Apgujeong Rodeo Korean BBQ with spicy doenjang stew: Chobeoljip

What is Chobeoljip, the outdoor Korean BBQ near Apgujeong Rodeo?

Chobeoljip is a great spot to enjoy pork belly near Apgujeong Rodeo, and what stood out most was the generous outdoor terrace seating set up right in front of the store. Apgujeong Rodeo has plenty of atmospheric bars and BBQ places for evening plans, but places where you can actually grill meat outdoors on a nice day are harder to find than you'd think.

On a cool evening, sitting outside was a much better vibe than indoors for meat and a drink, and instead of grilling raw pork belly from scratch after ordering, the meat arrives pre-seared, which makes for easy eating. It cuts down grilling time while still giving you that golden-brown outside, juicy-inside texture, so the meal moves along quickly too. If you're looking for a place with terrace vibes and pork belly near Apgujeong Rodeo, this one's worth keeping in mind.

Chobeoljip's storefront, terrace tables and indoor seats

The weather these days is just too good for a visit like this. In about two months it'll turn chilly again — let's remember this weather while we can.

There's a good amount of outdoor terrace-style seating, and I sat outside myself, but there's no shortage of indoor seats either, so go with whichever suits your mood.

What's on the menu at Chobeoljip?

Here's the menu at Chobeoljip, an Apgujeong pork belly favorite. The prices are pretty reasonable too.

• Pre-seared pork belly
• Pre-seared pork tomahawk
• Pre-seared bone pork belly
• Korean beef cone-cut chadolbagi
• Anheung soy-marinated crab

I was surprised they only sell the menu items I like, haha. I wanted to try the soy-marinated crab too, but this time we just went with pork belly.

Table setting and aged kimchi at the outdoor seats

The outdoor tables get set up like this.

Along with the meat, you get assorted vegetables and wraps, bean sprout banchan (side dish), and a large amount of aged kimchi. The aged kimchi here is genuinely delicious and served generously, so anyone who loves pork belly with kimchi will be very satisfied.

Two servings of pre-seared pork belly, grilled by the staff

Once the pork belly arrives, the staff take care of grilling it for you. Since it's already pre-seared, you can eat it faster than expected — a real plus. This time we ordered exactly two servings. They grill kwarigochu peppers and mushrooms alongside too. The pork belly gets so golden-brown it looks almost too delicious...

They grill the meat into a nice shape too, very thoughtfully. With the pork belly and this terrace view of the outdoors, the vibe was too good, so I had to snap a photo.

Doenjang stew with a spicy kick, plus a shared bowl of rice

They also serve aged kimchi as a base, and we ordered doenjang stew (fermented soybean paste stew) too — it's a bit spicy for a doenjang stew. I like spicy food and can handle it fine, so I enjoyed it, but if you can't handle spice well, it's probably worth asking them to make it milder.

We added a bowl of rice too, yum yum, layer after layer. I went with a friend who's cutting back on carbs these days, so we just ordered one bowl of rice and split it.

Dipping the pork belly in ssamjang (dipping sauce), eating it with aged kimchi.

Wrapping it up in lettuce, haha.

Next visit: Chobeoljip's pre-seared bone-in pork belly

The signature menu item at Chobeoljip, this Apgujeong pork belly favorite, is apparently the bone pork belly. It's a bit pricier, but I saw it served at the table next to us and it looked even more delicious and unique — for people who regularly eat pork belly or pork in general, starting with the bone pork belly for a different experience might be a good idea.

And if you want something other than meat, as shown above they also sell soy-marinated crab, so order according to your own taste. Chobeoljip, an Apgujeong Rodeo pork belly favorite, is perfect to visit in this kind of cool weather, so definitely check it out.