Jongno 3-ga outdoor Korean BBQ, on-site waiting only: Tapgol Gongwon

With the weather turning cool lately, it's the perfect season for grilling meat at a yajang (outdoor seating restaurant). This time I visited Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch, a spot famous for outdoor frozen pork belly near Jongno 3-ga Station! Just like the name suggests, it's really right in front of Tapgol Park, and the whole restaurant is outdoor seating, so it was a great place to soak up the atmosphere and eat meat in weather like this.

How to get to Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch

Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch is about 166m from exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station. It's close enough to the station that it wasn't hard to find.

I visited on a Saturday evening. Unlike a typical BBQ place where you eat indoors, this one is all about eating at outdoor seats, and it seemed even more popular because of that in weather like this!!

Waiting at Tapgol Gongwon: on-site machine only, 2 to 2.5 hours

This wasn't a place where you could put your name down in advance through Catch Table or Table-ing — registration was only possible at the on-site waiting machine in front of the restaurant. I registered as soon as I arrived, and in the end I waited about 2 to 2.5 hours before getting seated.

I think it's a good idea to register for the wait first, then eat somewhere nearby as a first round before coming back for round two.

Menu, table setting and the self-bar

The menu had various meat options including frozen pork belly. The Tapgol Set was the signature item, and beyond frozen pork belly there were also various individual meat items like frozen pork neck. There were plenty of side dishes too — kimchi fried rice, doenjang jjigae, and steamed egg, all good to pair with the meat depending on your taste!

The basic table setting came out nicely arranged on one tray. Having all the necessary side dishes come out together at once felt clean and tidy.

There was a self-bar inside the restaurant, so I could grab more banchan or anything else I needed myself. It was convenient to be able to bring over exactly as much as I needed.

How was the quick-frozen pork belly for two?

The quick-frozen pork belly I'd been waiting and waiting for finally arrived. Being the thinly sliced style typical of frozen pork belly, it cooked quickly once on the grill, which was great when I was hungry. Since the meat was thin, I could grill several pieces at once, and it was delicious eaten golden-brown with the side dishes.

Grilling meat outdoors right there had a different flavor from eating at a typical indoor BBQ place. The meat itself was tasty, but personally, I loved the atmosphere most. There was a wall visible right in front of my seat, and grilling meat outdoors while looking at that view gave off such a great vibe~!

There's real enjoyment in grilling meat outdoors when the weather is cool like this, and this place let you feel that atmosphere fully. Once the sun went down and the yajang filled up with people around, the distinct feel of Jongno 3-ga really came through. Haha.

That said, since the wait is so long, I'd recommend registering first and spending time nearby while you wait. I also waited about 2 to 2.5 hours, but it felt much more relaxed having eaten a first round nearby before coming back for the second.

Is Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch worth the wait?

Since Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch only has outdoor seating, visiting during cool weather like this seems best! The wait can be pretty long so come mentally prepared, but eating a first round elsewhere before coming back for round two is a good way to use the time. Grilling meat outdoors had a great atmosphere, and since it's a yajang mood you can only enjoy fully in this kind of weather, it stuck with me even more. If you want to enjoy outdoor dining before it gets cold, go check it out soon!!!