Quiet Korean BBQ under high ceilings near Suwon Station: Ssosam 208

Why I picked Ssosam 208 over Suwon Station Rodeo Street

Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch (쏘삼208 수원역점) is a pork belly place just off Suwon Station Rodeo Street. It had been a while since I'd gone out for pork belly with my wife after work. Rodeo Street near Suwon Station is full of young crowds, loud and chaotic, so we went for Ssosam 208, which sits slightly off the strip... Doesn't the building look different from the outside? It was really unusual...

Ssosam 208 opening hours and parking

Ssosam 208 is open from 3:30 PM to 2 AM. Park at the Hwanggeum parking lot (황금주차장) behind the building and you get 2 hours free, so parking is easy.

We came early, but the word seems to be out about this Suwon Station BBQ spot, because tables were already starting to fill up..

The high ceiling keeps the meat smell off your clothes

What's unusual about Ssosam 208 is how high the ceiling is... So even though it's a BBQ place, the smoke doesn't bother you while grilling, and the air is good, so the smell doesn't cling to your clothes as much as elsewhere.

Why is it called Ssosam 208?

Turns out Ssosam is short for soju (소주) plus samgyeopsal (삼겹살, pork belly)... and the 208 matches the grill temperature, haha.

Ordering the mixed medium set and the stone-plate setup

You order by table ordering at Ssosam 208, and we got the mixed medium set (모듬 중). The stone-plate-shaped pan I'd only heard about heated up and the side dishes were set out... The sauces on the left are why this is a Suwon Station BBQ worth visiting: salt, wasabi sauce, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), salted seafood on the stone plate and more... They go so well with the meat. See the gas burner heating it from underneath? Haha.

Rice noodles while you wait for the meat

The first thing out at Ssosam 208 was a rice noodle appetizer. It came with bean sprouts and something like ramyeon (instant noodle) seasoning sprinkled on top, and it was enough to settle our stomachs while we waited for the meat. Haha. Ssosam 208 never disappoints ^^

Does Ssosam 208 grill the meat for you?

Yes, the staff at Ssosam 208 grill it right at your table. Meanwhile the bright pink meat arrived, and young staff members came over, checked the stone plate temperature and grilled it for us. Usually I'm the one sweating and getting oil splattered on my hands while grilling... but with the staff doing it, we could just talk comfortably. I think that's why so many groups come here for company dinners (hoesik).

The meat is a bright, appetizing pink... and if you like fatty cuts, you'll find it really rich and nutty. I've been to plenty of Suwon Station BBQ restaurants, but meat like this was special. The staff grill it for you at the table.

They set the meat aside on the stone plate so it won't burn, and you can tell how tender it is. Pork belly isn't all the same, right? I've been to places where it was tough and tasteless and a waste of time, but at Ssosam 208 you don't have to worry about that...

Dipping meat in lava-like fondue cheese

There's one more special thing at Ssosam 208: something like fondue cheese... It bubbles like lava. You dunk the cooked meat right in... It was my first time dipping meat in cheese, haha. It's like putting butter on beef: it amplifies the flavor of the meat.

Tofu and kimchi are grilled on the stone plate too, and when things get a bit greasy, the sour aged kimchi cuts right through and balances it out.

Dessert: bibim naengmyeon and stone-plate fried rice

We wondered what to have to finish at Ssosam 208 and ended up ordering one bibim naengmyeon (비냉, spicy cold noodles) and one fried rice to share, haha. The cold noodles were a great choice for calming the greasiness.

We were already stuffed, but skipping the fried rice on the stone plate felt like too much of a shame, and I was curious... They sprinkled seaweed flakes and snow-flake cheese over the kimchi fried rice, and we stir-fried it ourselves to our taste. So good..

Would I go back to Ssosam 208?

Ssosam 208 easily holds its own as one of the best BBQ places near Suwon Station, and both the meat and the way it's grilled were very special. The location, away from the noisy Rodeo Street, was great too, and I'd definitely go again.