Jongno 3-ga autumn night street BBQ set for two: Meongseokjip
In short
Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch is an old-school Korean BBQ restaurant with a long row of outdoor tables in an Ikseon-dong alley near Exit 4 of Jongno 3-ga Station in Seoul. On a cool autumn weekday evening after work, the writer ordered the Meongseok set at 55,000 won (two servings of aged pork belly plus one serving of pork jowl) and kimchi fried rice at 6,000 won, and refilled the house-made green onion kimchi several times. Between the street-side seating, the aged pork and the green onion kimchi, the drinks at Meongseokjip went down far too easily.
Good to know
- Meongseok set (2 servings aged pork belly + 1 serving pork jowl)
- 55,000 won
- Kimchi fried rice
- 6,000 won
- Address
- 7 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (near Exit 4 of Jongno 3-ga Station)
- Hours
- 12:00–23:55
- Features
- Outdoor street seating and indoor seats, self-serve side dish corner, groups welcome
- Restrictions
- 90-minute dining limit on weekends and public holidays
- Parking
- No on-site parking; use nearby public parking lots
as written by the visitor on Sep 19, 2026
What kind of Korean BBQ restaurant is Meongseokjip in Jongno 3-ga?
View of the restaurant's interior and exterior
With the weather finally turning cool for autumn, I stopped by this Jongno 3-ga favorite — an old-school restaurant that's always buzzing no matter when you go.
It's a very short walk from Exit 4 of Jongno 3-ga Station, so it was super convenient to get to by public transit, and the moment I turned into the alley, the cozy, old-town street-BBQ vibe lined with tables immediately caught my eye.
Beyond the indoor space, there's a long row of tables set up along the alley outside, making it the perfect Jongno 3-ga restaurant to soak up that old-school street atmosphere while enjoying your meat.
It's also close to the Ikseon-dong hanok village, so it's well known as an Ikseon-dong restaurant to hit after a date-course stroll.
How busy is Meongseokjip on a weekday evening after work?
Even though I showed up right at weekday rush hour, both the indoor and outdoor seats were already packed — five minutes later and I might have gotten stuck in a serious waiting-line situation. This place is seriously popular.
Now that summer's heat has passed, this kind of weather is genuinely the best time to enjoy the outdoor street seating here.
The 55,000-won Meongseok set and 6,000-won kimchi fried rice
Order Meongseok set: ₩55,000 Kimchi fried rice: ₩6,000
We ordered the hearty Meongseok set that day — two servings of aged pork belly and one serving of pork jowl — for 55,000 won.
After ordering, the meat arrives beautifully arranged in a quirky, homey jar-like bowl — just looking at it, you could tell how fresh it was.
We laid the thick slices of aged pork belly and pork jowl on the heated grill, and as they sizzled away, the delicious aroma spread everywhere and got the saliva going. Taking a bite of the nicely browned meat, the savory juices burst out — I totally understood why this place keeps pulling in so many people as a favorite Jongno 3-ga BBQ spot.
House-made green onion kimchi, refilled again and again
The hidden gem here that moved me just as much as the meat was the restaurant's own special green onion kimchi. It's got that spicy, sharp kick along with a deep savory flavor that perfectly cut through the richness of the meat — an incredible pairing. It was so good I was grabbing bites of it before the meat had even finished cooking, and I refilled it several times throughout the meal — seriously addictive.
Sitting in that cozy, old-school atmosphere with great-quality meat and delicious kimchi in front of me, the cold beer and soju went down way too easily.
To round off a great drinking session, I ordered the 6,000-won kimchi fried rice, topped generously with seaweed flakes and a soft fried egg.
Mixing the spicy-sweet fried rice on the gently warmed foil with the runny egg yolk made for the perfect finish, and paired with the rich, savory beef brisket doenjang stew (fermented soybean paste stew), it filled me up completely.
Is Meongseokjip worth a second visit?
Meongseokjip in Jongno 3-ga is a wonderful Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong restaurant where you can enjoy high-quality aged meat at a reasonable price, all within that distinctly cozy, old-school atmosphere.
That combination of thoughtfully made, spicy green onion kimchi and fresh aged meat is the kind of thing that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It's a fantastic spot to share good drinks and food with the people you care about, surrounded by that lively street-BBQ energy.
If you want to soak up that old-school atmosphere on a cool evening and fill up on delicious pork belly and pork jowl, I highly recommend paying Meongseokjip a visit.
Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch: address, hours and parking
- Address: 7 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (near Exit 4 of Jongno 3-ga Station)
- Hours: 12:00 PM – 11:55 PM
- Features: Jongno 3-ga old-town street-BBQ atmosphere, self-serve side dish corner, group-friendly
- 90-minute dining limit on weekends and holidays
- No parking on-site; use nearby public parking lots
Where it is
7 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 종로구 돈화문로11다길 7 멍석집
