One local dish that everyone looks forward to trying in Seoul is Budae Jjigae, or also commonly known as ‘Korean Army Stew’. Bada Sikdang is an eatery in Itaewon district that is frequented by locals who are craving for Budae Jjigae.

Bada Sikdang has been serving its Budae Jjigae for over 45 years. What makes the Budae Jjigae at Bada Sikdang unique is the addition of cheese; it may not follow the exact recipe for the traditional Budae Jjigae, but it is an interesting twist for those who are looking for something different.

Other than Budae Jjigae, Bada Sikdang also offers BBQ meats such as T-bone Steak (W30,000 per pax), Beef Ribs (W25,000 per pax), Pork Chops (W15,000 per pax), as well as the signature Beef Sausages (W25,000 per pax).

Drop by Bada Sikdang in Itaewon for a fuss-free Korean stew and you will leave with happy tummies.

Visitors are expected to take off their shoes before they enter the eatery and cloth shoe bags are available at the entrance. The simple eatery was buzzing with activity as the waitresses serve up aromatic dishes and guests chatter among themselves.

You can even peek into their kitchen and watch the chefs in action as they whip up your food inside.

For the uninitiated, Budae Jjigae is also referred as ‘Johnson Tang’. This is the name you should be searching for on the menu if you cannot read Korean.

The rich sausage stew is made of beef bone broth as its base and the addition of chilli powder, high-quality ham, fresh lettuce and not forgetting the key ingredient—cheese. Melted cheese goes well with almost everything and it sure made the pot a lot tastier!

Bada Sikdang’s rendition is a lot drier than the usual Budae Jjigae and while the regulars swear by it, we prefer the usual Korean Army Stews which are soupier and heartier.

Do take note that there is a minimum order starting from 2 pax (W20,000).

The portion of the Budae Jjigae portion is actually not huge so we recommend ordering the popular Pork Chops (W15,000) to share. The smokey barbecue sauce that was lavishly poured over the tender meat was the winning factor for us. Have it together with plain rice to balance the flavours on your palate.

Bada Sikdang
18 Itaewon-ro 49-gil
Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Tel: +82 02 795 1317
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Hangangjin

Migabon is an eatery in Myeong-dong which specialises in Korean porridge. Juk, or Korean porridge, is a local delicacy and there not many places in Seoul that do it better than Migabon. We love indulging in Korean barbecue and sinful Korean fried chicken but there are days when we want to settle for a comforting bowl of juk.

Apart from their delectable range of porridge dishes, Migabon also serves Ginseng chicken soup. 

Breakfast is the best time to visit Migabon and the crowd starts filling in before 9am. As the restaurant is located on the second level of a building, there may be a queue forming at the first floor once it starts getting crowded.

Most people have a quick meal here and leave as Migabon is not the type of place where you will linger around to chitchat.

The star of the show goes to their Mushroom and Beef Porridge (W8,000). There was a great balance between the rich minced beef and light mushroom and the combination of these two ingredients gave the dish interesting textural variety on the taste buds.

Migabon’s rendition is the definition of how a good bowl of porridge should be like—flavourful and smooth.

Something else to consider is the Abalone Porridge (W10,000) which has a much lighter flavour has compared to the Mushroom and Beef Porridge. It makes for a hearty option during breakfast but we prefer having it together with banchan given at the side to boost its overall taste.

Migabon’s Boiled Chicken with Ginseng (W13,000) came with the usual ingredients such as ginseng, sticky rice and garlic stuffed in a whole chicken.

While we enjoyed the mild flavours of the Samgyetang, it was decent at best compared to the ones we tried at Tosokchon and Korea Samgyetang. So for those who are visiting Migabon, we would recommend sticking to the porridge.

Migabon
2-2 Myeongdong 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu
Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2752 0330
Daily: 8am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Myeong-dong

For more recommendations, read our Seoul’s food & travel guides on the best places to go to.