Korean BBQ with tableside grilling near Seokgye Station, Seoul: Hanam

Location and hours of Hanam Doeji Jip Seokgye branch

Hanam Doeji Jip Seokgye branch Address: 서울특별시 노원구 석계로 9길 17 1층 (17 Seokgye-ro 9-gil, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 1st floor) Hours: Mon–Fri 16:00–23:00 Last order 22:00 Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00 Break time 15:00–16:30 Last order 22:00

Right before the semester started, I went with a friend to Hanam Doeji Jip near Seokgye Station to make the most of the last of our vacation (haha)! Hanam Doeji Jip is such a well-known Korean BBQ spot that I've been to a few other branches before, and it's always reliable.

Still, this was my first time at the Seokgye branch, so I was a little worried there might be differences between locations — but it turned out to be waaaaaaay tastier than the other branches I'd been to!

Side dishes: myeong-i namul, lettuce salad, grilled kimchi

The side dishes come out first since the meat is the whole point, and honestly, that myeong-i namul (pickled mountain garlic leaves) is so precious...! Myeong-i namul and the lettuce salad? My absolute favorites, ugh. Wrapping the meat with myeong-i namul, lettuce salad, and grilled kimchi all together is pure heaven...!

Two of us ordered the couple set + mul naengmyeon

There were two of us, both women, and we ordered the Hanam Doeji Jip couple set (couple set: two servings pork belly, one serving pork jowl, one rice, doenjang stew). And since that felt like it still wasn't enough, we also ordered mul naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) lolllllllllllllllllllllll. It was so good I almost ordered more meat, but I'd eaten so many side dishes already that I held back out of embarrassment haha.

Hanam Doeji Jip pork belly

I did think, isn't this a lot of pork belly...? (it really was a lot), but we ended up eating it all just fine — basically like two guys had shown up instead lolllllllllllllll. We polished it off neatly. The standout feature is Hanam Doeji Jip's own system: a 500-degree pre-sear followed by staff grilling the meat right at the table, so you get to eat faster and more easily!

Hanam Doeji Jip pork jowl

Hanam Doeji Jip pork jowl — the last time I bought pork jowl to cook myself, it had way too much fat and I was disappointed, but that was completely resolved the moment I ate this haha. The color was just so, so good...

How the tableside grilling system works

Both the pork belly and pork jowl get grilled to perfection — the Seokgye branch of Hanam Doeji Jip is truly soft and juicy! Meat is always right, but Hanam Doeji Jip is extra right!

They pre-sear it, then cut and grill everything piece by piece for you — the Seokgye branch is awesome! Honestly, if you don't grill meat well it's such a waste of good meat, but here the meat-grilling master staff grill it just right, so all you have to do is enjoy — no chance of the meat tasting off. Satisfied, satisfied, extremely satisfied!

Once the meat is all grilled, they transfer it onto a metal bowl-like dish on the grill so it stays warm without burning, kept hot with a heating function! No chance of the meat going cold, hard, and stiff!

After grilling all the meat, they move everything onto the flat top and stir-fry kimchi for you! It's already delicious plain, but stir-frying it makes the combo of pork belly + grilled kimchi the absolute best...

How much doenjang stew comes with the couple set

And the doenjang stew!!!!! The portion is seriously generous! This doenjang stew comes included in the Hanam Doeji Jip couple set, and I genuinely thought, isn't this way too much? But we really did finish it all lolllllllllll. A bowl of rice disappears instantly with the doenjang stew, and eating it together with the pork belly + pork jowl is straight-up heaven!

How was the mul naengmyeon at the end?

Finally, the mul naengmyeon!!!! Wow, even the naengmyeon broth was tangy-sweet, exactly the flavor I like, so honestly nothing here was anything less than delicious...! The noodles were cooked exactly to my taste too — not too firm, softer than other naengmyeon noodles I've had, so they slid right down!

Restaurant atmosphere and group visits

The Seokgye branch of Hanam Doeji Jip has plenty of tables and a clean interior, and with a kiosk at every table, you can order right away. Having the staff grill everything for you made it super convenient! The portions are generous too, so it's great for group visits — recommended!!