Jongno pork belly restaurant, staff-grilled 29cm cut: Simin Sikdang

Today I'm reviewing my visit to Simin Sikdang Main Branch, a samgyeopsal (pork belly) spot in Jongno. There are so many offices around Jongno, so lots of people come here for dinner meetings or team dinners, which means there are tons of BBQ restaurants in the area. While hunting for a good Jongno samgyeopsal spot, I ended up at Simin Sikdang Main Branch!

What is Simin Sikdang Main Branch? 29cm pork belly in Pimatgol, Jongno

Simin Sikdang has apparently held down Jongno's Pimatgol alley since 2014. They use nice cuts from Seonjin Pork for their 29cm Simin Samgyeopsal, grilled directly on a natural stone plate — that method alone had me curious.

• 📍 30 Donhwamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ Tue-Sun 11:00-21:30, closed every Monday
• 🚘 No parking, use nearby public parking lots
• ✔️ Naver reservations available, group bookings possible

I'd recommend booking through Naver reservations before you go — you can skip the wait that way.

Two floors of tables: is Simin Sikdang good for group dinners?

Simin Sikdang Main Branch runs across two floors, so there are plenty of tables, and it looked comfortable enough for a larger group visit too. It's fine for two people, but given the size, it also seemed well suited to office dinners or group gatherings.

Simin Sikdang menu: sets, single cuts and fried rice to finish

Simin Sikdang recommends the A-Sam-Yuk Set for couples, the Simin Samgyeop Han-pan Set for coworkers, and that same Han-pan Set again if you really want to eat a lot of meat. I skipped the sets and ordered à la carte that day.

There are quite a few menu options, so it seemed easy to order according to group size. There's also a menu for people who want rice after their meat — apparently you can finish with Wagyu Jumul-pan Cheese Fried Rice. This time I ate pork belly, pork neck, and naengmyeon, so I didn't get to the fried rice, but next time I visit with more people I'd love to try it as the finale!

Kimchi jjigae and jeyuk ssambap set: a Jongno lunch option too

Simin Sikdang isn't just known for samgyeopsal — it's also promoted as a kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) spot. It was listed as one of Seoul's Top 5 kimchi jjigae places, so I got curious and ordered a bowl. There's also a jeyuk ssambap (spicy stir-fried pork with lettuce wraps) set menu, so it looked like a solid lunch option too. You could come for pork belly or pork neck at dinner and swing by for a rice set at lunch instead ☺️

Thick pork belly and pork neck, grilled for you by the staff

The pork belly was on the thicker side, so once it was properly grilled, you could really feel the texture of the meat itself. The staff grilled it for us, so we could eat it right when it hit the perfect point — very convenient. We also ordered pork neck, which had a different, leaner feel compared to the pork belly, so ordering both together worked out well!

Naengmyeon to finish: chilled or spicy?

You can't skip naengmyeon (cold noodles) after grilled meat, so we ordered some. Isn't finishing off pork belly or pork neck with a bowl of naengmyeon just the unwritten rule, haha. Eating it alongside the meat cut through the richness nicely and made for a great finishing course. If you don't want to eat just meat, I'd recommend ordering naengmyeon alongside it! For reference, both the water and spicy versions were delicious.

The self-serve ssam bar and a meal out with my mom

Grilling your own meat at a BBQ restaurant can be surprisingly stressful, but since the staff grilled for us, I could just sit back and chat with my mom while eating comfortably. There was also a self-serve bar for ssam (lettuce wraps) vegetables, so we could grab as much as we needed to go with the meat.

The wrap vegetables were fresh and came in a good variety, so we enjoyed a lot of different meat-and-wrap combinations.

Is Simin Sikdang worth it for a Jongno work dinner?

Jongno is packed with office workers, so a lot of people are probably looking for a good BBQ spot for a dinner after work. With staff grilling the meat for you and a spacious dining room, this place seemed like a solid choice for a group dinner!

If you're in Jongno and want to eat thick pork belly together with pork neck, or you're looking for a BBQ spot where the staff grills the meat for you, Simin Sikdang Main Branch is worth a visit 🥰