Ilsan Korean BBQ near Migwan Plaza: kimchi ogyeopsal at Auseong

Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu

31-10 Jeongbalsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor Open 24 hours, year-round Parking available

Today I'm bringing you an honest review of Ilsan's kimchi ogyeopsal spot, Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu!

Where is Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu? Jangang-dong, Ilsan, by Migwan Plaza

It's a Jangang-dong restaurant near Migwan Plaza, and also close to Ilsan Lake Park, so it seems to draw a lot of visitors. It's a dumpling specialty restaurant, but it's also a great spot for kimchi samgyeopsal and kimchi ogyeopsal!

The fact that it's an Ilsan 24-hour restaurant is also a huge plus.

Inside Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu: room size and menu, with unlimited kalguksu

Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu has a pretty spacious dining room, so it's great for group dinners or eating with a big party too. And with an unlimited kalguksu (noodle soup) refill menu, the value for money is amazing!

With gaeseong sonmandu (dumpling) hot pot as the main dish, the menu also ranges through fresh samgyeopsal, fresh ogyeopsal, kimchi chadolbaegi, and kimchi duruchigi — so much variety.

Looking at the tables around me, people were ordering a pretty wide mix of dishes too. Since it's a dumpling specialty restaurant, a staff member was constantly folding dumplings — I've got to come back just for dumplings next time!

There are aprons ready on the wall, so you can eat comfortably without worrying about your clothes.

Fresh ogyeopsal for two at 17,000 won each, plus the side dishes

Fresh ogyeopsal (17,000 won) x 2. They have domestic samgyeopsal and ogyeopsal — we went with ogyeopsal!

They set out a nice range of banchan (side dishes) — pickled onion, shredded scallion, seasoned bean sprouts, boiled seaweed, garlic, and lettuce for wraps.

And I'll mention now that a free steamed egg custard comes out a bit later too!

The staff member brought out the meat along with kimchi and onion to set on the grill, and since it's not frozen but domestic fresh ogyeopsal, the color of the meat was so vivid, haha. So good visually. We came at an awkward hour on a weekday, but there were already quite a few customers, and by the time we left, a lot of group parties were coming in too. If you're visiting with a group, I'd recommend booking ahead.

Open 24 hours: late-night pork belly and soju after a flight home

Since it's an Ilsan 24-hour restaurant, it seems like a great place to stop by on your way home late at night or early morning after coming back from a trip abroad, for some pork belly and soju.

Whenever I travel abroad, what I crave most when I get back is pork belly and soju, haha.

The free steamed egg custard at Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu

While you're grilling the meat, they give you a free steamed egg custard!

Whenever I go to a BBQ place I pretty much always order egg custard as a side, and the one here was so soft and fluffy and delicious! The seasoning was just right too, so it kept going down easily, spoon after spoon.

I was about to order it extra along with the meat, but they said it's included as a default — what a win! I actually shouted about it, haha.

How the kimchi ogyeopsal tastes: aged kimchi grilled on the pan

There aren't many places in Ilsan that serve ogyeopsal, so it was disappointing before — but who knew a place like this existed between La Festa and Western Dom! Charcoal-grilled meat is great too, but this kind of kimchi samgyeopsal is on another level.

Another big plus is that since the fresh ogyeopsal isn't cut too thick, it cooks quickly, haha. And the kimchi and onion grilled in the meat's fat are exactly what you'd hope for — the kimchi had that just-right aged, tangy flavor and soaked up all that savory fat, absolutely delicious.

I wrapped the meat with green onion in lettuce, and the green lettuce leaves were really tender and soft. Wrapping and eating it was so satisfying, haha, so delicious.

The lettuce wraps were great, but honestly the kimchi grilled in ogyeopsal fat was the real standout...!

Lately I've only been eating charcoal-grilled meat, so having this kimchi samgyeopsal felt like a nostalgic, comforting flavor — so good! If you're looking for an Ilsan 24-hour restaurant, just go here without a second thought. There were plenty of solo diners too, which says a lot about how good it is.

Unlike before, it's not easy these days to find a good restaurant open 24 hours — so having a place like this that's open every day, all day, is honestly such a relief.

If you're looking for kimchi samgyeopsal near La Festa or Western Dom, or an ogyeopsal spot in Ilsan, or a 24-hour restaurant in Ilsan, I recommend Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu!