae-jjigae.

And now, finally, the essential ramen-noodle course for budae-jjigae!! You know the ramen noodles are unlimited, right~~? We had glass noodles and two bowls of rice each, so we only cooked one serving, haha.

Wow, as expected, the ramen noodles were delicious!! They go so well with the budae-jjigae broth!!!!

While eating away in a daze, I noticed these signs around the time we paid, haha. They say they use 1++ Korean beef mince, Korean-grown green onions, and Korean-grown onions.

Some very famous YouTubers had visited, too.

Hehe, there is such a cute photo zone by the entrance. “Smile brightly today too, budae-jjigae~” Isn't that so cute? Haha.

Budae-jjigae has always felt heavy to me, but thanks to the pleasantly spicy broth with Cheongyang peppers, we ate it sooo deliciously from beginning to end!! The best budae-jjigae restaurant I have had in Cheonan—no, in the whole country. When you are craving budae-jjigae, I recommend Cheongwon Restaurant: Cooking Budae-jjigae.