Chuseok pork BBQ in Gyeongsan with daechang hot pot: Kkotdwaeji

As Chuseok holiday kicked off, my family gathered together for the first time in a while. My nephew, who works in Mungyeong, came home too, and we decided to eat out with my sibling's family. Since my nephew loves meat so much, there was no debate — the menu was Korean BBQ, no question.

While searching for where to go, a photo of beautifully grilled meat caught my eye — that's how I found Kkotdwaeji Sikdang Gyeongsan Branch, a Gyeongsan restaurant known for its meat. So this family meal out took us to Kkotdwaeji in Gyeongsan.

Parking and dining room at Kkotdwaeji Sikdang Gyeongsan Branch

Kkotdwaeji Sikdang Gyeongsan Branch has a spacious parking lot, which made it easy to visit with family by car. Walking in, the space was neatly done up in wood tones, and it felt roomier than I expected.

There was also a separate meat-aging room off to one side. Since we came for meat, seeing the aging room made me even more excited for this Gyeongsan restaurant. The menu we ordered this time was the Gourmet Set and the Fukuoka-style daechang hot pot.

What comes first: the 9-dish banchan spread

At Kkotdwaeji Sikdang Gyeongsan Branch, once you sit down, a 9-dish banchan (side dish) spread comes out first. Usually at a Korean BBQ place you expect a handful of basic side dishes and sauces, but here the 9-dish spread let us enjoy the meat in several different ways.

The same meat tastes different depending on which sauce you pair it with, so it was fun mixing and matching combinations.

Gourmet Set: 600g of pork belly, neck and jowl in one order

The Gourmet Set was great because it came with not just meat but kimchi, bean sprouts, chives and mustard leaf kimchi all on the same plate. The meat is a combo of premium pork belly, premium pork neck and premium pork jowl, totaling 600g, so we got to taste a variety of cuts.

I personally prefer tasting a bit of several cuts rather than sticking to one, and with all the vegetables and garnishes on the side, the meat went down even more easily.

Staff grill the meat, so no one tends the table

In the end, the amount we first ordered wasn't quite enough, so we added more. But what I found truly convenient at Kkotdwaeji Sikdang was something else entirely: not having to grill the meat ourselves.

When a group goes to a BBQ restaurant, someone often has to keep tending the grill the whole time while everyone else eats.

That's especially true with family meals — one person ends up so busy grilling that they barely get to eat. But at Kkotdwaeji Sikdang, a Gyeongsan restaurant, staff grill the meat for you from the start, so everyone at the table could relax and eat.

Tender beef intestine and the Fukuoka-style daechang hot pot

The so-daechang (small beef intestine) was really tender, more than I expected. We ate through it so quickly I thought we might run out — but luckily, the Fukuoka-style daechang hot pot we ordered was packed with plenty of so-daechang too.

The hot pot had generous amounts of daechang in it as well, so between that and the meat, we got quite full before we knew it.

Why the fried rice finish is worth saving room for

Honestly, by this point we were full enough to stop. But you can't leave a Korean BBQ place without fried rice, right? It was loaded with vegetables and stir-fried with that smoky char flavor — and even though we were stuffed, our chopsticks kept reaching for it. We ended up scraping the plate clean.

These days, after trying so many different foods, my personal bar for what counts as good has gotten higher than before. Even so, the meat and the fried rice at the end were quite satisfying that day.

Is Kkotdwaeji Sikdang a good spot for a Chuseok family dinner?

Above all, my nephew kept saying "this is delicious" throughout the meal. Since it was a rare gathering with family during Chuseok, and I was the one who picked the place, seeing him enjoy it so much made me quietly proud.

This outing was less about just eating meat and more about a rare, relaxed time together with family — that's what will stick with me most.

If you're looking for a place to eat meat with family in Gyeongsan, or want to taste several cuts of pork at once, Kkotdwaeji Sikdang Gyeongsan Branch is worth checking out. Not having to grill the meat yourself was especially convenient for a family meal with several people.