Pork BBQ restaurant in Yuseong, Daejeon: ₩11,000 150g cuts at Oil-nae

Today I'm bringing you a review of a brand-new, still-piping-hot BBQ place in Bongmyeong-dong, Oil-nae!

I actually visited once before, not long after it opened, and this was my second time back. In the meantime they've added new menu items like fried rice... and word must have spread, because the place was way more packed this time. LOL, amazing.

What Oil-nae Daejeon Bongmyeong is like at 8pm on a weeknight

I visited Oil-nae Daejeon Bongmyeong around 8pm on a Thursday and even then, the place was totally packed. Once you walk inside, the space is genuinely huge! It opens up much wider than it looks from outside.

They also have a group room that fits up to 50 people, so it's perfect for a company dinner or group gathering in Bongmyeong-dong.

Sure enough, the day I visited there were a ton of company dinner reservations. Highly recommend it if you're looking for a spot for a group meetup or dinner!

Pork neck and pork belly prices at Oil-nae, and what two people ordered

Ordering is done easily via the tablet installed at each table. And here's the real reason I strongly recommend Oil-nae as a restaurant in Yuseong, Daejeon: you can eat quality domestic pork at ridiculously low prices without holding back.

Last time I had the value set for three at ₩38,900. This time I was more in the mood for pork neck than pork belly, so I ordered two servings of pork neck (₩11,000) and one serving of pork belly (₩11,000)! Each serving is 150g, so the portions are generous.

On one side, there was also a nicely written guide to how everything works.

Free banchan refills at the self-serve bar and ₩1,900 drinks

Oil-nae's basic banchan (side dishes) come out neatly arranged: lettuce, pickled onion, green onion kimchi, pickled radish, mountain garlic, and kimchi. They're all great pairings with the meat, so my hand kept reaching for more.

Whatever runs out, you can freely refill at the self-serve bar. Even the green onion kimchi and mountain garlic were stocked there, so I helped myself without any hesitation, haha.

And here, drinks are self-serve too. There are even glasses inside the fridge, so the soju and beer stay nice and cold~ Drinks are only ₩1,900, which is basically heaven for anyone who likes a drink... myself included, ㅠ.

The new fried rice looked really tasty just from its appearance... but for the sake of my conscience and diet, I held back tears and ordered plain white rice instead...

But I'll let you in on a secret: I grabbed a little sesame oil and salt from the self-serve bar and seasoned my rice with it, haha. Even eaten this way, it was pure heaven alongside the meat.

Oh, and you know how a lot of restaurants these days have the bathroom outside, which is such a hassle? At Oil-nae, the bathroom is neatly located inside the store, which made things much more convenient.

How good is the meat? Korean pork within 5 days of slaughter

Finally, our gorgeous pork neck and pork belly arrived! They say they only use fresh Korean pork (hanwoo... err, hanpork) slaughtered within 5 days, and you could really feel the freshness just from the color of the meat. The marbling on the pork neck was on point, and the thickness was just right too, haha.

They use these turtle-shaped scissors here that cut really well — I actually got a pair as a gift for my own home, haha, so I felt oddly happy to see them again.

We put the meat on the grill and it started sizzling away. Honestly, the meat itself here is some of the tastiest among Daejeon BBQ spots. Big praise! I even caught a bit of that sizzling sound on video.

Adding kimchi jjigae, then ogyeopsal, at Oil-nae

When you're eating meat, spicy kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) is a must, so we added one of those too. The tangy kimchi broth cuts right through the richness of the meat.

There was plenty of well-cooked kimchi and pork inside too, so I fished it all out and ate every bit! It was so good that, on top of everything, we ended up ordering ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly) as well and grilling that up too. In the end, the two of us walked out absolutely stuffed~

Where Oil-nae Daejeon Bongmyeong is, and why it is worth a second visit

The meat is so fresh and delicious that it just makes you want to come back... Whenever I get the urge to grill meat at home, I think this is the place that'll keep popping into my head, haha. If you're a local, you'll probably relate. The location near Yuseong Oncheon Station also makes it great for meetups, dates, or company dinners. From other reviews, parking also seems to be doable (worth checking with the restaurant).

Honestly, when I think about grilling meat at home and then having to clean the grill afterward, it's stressful — coming to a place this affordable with such good-quality meat and eating comfortably is so much better! The side menu items are also reasonably priced overall.

The owner was also super kind, and I'm planning to visit again soon... (bb) If you're near Bongmyeong-dong in Daejeon looking for a great-value, quality restaurant, definitely give Oil-nae a try!

Hours: Daily 11:00 - 24:00