Blue Ribbon pork belly restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul: Bongu Hwarro

While looking for a place to eat meat in Gangnam, I finally made it to Bongu Hwarro (봉우화로), a Blue Ribbon-listed spot 🤍 The meat was great, but honestly what I liked most was the value! Once you finish your first order, any extra meat comes at half price, so it's perfect for days when you want to eat your fill without breaking the bank ^_^

Where is Bongu Hwarro and how do you get there?

It's located in the Star Palace building, about a 5-6 minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 11.

It's also pretty accessible from the Sinnonhyeon Station side, so it'd work well for gatherings or dinner appointments too ☺️

Above all, Bongu Hwarro is a Blue Ribbon-listed restaurant, so I went in with high expectations ✨

Inside Bongu Hwarro: mood and seating

The interior was clean and tidy overall, with a comfortable atmosphere for eating.

There were plenty of tables too, so it looked like a good spot for eating meat with a group!

Above all, this day I got to enjoy everything from the basic banchan to dessert, which made me feel like it was great value the whole meal through 👍🏻 You get one free ramyeon per person, and for dessert there's soft-serve topped with Jolly Pong!

What we ordered at Bongu Hwarro

This is what we ordered that day ❕

• Domestic fresh pork belly 150g, 4 servings
• Iberico pork neck 150g, 1 serving
• Steamed rice
• Zero Coke

We started by ordering 2 servings of domestic fresh pork belly and 1 serving of Iberico pork neck.

The banchan spread, from soy-marinated crab to pink sausage

What I really loved was how varied the basic side dishes were!

The spread included soy sauce marinated crab, green onion kimchi, sliced green onion salad, sausage, shredded radish, seasoned skate, dongchimi (radish water kimchi), lettuce, perilla leaves, garlic, and various dipping sauces.

I was especially happy to see the old-school pink sausage haha 😂 I picked one up while eating meat and somehow kept reaching for more — I refilled it a whopping three times that day! Eating meat alone can get a little heavy after a while, but mixing in kimchi and shredded radish in between kept my appetite going strong!

How the domestic fresh pork belly and Iberico pork neck tasted

The pork belly grilled up golden brown on the hot plate, and the savory aroma had me drooling 🥹

It was just fatty enough that wrapped in lettuce with garlic, it was rich but never too heavy.

The Iberico pork neck had a different, cleaner flavor from the belly, and grilled thick, it had great juiciness and chew, making it a nice change of pace between rounds of pork belly.

Half-price meat refills and free Jolly Pong soft-serve

And that's not all! After finishing our first order, we added 2 more servings of pork belly, and the extra meat came at half price. I loved that you don't have to over-order at the start — you can just add more as needed 🥰

After the meal, you get free soft-serve topped with Jolly Pong 🍦 Finishing off a meat meal with something sweet felt like the perfect ending!

Honest verdict on Bongu Hwarro

The Blue Ribbon listing caught my eye, but after visiting in person, what I liked most was how little pressure it put on my wallet while still packing in so much. Extra meat after the first order comes at half price, the banchan spread is varied, and it ends with free soft-serve and Jolly Pong — overall the value was really solid ^_^ If you're looking for a good-value pork belly spot in Gangnam where you can eat meat without stressing over the bill, this is worth a visit 🤍