Seok-dong grill restaurant in Jinhae: best pork neck at Anmin Jinhae

Wondering where to find good BBQ around Seok-dong in Jinhae? 🥓 I'd been looking forward to this meetup with a friend for ages, so I really thought hard about where to go 🙇‍♀️

This one's genuinely my own money, no sponsorship

Out of every piece of pork 🥩 I've ever eaten, I can confidently say this is #1 👍 — a whole new world of pork neck I'd never tasted anywhere else! 💖

If you're looking for a Seok-dong restaurant, or want savory, tender, juicy pork 😘 you absolutely must check out Anmin Jinhae! 🤗

Where is Anmin Jinhae, and what is it like inside?

Anmin Jinhae, famous as a Seok-dong hotspot, sits on the 2nd floor of the Chicago building at the entrance of the Seok-dong restaurant alley ✨ Even though we came a bit early, the place was already buzzing with customers! 😲

Popular restaurants really are different from the entrance on~~~ 👍 We'd reserved ahead so we were seated right away without waiting 👏

Not long after we sat down, a waiting line started forming 😂 If you want to eat without waiting, I really recommend booking ahead ~~😅 (easy to reserve on Naver!)

The Anmin half-pig set, grilled at your table by staff

As soon as we sat down, the side dishes were neatly set out ✨ and there were all kinds of sauces to pair with the meat, so I was excited before we'd even started eating! 😋

We ordered the Anmin half-pig set, made up of pork belly, pork neck, and pork skin 🥓

Here, the staff grill the meat for you! 🥩🔥 The server explained the grilling know-how to a new part-timer while cooking it 🧐

Listening in 😅 they went into detail about how done it should be before flipping 🔥 and which direction and way to cut it for the best texture 👌

I was surprised that it wasn't just grilling — there's a specific way to grill and cut the meat to make it taste even better! 👍 Meat grilled by an expert's hands, how could it not be delicious? 😋

Pork neck, pork skin and pork belly: how the three cuts compare

Honestly, I usually prefer pork belly over pork neck because pork neck tends to feel dry 😅

But here... the pork neck was insane! 🤩 They placed the very first piece of grilled pork neck on my plate 🌟

and told me to dip it lightly in pine pollen salt 🧂 — the moment I took a bite, my eyes genuinely widened, no exaggeration! 👀✨

How could pork neck be this tender yet chewy, with juices spreading through my whole mouth~ wow~😍 I can confidently say it was the best pork neck I've ever had!!! 🏆 The pork skin was chewy and savory through and through~~🎉 chewy but didn't stick to my teeth, which was even better, and the pork belly — well, I don't even need to say it, it was just soooo good

I realized that with meat, quality matters of course, but who grills it and how also really matters! Once cooked, the meat was kept on a small brazier so we could eat it warm the whole time! 😋

Pine pollen salt, shiitake wasabi and yuzu pickled radish

They also kindly explained how to enjoy the sauces 🎶 grilled green onion dipped in fish sauce tasted almost like a salad 👍

My personal favorite, the shiitake wasabi sauce, exploded the umami of the meat 🌶

The cheese fondue topped with breadcrumbs 🧀 let you enjoy softness and crunch at once, which kids would probably love too 💖

There was a yuzu wrap radish I'd never seen before, and its fresh citrus scent cleanly cut through the richness of the meat — meat on the radish, pickles on top~ (suddenly thinking of an old Korean drama, showing my age here haha ㅋㅋㅋ) then sauce on top, wrapped up and eaten — it was absolutely delicious! 🍋

Highballs and the hwang doenjang jjigae finish

It wasn't just the meat — the highball selection was really varied too 🍹 From Earl Grey highball to basil tomato, acacia, there were so many I was curious about 🍋 but I'd driven, so I couldn't have any, which was such a shame 😭 Next time I'll leave my car at home 🚗 and definitely enjoy a highball too 🍻

(Oh wait! Didn't take a photo~~😓 ended up snapping it mid-bite ;;) A meal isn't complete without a stew after the meat~~~ so for our finishing dish we ordered the hwang doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) 🍲 it was packed with mussels and crab, and the broth was incredibly clean and deep 🦀✨ Just looking at the photo now while writing this at night is making me crave it again — not telling anyone~😅

We're both dumpling soup lovers, so we even added a serving of dumpling soup noodles, and picking out the chewy pieces was so much fun! 💯

The receipt photo booth at the entrance

Even in the middle of a rush with customers pouring in, the staff never lost their smile while serving us ✨

Even while paying at the end of the meal, they kindly asked if the service had been good, which really left an impression on me 😊 On the way out, we spotted a receipt photo booth at the entrance 📸

My 30-year best friend and I took a few shots like we were back in high school taking sticker photos — so nostalgic and fun! 👭 The meat was amazing, but little touches like this made the place even more memorable! 💖

For anyone in Seok-dong, Jinhae looking for a truly delicious BBQ spot, especially the best pork neck of your life, I genuinely, truly recommend Anmin Jinhae !!!👍👍👍

There were so many customers I couldn't take many photos of the interior, but after eating there myself, I 200% understood why it's always so packed. 😘 I'm definitely coming back next time for the highballs! 🍹

With excellent meat quality, friendly service, fun little extras, and a varied spread of sides and sauces, Anmin Jinhae is a Seok-dong restaurant I'd strongly recommend for anyone who wants a satisfying, well-rounded meal ✨

Anmin Jinhae: hours, parking and reservations

• Address | 64 Dongjin-ro, 2nd floor, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, South Korea
• Hours | 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM (last order 9:30 PM)
• Parking | Iutnanum public parking lot (across from Han Eobuwa Bada in Seok-dong)
• Seating & space | Bar table, couple seats, group seats
• Payment | Zero Pay accepted
• Other | Reservations available, group bookings possible