Dongdaemun Korean BBQ with tender pork neck: Dwaegal Gongmyeong

Dapsimni pork ribs my child ate a full serving of

It is hard to get my third-grade daughter to eat meat every day. Since I am raising a growing child, every meal-out somehow ends up being about height growth, so we try to go to meat restaurants whenever we can. Last week, we visited a great pork-rib place in Dapsimni. My picky daughter, who will not eat meat if it is even a little tough, ate a full serving here.

Can you see the juices and just-right seasoning in the meat even in the photo? My child definitely eats meat better when we dine out. Charcoal-grilled meat just tastes different from meat grilled at home. That day, she cleared a whole serving of pork ribs too. Seeing my daughter fill up on meat alone made me think I need to work even harder and earn more.

Dwaegal Gongmyeong Dapsimni location and visitor information

Dwaeji Galbi Dwaegal Gongmyeong Soba Dapsimni Station Main Branch is at 12 Gogmisul-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 317 m from Exit 1 of Dapsimni Station. It is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00. It is also fairly close to Sindap Station. It is near the Dapsimni Starbucks, so it is easy to find. As you can see, it specializes in charcoal pork ribs. Rather than trying to do a little of everything, it focuses squarely on charcoal-grilled pork ribs, and that is why it is good.

There is a separate space in front of the restaurant for around two or three cars, so it seems fine to visit by car too.

The dining room was quite spacious, and I liked the generous spacing between the tables for four. It is a kid-friendly restaurant with high chairs for babies, too.

Receipt review event

Leave a Naver receipt review and you can receive Lalasweet ice cream or Bungeoppang Samanco.

Make sure to keep your receipt, leave a Naver review, and get some ice cream for dessert. Paying ahead and getting the receipt is one way to do it. They give you a fairly pricey ice cream product too, which was nice.

Dwaegal Gongmyeong menu and order

• Marinated pork ribs ₩19,000
• Marinated pork neck ₩17,000
• Pork belly ₩17,000
• Beef rib fingers ₩18,000
• Beef tartare ₩20,000

Since it is a pork-rib specialist, I recommend the pork ribs or pork neck. I ordered the pork neck, and the marinade did not taste artificial at all; it was moist and so delicious. I think I would order the pork neck again next time. The serving size is quite generous too.

There are plenty of side dishes too, including naengmyeon (cold noodles), doenjang jjigae (soybean-paste stew), and beef tartare bibimbap, which also looked quite good. Personally, I think pork ribs and naengmyeon make a great pairing.

Pork ribs grilled over charcoal

First, the charcoal arrives. Meat grilled over charcoal really bursts with juices and tastes even better. This is why we eat out, right? Our family has been practically forced to go out for pork ribs because my child is obsessed with them. We have been diligently seeking out good pork-rib specialists.

The banchan (Korean side dishes) were so neat and well prepared. The shredded scallions were not drowned in gochujang seasoning; they were lightly seasoned exactly the way I like them. The cucumber and pickled radish were tasty, too—the kind of sides you keep reaching for. And the ssam vegetables for wrapping were incredibly fresh. Just looking at the side vegetables, I could feel that the owner does not skimp on ingredients and uses fresh ones. We ate every last bit of the wrap vegetables and shredded scallions, haha.

When you order meat, sliced zucchini and potatoes come with it. Grilling them alongside the meat made it feel like we were camping. Charcoal-grilled potatoes and kabocha squash—what more needs to be said? So delicious. I love it when a meat restaurant gives you grilled vegetables like this. It was exactly my personal taste.

Subtly seasoned, moist marinated pork neck

I ordered three servings and thought I was going to burst. I was so glad we ordered only one naengmyeon. It was truly a day of filling up on meat alone. We nearly left some naengmyeon because we did not want to leave any meat. The pork neck was especially generous: a true 170 g per serving, with no bone weight included.

The marinade had matured beautifully, too. Perhaps because the seasoning was subtle, the pork neck had a somehow refined flavor. I do not usually like overly sweet marinated meat, but Dwaegal Gongmyeong's marinated pork neck was absolutely delicious with its gentle seasoning.

The meat was tender too, perhaps because it had been aged well. Pork neck is a leaner cut, so it is not easy for it to be this tender, but it was truly moist. I ordered pork neck when I went with my daughter, who does not eat much fatty meat, and it was a huge success.

When my daughter eats without saying a word, it is a good restaurant.

My daughter normally has lots to say when we go to restaurants, but when we find a good one, she just eats quietly. The problem is that it does not happen often, but at Dwaegal Gongmyeong she silently focused only on the meat. Thanks to that, we finished our meal quickly, which was nice.

The wrap vegetables really are fresh, right? I finished all the plentiful wrap vegetables by myself. I added onions and shredded scallions, and did not leave a scrap of vegetables. I am someone who eats as many vegetables as meat.

The complimentary stew was savory and delicious too. You could easily finish a whole bowl of rice with this alone.

Dessert kudzu naengmyeon with meat

I ordered the dessert naengmyeon. It was kudzu naengmyeon, and it was delicious. It is practically the rule that naengmyeon tastes even better with grilled meat, right? Even as a dessert side, the portion was quite generous.

For anyone looking for a great pork-rib restaurant in Dapsimni to visit with children, this place really has tender meat and a pleasantly, moderately sweet marinade that both adults and kids would enjoy. The portions are generous, so give it a try.