Gwangju BBQ restaurant: black pork and kimchi stew at Jeju Oktop

This time, the three of us—my baby, husband, and I—went out for meat in Gwangju, Gyeonggi! When you take a baby to a barbecue restaurant, you’re low-key so busy grilling the meat while also looking after the baby, right?ㅠㅠ

But at Jeju Oktop JEJU BBQ, Gwangju Gyeongan Branch, the staff grilled the meat themselves and took such kind care of us overall, so we had a much more relaxed meal than I expected. I’d also wanted to visit even more because it’s a barbecue restaurant where Viu had been to the Apgujeong branch...!💗

We ordered two portions of pork belly + one portion of pork ribs, plus kimchi stew.

Location and parking at Jeju Oktop JEJU BBQ, Gwangju Gyeongan Branch

It’s in the downtown Gyeongan-dong area, so it wasn’t hard to find. Rather than having its own parking lot, the restaurant says it supports two cars per table for two hours if you use the Munhwa Wedding Hall parking lot. Definitely good to know before you go if you’re driving!

There are dol hareubang stone-grandfather statues and Jeju-style decorative pieces inside, so it has a clearly defined Jeju concept rather than feeling like an ordinary neighborhood barbecue place.

How are the side dishes and baby tableware?

Before the meat came out, they set the table with banchan (Korean side dishes), and there were seriously so many sauces and accompaniments to eat with the meat. Along with basics such as ssamjang dipping paste and garlic, there was wasabi, salted pollock roe, seasoned sauce, and myeongi namul pickled wild garlic leaves, so it was fun to try each bite of meat differently.

I was especially fascinated by the different kinds of salt. They had Himalayan pink salt, sea salt, plus salt, pepper, seasoning, and all sorts of options to go with the meat!

When pork belly itself is delicious, the best way is honestly just a little salt, haha. I liked being able to pick and choose all sorts of things according to my taste🤩

And since we visited with our 36-month-old, they prepared separate tableware just for the baby. Little things like this are surprisingly important when dining out with a child. It was convenient not to have to bring our own, and the staff kindly looked after us when they saw we were with a baby, which was lovely.

Overall, with varied side dishes and baby tableware, I thought this was a nice Gwangju meat restaurant for a family meal with a child too....🧡

Black pork menu and prices

Black pork is Jeju Oktop’s main menu, and the prices are!

• Black pork belly ₩16,000
• Black pork flower collar ₩16,000
• Black pork bone-in belly, 330 g ₩36,000
• Black pork bone-in fresh ribs, 330 g ₩36,000
• Black pork kimchi stew ₩7,000
• Sweet shrimp soybean-paste stew ₩6,000

We ordered two portions of black pork belly, one portion of pork ribs, and kimchi stew.

My review of mixing pork belly and pork ribs

The meat looked quite good from the moment it arrived. The black pork belly came thick-cut, so you could really see its substantial thickness even while it was still raw.

Jeju Oktop says it uses black pork aged through wet-aging and dry-aging methods.

And I loved that a staff member grilled the meat for us. When you go to a barbecue restaurant with a baby, you’re trying to grill while sorting out the baby’s food too, and it’s hecticㅠㅠ

Since they grilled it for us, we could eat comfortably while looking after the baby, and the staff were all very! kind.

They didn’t just grill the pork belly—they put the vegetables that came with it on the grill too. Eating the vegetables, browned in the pork fat, with the pork belly was quietly a special treat too...😮💙

We cut up the well-cooked pieces for our baby too, and they ate it so much better than I expected, haha.

I especially liked how many things there were to pair with it! There wasn’t just one type of salt; with the different salts, sauces, and side dishes that came out, we could change up the combinations even with the same meat.

After the pork belly, we added pork ribs too, and personally, I thought this combination of ordering one pork belly and one ribs was nice as well.

Finishing with kimchi stew gave the meal just the right close when the meat was starting to feel a little rich!🧡👍🏻

There was such a generous amount of pork belly in the kimchi stew too—it felt really hearty!

Check ReturnX rewards before paying

And here’s one helpful tip I learned while paying. They said you can also get 10% off by using ReturnX, a receipt-rewards app. Ten percent at a barbecue restaurant can quietly add up, so this is seriously a great tip! haha

They say the accumulated points can be exchanged for gift certificates and more in the app, so if you’re visiting, ask the staff when paying whether the 10% rewards offer still applies and make sure to get it!

Going to a barbecue restaurant with a baby can be surprisingly hectic, so lately it isn’t only about how good the food tastes—I also care about how comfortably we can eat. At Jeju Oktop JEJU BBQ, Gwangju Gyeongan Branch, the staff grilled the meat and were so kind, so the three of us had a very comfortable meal.

It was a nice choice if you’re looking for a meat restaurant in Gwangju, Gyeonggi to visit with a baby, and if you go, definitely check on the ReturnX 10% rewards!😮🧡