Pork belly BBQ with squid mulhoe sides in Sejong: Chung-sil Hoegwan

What kind of restaurant is Chung-sil Hoegwan in Sejong?

Chung-sil Hoegwan (충실회관) is a BBQ restaurant on Noeul 3-ro in Hansol-dong, Sejong. It serves generous side dishes like squid mulhoe (cold spicy squid soup), grilled pollack and acorn jelly, plus juicy fresh pork belly of really outstanding quality. It's a real hit of a place, and since I've gone back a second time, I can recommend it with even more confidence.

Chung-sil Hoegwan hours, parking and facilities

• Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–22:00 / closed Mondays
• Break time: 14:30–17:00
• Last order: 21:00
• Address: 94 Noeul 3-ro, Sejong, South Korea (Chung-sil Hoegwan)
• Parking: underground parking or street parking
• Facilities and services: groups welcome / reservations / takeout / separate men's and women's restrooms

Why we went back to Chung-sil Hoegwan for dinner

The restaurant's name means "let's stick to the basics," which stuck with me from my earlier visit. It lives up to the name, or rather does even better than the name, and I kept thinking about it, so I came back again haha.

Last time I came at lunchtime, and now at dinner it was still packed with customers. Surprise! 🫢 The inside has a calm, quiet hanok (traditional Korean house) feel. Maybe that's why there were lots of family gatherings and group meetups.

Chung-sil Hoegwan menu and prices

The two signature dishes at Chung-sil Hoegwan are galbi kimchi hot pot for ₩15,000 and fresh pork belly for ₩16,000. The galbi kimchi hot pot is a premium kimchi stew made with domestic fresh galbi (ribs) and comes with pot rice, while the pork belly comes with squid mulhoe, grilled pollack and acorn jelly.

• Galbi kimchi hot pot | ₩15,000: premium kimchi stew made with domestic fresh galbi (pot rice included)
• Fresh pork belly | ₩16,000: comes with squid mulhoe, grilled pollack and acorn jelly

The main menu items are the galbi kimchi hot pot and the fresh pork belly,

and there are extras like pot rice, doenjang jjigae and steamed egg, so you can add whatever you like!

Since I'd already had the galbi kimchi hot pot last time (the broth is rich and delicious too!! Recommended for a workday lunch if you work in Hansol-dong or Naseong-dong ⭐️), this time I ordered 2 servings of fresh pork belly and a steamed egg.

What side dishes come with pork belly at Chung-sil Hoegwan?

When you order the pork belly, they set out the side dishes one by one: acorn jelly, aged kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, seasoned dried radish strips, pickled chili peppers and a range of dipping sauces.

There are also wrap vegetables, spring onion salad, garlic and chili peppers, and onion, mushrooms and rice cakes.

Grilled pollack that tastes like Korean sweet-spicy fried chicken

And grilled pollack comes out too!

Honestly, it's not a grilled pollack specialist, so I ate it with no expectations,,? But what is this,,,? Why is it so good?! It tastes like yangnyeom chicken (sweet-spicy glazed fried chicken), and the pollack meat is so moist. I ate all of the grilled pollack myself 😝

Squid mulhoe big enough to be a main dish

And that's not all!!! At Chung-sil Hoegwan the pork belly also comes with squid mulhoe. The portion isn't a side dish portion, it's generous like a main dish, and it's sweet and sour and apparently super tasty! My partner ate all of this one ㅎ_ㅎ

How was the pork belly BBQ at Chung-sil Hoegwan?

The pork belly at Chung-sil Hoegwan had no gamey smell at all and burst with juice, and I liked that the strong heat cooks it quickly. And then the real, real main dish, the fresh pork belly, arrived boasting a perfect ratio of lean meat to fat~!

They put it straight on the grill for us

And I couldn't resist the aged kimchi either, so it went on right away ^.^

I loved that the strong heat cooks it fast 💗 I'm hungry and I can't stand slow cooking 🫠 With the first bite, true to fresh pork belly, there was no pork smell at all and it was bursting with juice, so so good ㅠㅠㅠ You know aged kimchi + pork belly is a can't-go-wrong combo,,? Truly a pork belly hotspot, I admit it

There are lots of vegetables and mushrooms to eat alongside, so an orchestra starts playing in your mouth

Eating the pork belly together with the squid mulhoe is sweet and sour, and it's a real treat!

Steamed egg served in a large earthenware pot

The steamed egg at Chung-sil Hoegwan doesn't come in a tiny earthenware pot, it comes in a huge one. I was eating like crazy when the steamed egg arrived, and?! I was shocked by the size 🫢 They give so much that I worried whether the owner makes any money,, The steamed egg also had a mild, back-to-basics flavor and was so delicious haha.

Pork belly or galbi kimchi hot pot at Chung-sil Hoegwan: which to order?

I've now tried both main dishes at Chung-sil Hoegwan, the pork belly and the galbi kimchi hot pot, and here's what I recommend depending on the situation.

• If you want a hearty meal with generous side dishes ➡️ strongly recommend the pork belly
• If you want a rich, deep kimchi hot pot for a hangover cure or lunch ➡️ strongly recommend the galbi kimchi hot pot

Chung-sil Hoegwan, a great eatery in Hansol-dong, Sejong. Do stop by once! 😊