Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ for 3pm day drinking: Meongseokjip

Now that the weather's getting nice, I suddenly wanted to grab meat and drinks at an open-air spot in the middle of the day. I was around Jongno 3-ga and ended up visiting a place at around 3pm — right between lunch and dinner. It was Meongseokjip in Jongno 3-ga! Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong are usually spots people hit up for evening drinks, but this time I fully committed to daytime drinking haha.

Is there a wait at Meongseokjip at 3pm?

I figured Meongseokjip would still be pretty quiet at 3pm, but... spoiler: a waiting line had already formed behind us by 4pm. I guess for a good restaurant, the time of day doesn't matter much.

📍 Where Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch is

Meongseokjip sits between Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong, so it was easy enough to find. The space is designed with that open-air feel, so I imagine it'd have an amazing atmosphere on a nice-weather day.

🌙 Open-air tables under a roof that opens to the sky

One of Meongseokjip's biggest draws is definitely the open-air atmosphere. The ceiling is open, so on a nice day you can see the sky right above you — the vibe seemed amazing.

With the smell of grilling meat, the sizzling sound, and the lively energy all around, it genuinely felt like being out at a proper open-air BBQ spot.

🥩 What 80-hour aged pork means at Meongseokjip

Apparently Meongseokjip serves pork aged for 80 hours. The menu had aged pork belly, skirt steak, pork jowl, and pork neck skirt, plus beef options too.

That day we ordered aged pork belly + pork skirt steak, plus — of course — soju and beer.

🥬 Self-serve bar: green onion kimchi, bean sprouts and lettuce wraps

One thing I really liked about Meongseokjip was the self-serve bar. You can go grab things you need while eating meat, like

• Green onion kimchi
• Bean sprouts
• Lettuce wraps

and more, on your own. The green onion kimchi especially was so good paired with the pork belly.

How does the aged pork belly taste off the grill?

The meat finally arrived and they put the pork belly on the grill. As soon as it started cooking, the sizzling sound and delicious smell rose up... yeah, meat eaten open-air is more than half about the atmosphere haha. The pork belly grilled up golden brown, and taking a bite, the fatty part had that perfect savory richness.

🥩 Grilling the marbled pork neck alongside

If the pork belly was savory and rich, the neck skirt had a lighter, cleaner flavor — I was glad we ordered both. Eating just pork belly the whole time can get a little heavy, but switching to the neck skirt in between kept things feeling fresh. Ordering pork belly + neck skirt together and alternating between them is definitely the way to go rather than sticking to just one kind.

🍲 Spicy pork kimchi stew after the meat

It felt like a waste to stop after just the meat, so we ordered a pork kimchi stew too. Served bubbling hot, the broth was spicy and tangy right from the first spoonful — perfect for wrapping up after the meat.

Eating meat while drinking soju-and-beer cocktails can get a bit heavy, but taking a spoonful of that spicy kimchi stew broth in between totally cleared things up! 🤤

🍺 Somaek, the drink to have with Korean BBQ

And the item that can't be left out that day: soju + beer = somaek 🍺 Grilling meat at an open-air spot with somaek in hand completed the mood. A bite of meat, a sip of somaek. Wrap some in a lettuce leaf with green onion kimchi on top, another sip. Eating like this, the drinks went down way more smoothly than usual.

💛 Final verdict on Meongseokjip in Jongno 3-ga

That day, starting from 3pm, I properly enjoyed aged pork belly 🥓, pork skirt steak 🥩, and soju & beer 🍺. It was striking that even at a 3pm visit, a waiting line had formed behind us.

Great for when you want meat in an open-air setting on a nice-weather day, and good not just for evening but also for days when you want to start drinking with meat from the daytime, like we did. Also good for gatherings with friends around Jongno 3-ga, or for stopping by for meat after a date in Ikseon-dong. Next time I'd like to try the pork jowl or skirt too.

3pm daytime drinking + pork belly + somaek = happiness 🍺🥓❤️

If you're looking for an open-air BBQ restaurant around Jongno 3-ga, give Meongseokjip a try!