Buwon Ttukbaegi in Jeju: Affordable but Ordinary

2022-03-20 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

I needed to grab lunch around Hallim, but today is Sunday again. Sunday is the day Hallim Kalguksu (noodle soup) is closed. I had to find another spot. I was recommended a place called Buwon Ttukbaegi, which has pretty good ratings.

Exterior of a two-story restaurant building with a sign for Buwon Ttukbaegi (hot pot restaurant)

Several customers sitting and eating inside a restaurant with wooden tables and chairs

When you first walk in, nothing about the restaurant seems particularly special, but once you sit down, the tablet for ordering food immediately catches your eye. Who would have thought a traditional ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) restaurant would have something like this? The UI is intuitive enough that anyone who has used basic electronics can easily place an order.

Tablet ordering device on a table displaying menus for Jeonbok Ttukbaegi (abalone hot pot), Sundubu (soft tofu stew), Chadol Doenjang-jjigae (beef brisket soybean paste stew), and Bul Ttukbaegi (bulgo

Wall menu board showing business hours, prices, and items like Jeonbok Ttukbaegi (abalone hot pot) and Bul Ttukbaegi (bulgogi hot pot)

The prices aren't expensive, so it's very affordable. Since price wasn't an issue, we just picked our favorite dishes and ordered one abalone ttukbaegi and a sundubu (soft tofu stew).

The side dishes came out as soon as we ordered, and for such a low price, there were enough of them to make me go, "Oh wow." It's self-serve, but it was really nice being able to eat as much of my favorite dotorimuk (acorn jelly) and garlic scapes as I wanted. The side dishes didn't really seem like traditional Jeju style, though. They must have added a lot of sugar because they were beyond sweet—they were so sweet I had to keep drinking water.

Now for the main event. The ttukbaegi and sundubu arrived, and I took a bite of each with anticipation. It wasn't an eye-opening flavor; both the ttukbaegi and sundubu tasted pretty ordinary. It wasn't quite up to the level of Gangneung's famous sundubu, but it wasn't disappointing for the price. Compared to the incredibly sweet side dishes, the main dishes tasted a bit bland, like something was missing.

Side dish plates containing seaweed salad, radish salad, acorn jelly, ssamjang (dipping sauce), garlic stem salad, and green peppers

Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) with red broth topped with a raw egg in a black earthenware pot

Spoon scooping up broth from an earthenware pot containing abalone, shrimp, and tofu

Spoon scooping up a large piece of soft tofu from a red-brothed Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)

When I first walked in, I was surprised by the unexpected tech, but the food itself didn't offer any surprising flavors. Still, it's a decent, ordinary meal if you're looking for something cheap in Jeju. If I had been drinking the night before, I probably would have scarfed it down, but unless you're already in the neighborhood, I don't think it's worth going out of your way for.