Namyangju valley BBQ with a dog in cool September: 2002 Witch's

As a travel influencer who visits every corner of the country, I really want to recommend this place to see in Namyangju!! 🌟 A spot with an amazing open-air BBQ atmosphere 🌟 Here's my review of 2002 Witch's Arpeggio.

Open-air BBQ by Myojeoksa Valley in Namyangju: worth the drive?

2002 Witch's Arpeggio is an open-air BBQ restaurant hugging Myojeoksa Valley in Wabu-eup, Namyangju. It's not the kind of place you stumble into passing by — people travel far specifically to come here, and so did we 🤍

With fall settling in and the weather turning cool, I was looking for a drive spot near Seoul and there was one restaurant I really~ wanted to visit, so here we are!

Visiting after the summer peak season meant it was way less crowded, relaxed, and the weather was so cool it was just amazing!!!!!! 👍👍👍 Looking at the valley that cools you down just by looking at it 🌊, with birdsong and a gentle refreshing breeze 🍃, eating pork belly in the middle of such beautiful nature 🌳 — there was no way it wouldn't be delicious.

Can you sit with your dog at 2002 Witch's Arpeggio?

It's a dog-friendly restaurant, so our white dog got to sit comfortably too haha. A great place to see in Namyangju if you're bringing your dog along.

The signature tomato-jang pork belly and how we ordered it

2002 Witch's Arpeggio's signature menu is 🍅 tomato-jang pork belly 🍅. A special dish you can only get here — pork belly marinated in tomato sauce instead of gochujang (red chili paste) — this was my first time trying it, and the reviews were good so my expectations were up.

I really wanted the homemade fruit makgeolli (rice wine) too, but had to pass since I was driving.

• Jar-aged tomato-jang pork belly
• Cheese tomato-jang pork belly
• Potato pancake
• Pollock roe stone-pot fried rice — ordered it!

You can choose your spice level! 🌶️ We went with Shin Ramyun spice, and it was deliciously spicy, just right haha.

Side dish spread and tomato kimchi

The side dish spread came out — the hot japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) was tasty, and the buckwheat crepes came thoughtfully arranged for wrapping the meat. It came out like a farmhouse snack tray, which really added to the mood.

And the truly amazing tomato kimchi 🍅🍅!! First time trying it, and I was like, wait, this is what it tastes like?? It's tangy-sweet and I kept eating it — a specialty I want to come back just for, lol.

Why is the potato pancake so popular?

There had been a lot of praise for the potato pancake, and eating it, I got it — crispy and savory, no wonder it's popular. The table next to us ordered one after seeing us enjoy it, lol. The crispy potato pancake with the tomato pork belly was a great combo, and I feel like it'd pair perfectly with makgeolli!!!!

What does tomato-jang pork belly actually taste like?

For everyone curious, here's my one-line review of the tomato-jang pork belly

Unfamiliar yet familiar! The added spiciness made it delicious!

They even did a 🔥 cheese torch show 🔥, which made it look even more appetizing.

The tomato-jang pork belly and cheese went really well together!! And the bean sprouts in the middle too — perfect 💯

You know how melted cheese pairs so well with the sauce in a spicy tomato spaghetti? It had that kind of harmony!!

Wrapped in lettuce~ wrapped in buckwheat crepes~ eaten with seaweed~ so many ways to enjoy it. Pickled radish + bean sprouts + meat was my personal favorite combo!

Finishing with pollock roe scorched-rice cauldron fried rice

The perfect finish — 🌟 pollock roe stone-pot fried rice 🌟. You have to order this!!!!!!! Seriously so good! One of the best fried rice dishes I've ever had.

Would we go back to 2002 Witch's Arpeggio?

This is genuinely one of those places to see in Namyangju that would make me come back to the city just for it, where the whole reason to visit is this one restaurant. I think my parents would love it too, so I want to bring them next time ❤️

After the meal, we had a great time playing by the valley haha. 2002 Witch's Arpeggio gave us such a fun time — the atmosphere, the taste, dog-friendliness, and it's a reasonable distance from the city — I'm so satisfied I want to come back again in late fall too 🍁 If you haven't been yet, and you're looking for places to see in Namyangju, definitely visit this one :)