Weekend pork belly lunch with homemade aged kimchi: Jeonju House

Looking for a good spot in Bongmyeong-dong, Daejeon, I was craving a proper kimchi stew made with real aged kimchi, so my husband and I headed to Jeonju House.

We were debating what to eat for our weekend meal out and figured pork belly with kimchi stew couldn't go wrong, so we went for a slightly late lunch. Even past 2pm, there were still quite a few people eating, so I guessed it must already be a well-known spot in the neighborhood.

But more than the food itself, what stuck with me that day was the warm, nostalgic feeling — like visiting a grandmother's house in the countryside and being fed a full home-cooked meal. From the homemade aged kimchi to the side dishes that clearly had someone's hand behind them, there was a charm here different from your typical grilled meat place these days.

Jeonju House location, hours, and parking

• 📍 Location: 36 Oncheon-ro 101beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 1st floor
• ⏰ Hours: 9:00 - 22:20
• 🅿️ Parking: Nearby alleys

Earthenware jars and old wood decor — what's the interior like?

Jeonju House felt warm and inviting even before we stepped inside. Seeing the huge earthenware jars (jangdokdae) and potted plants around the entrance gave off that comforting feeling of visiting grandma's house back in the day.

Rather than the sleek, polished look of most restaurants these days, this place had the kind of comfort that only comes from an aged space. Near the entrance were big decorative pieces made from old tree trunks, along with plants scattered here and there, making it fun just to look around.

Once inside, the atmosphere felt even more old-fashioned. The walls had framed Chinese characters and wooden decorations, and the overall warm color palette kept that nostalgic mood going.

The tables and chairs were the comfortable, standard restaurant style, so it seemed like a great place to bring family or parents. When we visited, it was already past 2pm, but there were more customers than I expected.

I figured it would be quiet since the lunch peak had passed, but people kept steadily coming in to eat, which made me even more excited.

Menu lineup and what we ordered

Looking at the menu, Jeonju House's main offerings were fresh pork belly, kimchi stew, and galbi (short rib) dishes. Since it was just my husband and me for our weekend lunch, we started by ordering two servings of pork belly.

And since we'd made it this far, we couldn't skip the kimchi stew, so we added a pot of that too. At the end, finishing with just the meat felt like a waste, so we happily ordered fried rice as well.

Being able to have pork belly, stew, and fried rice all in one sitting was exactly the kind of hearty meal we wanted for the two of us. And since they said even the kimchi and side dishes are made in-house, I was already curious about the aged kimchi before the food even arrived.

How was the cast-iron-lid fresh pork belly?

When the two servings of pork belly arrived on a big cast-iron pot lid used as a grill, I knew we were in for a proper meal. The meat wasn't the thin, cold-cut style — it was sliced nice and thick, so it looked appetizing even while still cooking.

Grilled golden brown on both sides, the first bite had a surprisingly chewy texture. The more you chewed, the more savory it got, the kind of meat where your hand keeps reaching for another piece — my husband and I ended up eating in silence, just focused on the pork belly for a while.

The homemade side dishes and seasoned greens combo

What I really loved here were the side dishes that came with the meal. Not just the kimchi — they said the side dishes are all handmade too, and you can really taste the homemade feel. I tried the seasoned wild greens (namul muchim) side dish together with the pork belly, and that combo was surprisingly amazing.

With the chewy, fatty pork belly plus the aroma and seasoning of the greens, we never got tired of eating it. But what I remembered most that day was, of course, the aged kimchi.

The moment we tried it, my husband and I both said, this is the real deal — properly deep-flavored aged kimchi just like the kind you'd eat in the countryside. It had just the right sourness along with that rich umami unique to long-fermented kimchi, and it went perfectly with the pork belly.

Grilling the aged kimchi and garlic together on top of the cast-iron lid made it soak up the meat's fat and taste even better. Stacking a piece of meat with grilled kimchi and garlic all at once is a familiar combo, but it was still so good we couldn't put our chopsticks down.

Kimchi stew with aged kimchi and chewy pork

And then, the kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae) we'd been waiting for! It arrived bubbling, packed with chunky aged kimchi, along with pork and tofu, and it looked rich just by looking at it. Jeonju House's kimchi stew is made by simmering aged kimchi with chewy pork, apparently.

Taking a spoonful of the broth, I immediately tasted something much deeper than a light kimchi stew — more like it had been simmered slowly for a long time. Lifting up a long strand of aged kimchi to eat with the meat, the soft texture of well-fermented kimchi paired perfectly with the chewy pork.

The tofu had soaked up the broth too, so scooping up kimchi, meat, and tofu together in one spoonful made me instantly crave rice. Eating a bite of the hot kimchi stew between bites of pork belly also cut through the greasiness now and then, so the two dishes worked well together.

Finishing with cast-iron-lid fried rice

And of course, we finished with fried rice! Kimchi, chives, and dried seaweed flakes were spread over the cast-iron lid and stir-fried, gathering up all the leftover flavors from the meat.

Even after saying we were full, our spoons kept moving, and we ended up finishing it all to the last bite. The staff were a bit older, and they welcomed us with warm smiles from the moment we walked in, which also left an impression.

Between the food, the space, and the service, it really felt like we'd visited grandma's house in the countryside and been fed a generous meal — we finished up feeling great.

Who should visit

It had been a while since my husband and I wanted a hearty Korean meal together on the weekend, and that's how we found Jeonju House, a spot in Bongmyeong-dong, Daejeon.

It's less about flashy food and more about a warm, homely meal — grilling pork belly with properly aged kimchi and finishing with hot kimchi stew. Especially if you love kimchi that's fermented just right, like countryside-style aged kimchi, the kimchi stew here is worth trying at least once. The chewy texture of the pork belly was great too, and pairing it with the handmade side dishes gave it a real home-cooked feel.

This felt like a place that would suit couples out for a weekend meal like us, or anyone looking for a comfortable spot to eat with parents, or people who love aged kimchi and Korean food. Next time we're near Bongmyeong-dong craving pork belly, we'd love to stop by again and have it with that aged kimchi.