Seoul Korean BBQ with folding-door window seats, Isu Station: Chammak

A dinner at a window seat with the folding doors wide open, with makchang, pork belly and even ramyeon.

Where can you eat makchang and pork belly together near Isu Station?

Chammak Isu Station Branch (참막 이수역점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Isu Station with a mixed set that lets you order makchang and domestic fresh pork belly together. I was wondering what to have for dinner, suddenly craved makchang after a long time, and went to Chammak Isu Station Branch. I wanted makchang and pork belly both, and since there was a mixed set that covered the two, I picked it right away.

I found it while searching for places near Isu Station that serve makchang, and it was close to the station, so it was easy to get to for dinner.

Chammak Isu Station Branch: location, hours and parking

Chammak Isu Station Branch is about 174m from Exit 13 of Isu Station. The address is 29 Dongjak-daero 27da-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul (Unit 107, 1st floor). It is open daily from 4pm to 3am the next day, so it looked fine for dinner and also for a late-night drink with makchang.

• Address: 29 Dongjak-daero 27da-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Unit 107, 1st floor
• About 174m from Isu Station Exit 13
• Daily 16:00 to 03:00 the next day
• Basement level 2 parking available / paid
• Naver booking available

What is the folding-door window seat like?

One side of Chammak Isu Station Branch has folding doors, so when they are open, the window seats feel like eating BBQ outdoors even though you are inside. We sat on the window side this day, and personally I loved this spot. With the folding doors wide open it didn't feel stuffy, the outside air came right in, and it was just perfect for a cool day. If you like the open-air street-table (yajang) vibe but don't quite want to sit fully outside, a seat like this works well.

The place is big inside too, and the tables are spaced fairly comfortably.

2-person mixed makchang and domestic fresh pork belly: price and what we ordered

What we ordered at Chammak Isu Station Branch was the 2-person mixed makchang and domestic fresh pork belly set: 440g after pre-grilling for ₩39,000. We also added one bowl of rice.

• 2-person mixed makchang + domestic fresh pork belly ₩39,000
• Rice ₩1,000
• Cola ₩2,000

Complimentary steamed egg and Naver booking corn butter

Chammak Isu Station Branch gives you one steamed egg by default, and since we visited with a Naver booking, we also got a corn butter as a service. Once we ordered, even the standard spread was pretty generous. We got the corn butter because we'd booked on Naver on the way over.

At the self-serve bar, you bring over the ssam vegetables, sauces and so on yourself.

The hot, soft steamed egg was great to spoon up between bites of meat, and the corn butter, with its popping corn and rich buttery flavor, was something my hand kept reaching for.

The table was already quite full before the main meat even arrived, so it felt generous from the start.

How was the makchang at Chammak Isu Station Branch?

When grilled until golden, the makchang at Chammak Isu Station Branch was slightly crisp outside and chewy inside. Here comes our order! The makchang and pork belly portion was bigger than expected, and it looked great.

The thing I was looking forward to most that day was, of course, the makchang.

Grilled long enough to turn golden, it had that slightly crisp outside and chewy inside texture. The more I chewed, the more its signature nutty flavor came through, and I kept going back for more.

That chewy texture was what I most wanted from Isu Station makchang, and personally I found it tastier to grill it until the surface turned golden rather than rushing it. With crispness and chew together, it also went well as drinking food, so it's a makchang spot that earns its place among Isu Station's good restaurants.

Alternating with the domestic fresh pork belly

The domestic fresh pork belly that came with the mixed set had moist, tender meat with rich fat, and a different charm from the makchang. It was nice to alternate with the chewy makchang.

One bite of makchang, one bite of pork belly, and the texture changes completely, so I got tired of it less than eating just one kind. If you like makchang but a whole grill full of only makchang feels like a bit much, a mixed set with pork belly like this seems like a good option.

How does the self-serve ramyeon work?

At Chammak Isu Station Branch, you can take one ramyeon of your choice per person and boil it yourself. We already had plenty to eat, so we brought just one Yeolramyeon (spicy instant noodles) and shared it between the two of us.

After eating a good amount of meat, having the bubbling Yeolramyeon alongside was quite a good combination.

The spicy, hot broth felt like it reset my mouth between the nutty flavors of the makchang and pork belly. One bite of ramyeon, then back to a piece of makchang, and it all went down again. Boiling it ourselves was fun too, and ramyeon at a BBQ restaurant somehow tastes extra good.

Chammak Isu Station Branch: how was it for two?

Being able to eat makchang and pork belly in one go was nice, but what satisfied me more at Chammak Isu Station Branch was the variety of things to eat alongside.

On this day especially, sitting at the window seat with the folding doors wide open and the breeze coming in, I could enjoy an almost outdoor BBQ atmosphere, and since it's open late, it seems like a fine option when you're looking for dinner or a drink around Isu Station.

With makchang and pork belly, the complimentary steamed egg, the corn butter from the Naver booking, self-boiled Yeolramyeon and rice, it was a very generous meal for two. If you're looking for makchang among Isu Station restaurants, try eating makchang and fresh pork belly together, then boil some spicy ramyeon yourself to go with it.