Bally Budaejjigae

Good choice for a casual meal. The prices are very reasonable and the food tastes good. It might not be the absolute best I've ever had, but it’s definitely a satisfying experience. I highly recommend dining in rather than taking it to go, as the stew is much better when enjoyed fresh and bubbling at the table. A great spot for a dependable lunch or dinner!

This was a great authentic Korean mom and pop shop! Service was immediate and I really liked the private both style eating area. I'll definitely be back to try more dishes!

Each restaurant has a specialty that makes them unique. Here, I visit specifically for their 부대찌개 , Army Stew. Which is their namesake. Budae Jjigae is a comfort food for many, like me, that want a quick, filling, and easy meal. This soup has a long and complicated past. Originally, the soup was developed during the Korean War using smuggled/rationed hot dogs, Spam, bacon, and canned beans. I ask to add ramyun noodles to this kimchi soup base to absorb some of the broth and all of the delicious sweet, salty, and tangy flavors. This is family style service, so you cook on an induction burner at your table and eat from a bubbling pot of hot and delicious soup. There are many upsell toppings to choose from. Super friendly service. Authentic Korean style atmosphere, and wonderful private booth seating.

Best Army Pot I have in recent years. The soup is very flavorful and smooth.

Love coming here for Budaejjigae. We usually get the one for 2 people when it's just my husband and I but today we had my brother too so we had the Large which feeds 4. It's consistently good, great bold, spicy flavor. Plenty of meats. We add ramen. $2 extra per pack but worth it! We have tried it with American cheese which is popular add on but we didn't prefer it at all so we always just add ramen. They give you good banchan to share and sizzling rice for each person. Highly recommend!

We ordered seafood soup. They used all frozen seafood,clams, octopus, crab. It tasted so bad. The food is so tough that I can't eat it. It's so disappointing how you can serve such food for a high price from a customer. I never go back there again. I am not recommend this restaurant.

I'm embarrassed to admit that as a Korean American in Atlanta, one, I didn't know that this beautiful dish even existed until a few years ago, and two, I didn't know restaurants like this existed. Budaejjigae found its provenance in war-torn Korea, when citizens used what little they had - along with US rations such as luncheon meat, processed cheese, and hot dogs - to create a spicy and deeply satisfying hot pot meal that has now taken Korean street stalls and restaurants by storm. It's not hard to make, but it's difficult to find it outside someone's home...until now. Bally Budaejjigae is tucked away in the corner of an overwhelming complex of restaurants and shops (with Assi Plaza, a Korean supermarket, as its retail anchor), but it's well worth the short and confused search around the labyrinthine square. The folks who work there, particularly the woman who served us, greeted us warmly and didn't blink an eye at our request for an English menu even though we clearly spoke Korean. There's a convenient doorbell-like button at the side of the table that calls over a waitress without you needing to use your voice, and a gas grill waits patiently at your table for the yummies to come. And boy, was it yummy. The kimchi-based broth is spicy, savory, and made me expel a happy "ahhhhh" before I even realize I said something. Orders are per serving size, and the 'Medium 2-3 serving' pot came with rice cakes, tons of sausage slices, spam, and bean spouts (it typically also has ground beef, but they amicably left it out for me when they heard I avoid meat). There are also add-ons, and the tofu and American cheese we chose added the most sumptuous touch. My spendthrift husband balked a little when he discovered we'd essentially be paying a whole dollar per slice of American cheese, but he clammed up once he tasted what that melted loveliness did to the taste of our broth. The accompanying rice comes in a hot metal bowl, which is thoughtfully placed in a wooden base so that clumsy dummies like me don't burn themselves on the servingware. The kettle they bring you is so that you can scoop out the rice and pour water in to cover the rice line. By the end of your meal, all the tasty burnt bits (like the coveted socarrat, or caramelized paella bits, at the bottom of a pan) can create a nice, warm rice porridge for you to end your meal with. I also suspect this makes cleaning far easier on the workers at the end of the meal. Win-win. We had to drive nearly forty minutes out of our way to get here, but by the time we tumbled out of the restaurant with distinctly rounder bellies, we weren't sorry we came.