2:30am Korean BBQ in Nonhyeon: 500g pork belly, Daepae Market

A Nonhyeon Station Korean BBQ restaurant where you can enjoy thin-sliced pork belly with a spicy stew even late at night

I wanted meat for dinner with a friend, so we went to Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch. Since it's a 24-hour Nonhyeon restaurant, we could visit comfortably even in the early morning without worrying about time, and it was easy to find since it's close to Nonhyeon Station. We had thin-sliced pork belly with freshly cooked rice and spicy pork stew, and finished with self-serve fried rice.

Where is Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch, and when is it open?

Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch is at 49 Hakdong-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 234 meters from Exit 3 of Nonhyeon Station, and it's open 24 hours. The table charge is ₩2,000 per person.

It's within an easy walk from Exit 3 of Nonhyeon Station. Once you turn into the alley, a large sign makes it easy to spot. We visited around 2:30am, and it was great to be able to get warm meat and stew even at that late hour — a good option when looking for a late-night snack or a late dinner spot.

Inside Daepae Market at 2:30am: atmosphere and seating

Inside Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch, there was a long row of tables with round grills built in. The tables weren't cramped, and each seat had a hood installed above it, making it easy to grill the thin pork belly. It seemed like a good spot to visit with a friend on a day you're craving Nonhyeon pork belly late at night, or for a group meal.

What's on the self-serve side dish bar

The table charge is ₩2,000 per person, and you can grab whatever side dishes you need from the self-serve bar.

There was a wide variety — lettuce, perilla leaves, and napa cabbage for wraps, along with shredded green onion, kimchi, garlic, onion, chili peppers, and corn salad. You could take as much as you needed from the start, and it was convenient to go back for more if anything ran low.

What we ordered at Daepae Market: 44,500 won for two

• Thin pork belly 100g × 5, ₩24,500
• Spicy pork stew, 1 serving, ₩8,000
• Freshly cooked rice, 2 servings, ₩2,000
• Zero-sugar cola, 1, ₩2,500
• Self-serve fried rice, 1, ₩3,500
• Menu subtotal, ₩40,500
• Table charge for two, ₩4,000
• Total, ₩44,500

My friend and I each had a bowl of freshly cooked rice, and after finishing the meat and rice, we added one self-serve fried rice to share.

Grilling the thin-sliced pork belly, and how it tastes

The thin pork belly at Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch came out generously piled, sliced thin and rolled up like flowers. Rather than putting it all on at once, we spread just enough to eat on the grill at a time.

Once the thin pork belly went onto the wide grill, it started cooking quickly.

Since the meat was thin, we didn't have to wait long, and we could grill kimchi and garlic together in the fat rendered from the meat.

The golden-browned meat was soft and savory, and the slightly crispy edges had a nice bite too.

We dipped the meat lightly in sauce sometimes, and other times paired it with shredded green onion and grilled kimchi. Wrapping it in lettuce and perilla leaves with garlic on top let us switch up the combinations and enjoy it in different ways.

Thin-sliced pork belly over fresh-cooked rice

My friend and I each ordered a bowl of freshly cooked rice. Putting freshly grilled thin pork belly on top of warm rice, the savory meat went really well with the rice. Adding grilled kimchi on top brought a salty, spicy kick that naturally made us reach for another spoonful.

Spicy pork stew, 8,000 won

The spicy pork stew came out in a fairly large aluminum pot.

The red broth was packed with generous amounts of pork and onion, so every spoonful brought up some meat. The spicy, rich broth cleared the palate between bites of the savory thin pork belly, making it good to pair throughout the meal. Eaten with rice, it also worked as a satisfying meal on its own.

Finishing with self-serve fried rice, 3,500 won

After finishing the thin pork belly and rice, we added one self-serve fried rice.

The rice came out with egg, seaweed flakes, diced carrot, green onion, and seasoning, and we cooked it ourselves on the grill where the meat had been cooked.

As we mixed and fried the ingredients and seasoning together, the leftover meat fat on the grill soaked in, adding extra savoriness. Spreading it out wide and letting it press down slightly made the bottom crispy while the inside stayed moist.

We scooped the finished fried rice into a bowl and ate it with the remaining spicy pork stew. With the egg and seaweed flakes, it was savory and the seasoning blended in nicely — even full, we kept reaching for more. After eating the thin pork belly, rice cooked on the grill was, as always, a finish hard to skip.

Is Daepae Market worth a late-night return?

Being open 24 hours, Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch made it convenient to enjoy thin pork belly even in the early morning or late at night. The self-serve bar had a wide variety of vegetables and side dishes, and we could enjoy a full meal in one place — meat, stew, rice, and fried rice.

It's a 24-hour Nonhyeon restaurant worth remembering whenever you want warm meat and a full meal together, no matter the time.