Friday-night thick-cut pork belly at a Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ: Chowon

Hey everyone!! I'm Romi, a girl with a big appetite but a small stomach >_<

Once the weather got nice I just wanted to go sit at an outdoor tent (yajang)?!! Not too hot, not too cold — perfect yajang weather ㅠㅠ So today I'm back with a review of a Jongno 3-ga outdoor BBQ spot for frozen pork belly!

Where Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is, and when it opens

Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is on the 1st floor at 30 Jongno17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and it's open every day from 17:00 to 01:00 the next day. It's located on the outdoor tent street right by Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station, right next to the Wongaksa Free Meal Center! You can pay with Zero Pay or Naver Pay.

You can't talk about Jongno 3-ga without mentioning yajang (outdoor tent dining)!

How long is the wait on a Friday night?

Since it was Friday night, of course it was a full house...!!! All of Jongno 3-ga was packed with people — this really is a hot spot.

One thing I loved about Chowon is that they have chairs for waiting!! Sitting down while you wait is so much more comfortable, and time passes way faster haha.

Do the indoor seats still feel like the outdoor tent street?

An indoor table opened up first at Chowon, and since everyone else wanted the outdoor tables, we got to go in right away!

The place is so open that even the indoor seats feel plenty like yajang, so I'd recommend the indoor seats too!! There's air conditioning too, which actually made it cooler and nicer — a seat where you get both the outside breeze and the AC.

This is the outdoor table!!! It's set up pretty spaciously.

Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch menu and prices

• Fire Hanwoo Set 55,000 won
• Beef & Pork Belly Set 53,000 won
• Frozen Pork Belly 18,000 won
• Frozen Beef Belly 18,000 won
• Hanwoo Striploin 28,000 won
• Crispy Brisket 20,000 won
• Steamed Egg 5,000 won
• Brisket Doenjang Stew 8,000 won
• Kimchi Stew 9,000 won
• Yukhoe Bibimbap 9,000 won

What we ordered was the frozen pork belly, 18,000 won for two servings, plus a Terra beer for 6,000 won.

Once you sit down, they set the table up like this! I loved how clean the setup was.

Kimchi, bean sprouts, green onion kimchi, bracken fern, peppers, garlic, ssamjang (dipping sauce) — the full lineup of side dishes shows up!!! Nothing but the essentials for eating meat, right?!

How thick is the frozen pork belly at Chowon Restaurant?

Chowon's frozen pork belly is on the thicker side even though it's frozen! And here comes the meat!!!

I went with a friend who really knows food, and she built this gorgeous arrangement on the grill hahaha, amazing — she loaded it up with kimchi, bean sprouts, bracken fern, and garlic all together.

It definitely takes a bit longer to cook than other frozen pork belly since it's noticeably thicker! But it's still frozen pork belly, so it cooks fast!! My friend was grilling it while I was so hungry I wanted to eat it right away haha.

How can you resist beer with frozen pork belly?????!!!!! We ordered a Terra right away — getting to enjoy it with that yajang mood made it even more satisfying ㅠ.

My friend said thick-cut frozen pork belly is all or nothing, but Chowon passed the test haha. I was worried too, but this thickness turned out to taste just right!!

Are two servings enough for two people?

I thought two servings of frozen pork belly wouldn't fill us up, so I wondered whether to order more — but once we finished, we were stuffed,,, probably because we drank beer and the meat had some thickness to it!

Wrapping the meat with kimchi and garlic in lettuce is a must... we ate a ton of lettuce wraps haha.

If you're looking for a place to grab drinks with friends on the Jongno tent street, and you want to enjoy that yajang vibe while eating frozen pork belly, I recommend Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch!