Dog-friendly Korean BBQ in Cheonho, no carrier or leash: Gim Sukseong

This is the story of the staff-grilled minari pork belly at Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch, a dog-friendly restaurant in Cheonho.

Is there a pork belly place in Cheonho where you can bring your dog with no rules?

Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch (김숙성 성내점) was a pork belly spot in Cheonho with absolutely no restrictions on pets. I went for a weekend lunch, a family outing with our dog.

Attention, everyone looking for pet-friendly restaurants 🙏 When we eat out as a family and want to bring the dog, almost every place now demands a carrier or a leash, and I've even seen places that make you zip the dog into a bag all the way. If that's the deal, why call it pet-friendly..? haha But I found Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch in Cheonho, and it turns out the owner is a dog owner too! Of course!!! So here's my honest review 🙆🏻‍♀️

What's the atmosphere at Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch? Retro, old-school vibes

The interior has a natural old-school feel, a retro mood that's comfortable for drinking.

Maybe because it opens at 11am, some people were already day-drinking with their pork belly. (I'm off alcohol right now, so I'm just jealous... 😢)

What we ordered and prices

• Gim Sukseong pork belly (160g) ₩16,000, 4 servings ordered

There's a sign on the wall saying "Corn cheese for a Naver receipt review," and you have to do this one, everyone! (I'll show you the review below 😉)

Marinated crab comes as a basic side dish

The sides are green onion kimchi, aged kimchi, myeongi namul (pickled wild greens) and minari (water dropwort). Okay, that's pretty standard for a BBQ place, right? But the big hit at Gim Sukseong is that marinated crab (yangnyeom gejang) comes out as a default side..!

The savory flavor practically begs for rice, so I ordered a bowl right away 🤗 The water is barley tea, and our pup drank it happily too haha

Do the staff grill the meat for you?

Our 4 servings of aged pork belly arrived. Thick, generous and really fresh-looking, right? Our little fluffball beside me was sniffing away and drooling 🐶

A staff member grilled everything from start to finish, cutting the meat and controlling the heat, so I just ate in comfort 👍 If you're a dog owner who's always distracted watching your pup, you'll know how touching this service is 🫶

Korean-grown aged kimchi and minari included

Minari is served by default, and you can order more. I always grill kimchi with my pork belly, and the aged kimchi here was especially good. It's made with Korean-grown ingredients, apparently!

No wonder it tasted like the homemade kimchi my mom makes. Paired with the pork belly, it was a total winner 👍

The best order for eating aged pork belly

Taste the first piece with just salt. After that, try it in a lettuce wrap, with the salty myeoljeot (salted anchovy) sauce, and with grilled aged kimchi. Mixing it up like this meant I never got tired of it and could keep eating.

Finish with the review-event corn cheese!

We finished with the corn cheese we got for a Naver receipt review! Do this one for sure! The mozzarella flavor was just art ✨

Is it worth recommending as dog-friendly pork belly near Cheonho Station?

These days it's hard to find places to eat out with a pet, but Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch has no fussy restrictions, so we could eat comfortably with our dog without worrying about anyone's looks. I was really happy with it.

The meat tastes good and the prices are reasonable too, so I recommend Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch to anyone in Cheonho or near Cheonho Station, Seoul, who wants to come with a dog or just wants great pork belly 🐶