Non-alcoholic beer at a Namyangju BBQ, 30-team wait: 2002 Witch's

I was trying to figure out what to do on the weekend all of a sudden, and decided to go somewhere a little special.

The weather was nice and it felt like a waste to stay home all weekend, so I went looking for somewhere I could see a valley and eat something delicious — and that's how I found 2002 Witch's Arpeggio.

I'd heard there was a good restaurant in Namyangju right beside Myojeoksa Valley, and looking it up, it seemed already famous for having quite a wait in summer.

Especially popular are the outdoor seats where you can eat with the valley right in front of you, so I was a little nervous going into the weekend visit,, but spoiler: the visit ended up pretty satisfying.

It's not just a place to play in the valley and eat — you also get to try the unique tomato-jang pork belly dish. I already like tomatoes and had never heard of tomato-jang (tomato paste/sauce) before, so I was curious what it would taste like. After eating it, I could sort of understand why this place has been loved for so long.

How long is the weekend wait? 30 teams beside the valley

2002 Witch's Arpeggio starts seating at 11am, and you get seated in the order you registered on CatchTable. Since we visited on a weekend, the wait was already substantial — about 30 teams waiting.

At first I thought, do we really have to wait this long? But the saving grace here is that you can spend the wait time at the valley. We put our name down and went to sit by the nearby stream listening to the water for a bit. The weather was so nice that the wait actually felt like part of a little trip. Especially in summer, being able to enjoy the valley while you wait is probably why so many people come looking for this as a Namyangju valley restaurant.

The outdoor seats, especially the ones with a direct valley view, were extremely popular. On the day we visited, the wait for outdoor seats was about 3 times longer than for indoor seats, which filled relatively quickly. Still, since we'd come this far, we wanted the valley view, so we decided to wait it out. If you're visiting on a weekend and want outdoor seating, it's worth expecting some wait time.

What kind of place is 2002 Witch's Arpeggio?

The name itself is unusual — 2002 Witch's Arpeggio. It turns out the restaurant opened on October 3, 2002, and has been steadily loved ever since. You could feel that history of being loved in one spot for so long, and above all, since the owner is genuinely devoted to tomatoes, the menu itself is quite distinctive. The dish we were most looking forward to that day was, of course, the tomato dish — the Witch's jar-aged tomato-jang pork belly.

Since I'd never heard of tomato-jang before, I couldn't quite imagine the flavor. Tomato usually makes me think of pasta or salad, so pairing it with pork belly felt unfamiliar but intriguing.

So without hesitation we ordered two servings of the tomato-jang pork belly. We chose 'slightly bad guy' spiciness — we were told it's about as spicy as Jin Ramen, which sounded just right since we like spicy food.

The side dishes: japchae, buckwheat crepe roll, tomato kimchi

Even the side dishes here were delicious one by one. Beyond the main dish, there was a pretty wide range of them.

I assumed it would just be the usual japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) you get at a BBQ place, but it was better than expected, so I kept reaching for more. The glass noodles were bouncy and chewy, and the seasoning wasn't too strong, making it good to eat between bites of pork belly.

A buckwheat crepe came out too, which paired nicely with the tomato-jang pork belly, along with gim (seaweed), pickled radish, and wrap vegetables for all kinds of combinations.

Tomato and kimchi together sounded strange at first, but tasting it, it was surprisingly refreshing and delicious. The spicy, tangy kick of kimchi combined with the bright freshness of tomato made it feel a bit lighter than regular kimchi.

Eating it with the meat cut through the greasiness nicely. If you like tomatoes, this is the kind of unique dish worth trying at least once.

The extra order: potato pancake

While eating the tomato-jang pork belly, we also ordered a potato pancake on the side. The moment it arrived, the look of it was already impressive.

It wasn't the usual flour-heavy pancake feel — more like crispy pan-fried potato. The outside was golden and crispy, while the inside kept that distinctive fluffy, chewy potato texture. It was good dipped lightly in soy sauce, but honestly I preferred it plain, since you could really taste the clean, nutty flavor of the potato that way.

How the tomato-jang pork belly is grilled and eaten

There were several ways to eat the tomato-jang pork belly.

First, I tried the meat plain, with nothing added, to taste it on its own. The savory, fatty flavor of the pork belly combined with the tangy-sweet, spicy tomato-jang worked much better together than I expected. Personally, I also loved wrapping it in the buckwheat crepe — its clean, nutty flavor gave the tomato-jang pork belly a whole different feel. Adding gim and pickled radish on top brought in a crunchy texture and the savory crispness of the seaweed, and I kept going back for more.

Wrapping it in the organic lettuce was of course delicious too. Even though it's the same meat, the flavor shifted a little depending on what you paired it with, which made eating it fun. This is exactly why people looking for a tomato-jang pork belly restaurant should give this place a visit.

Non-alcoholic beer for the drive home, and the valley view

Since I had to drive that day, we ordered non-alcoholic beer instead of the real thing. Beer with the sound of the valley water in summer is truly a love, but even non-alcoholic, the atmosphere was more than enough to enjoy.

The valley stream flowed beside us, pork belly sizzled deliciously in front of us, and there was a cold drink in hand — you didn't need to travel far on a weekend to feel refreshed, just eating at a place like this was enough. So if atmosphere matters as much as taste when looking for a Namyangju valley restaurant, this place is definitely worth considering. Especially in summer, the valley view itself felt like a menu item.

The closing fire show and how the tomato-jang tastes

The tomato-jang pork belly isn't just grilled meat — at the end, it comes with a signature fire show right in front of you. As the meat cooked, the subtle aroma spreading through the air combined with the fire show to make it genuinely fun to watch.

As the flame touched the meat, the surface browned appetizingly and the deep tomato-jang seasoning seemed to soak in between every bite. It already looked delicious just from the visuals. Tomato-jang is red, so at first glance it looks like gochujang (red chili paste), but the fun part is that it's not gochujang at all — it's Arpeggio's own tomato-based sauce.

Eating it, you could taste a light tomato freshness while still having enough deep, rich umami to match the meat. It wasn't just tangy tomato flavor — there was a spicy, slightly sweet, salty quality too that balanced the pork belly's richness nicely.

Two servings gone, fried rice skipped

Two servings gone, fried rice sadly skipped. Between all the pairings, we somehow finished nearly all of the two servings of tomato-jang pork belly. At first I wondered if two servings would even be enough, but between the side dishes, buckwheat crepe, and potato pancake, we ended up quite full.

Honestly, I really wanted the fried rice at the end. With all that tomato-jang seasoning left on the pan, I imagined how good fried rice made from it would be... but we were already too full, so we had to skip it in the end. That was the biggest regret.

Dogs, parking and what to know before you go

Looking around after we finished eating, there were plenty of customers who'd come with dogs. Since it's dog-friendly, lots of people seemed to be there enjoying a summer outing with their pets.

Parking space was ample too, making it convenient to visit by car. Above all, seeing how heavy the weekend wait was made it clear this is already a well-known restaurant. If you want an outdoor valley seat, I'd recommend coming a bit earlier and expecting a wait. Indoor seats have a relatively shorter wait, so if the food is your priority, choosing indoor is another option.

If I find myself wondering what to do on a summer weekend again, I think I'd come back. Next time I'd like to come earlier, take it easy by the valley, and definitely try the fried rice I missed out on this time. If you're looking for a restaurant near Myojeoksa Valley in Namyangju and want something a bit different from typical valley food, I'd recommend 2002 Witch's Arpeggio. Especially if you've been looking for a tomato-jang pork belly restaurant, it's worth experiencing at least once.

Summer valley + fire show + tomato-jang pork belly — it turned out to be a surprisingly perfect combination for a weekend.

142 Sure-ro 661beon-gil, Wabu-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / 2002 Witch's Arpeggio (Wolmun-ri 218-2, Wabu-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do)