Yeoju BBQ lunch with free steamed egg and self-bar wraps: Hwassi2192

A lunch review of Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2, an oak-fired grill spot that locals in Yeoju keep raving about.

939 Yeoju-namno, Ganam-eup, Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2 / Hours 11:00–21:30 (last order 20:30) / Closed every Monday / Free parking / Amenities: group seating, takeout, kids' chairs

Where is Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2, and is there parking?

It's close to Nam-Yeoju IC, sitting right at the Samgun intersection in Yeoju near the border with Icheon, Gyeonggi.

Here's the exterior of Hwassi2192 Yeoju Branch 2, a favorite near Yeoju Outlets. It's right off the road so it's easy to spot, and the parking lot is spacious and convenient.

There's also an outdoor deck, which looks like a nice spot for coffee after the meal.

The entrance.

How clean is the dining room at Hwassi2192?

Here's the interior of Hwassi2192, a grill restaurant in Yeoju. It's spotless and shiny inside. The owner said they steam-clean the place once a week. Most grill restaurants get sticky from meat grease on the tables and interior, but the owner of Hwassi2192 keeps everything hygienic and clean with steam cleaning.

What two people ordered for lunch, and what it cost

This is the menu at Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2, a Yeoju grill restaurant. Hwassi2192's grill set menus include eel, pork, and beef, plus separate meal menus and lunch specials.

Since there were two of us, we ordered a pork platter, one brisket doenjang jjigae, one bowl of rice, and a bottle of Fanta.

• Pork platter ₩59,000
• Brisket doenjang jjigae ₩4,000
• 1 bowl of rice ₩2,000
• 1 drink ₩3,000

The pork platter comes with pork belly, pork neck, and pork jowl, all pre-grilled over oak firewood. It's great because you don't have to agonize over whether to eat belly or neck — you get to taste all the tasty cuts of pork at once. And the pork platter came with a free steamed egg!

Side dishes and the free steamed egg at Hwassi2192

Here's the basic table setting. The steamed egg came free.

• Kimchi
• Perilla-leaf radish wraps
• Wild garlic side (myeongi-namul)
• Lettuce
• Pickled onion
• Scallion salad (pajeori)

This steamed egg came free. It's fluffy, soft, and perfectly seasoned. You could feed a kid a whole bowl of rice with just this steamed egg.

It was so good we polished off every bit.

How the oak-fired pre-grilling works

This is a video of the first round of grilling over oak firewood at Hwassi2192. This is where the pre-grilling over oak firewood happens. The whole kitchen is open, so you can eat with peace of mind about hygiene. You can even see the fridge where the meat ages.

After finishing the steamed egg, the pork platter pre-grilled over oak firewood arrived. Pork belly on the right, pork neck on the left, and pork jowl at the bottom.

The owner grilled it in order — belly, neck, then jowl — and finished by grilling some well-fermented kimchi too.

Side dishes and scallion salad, plus salt, ssamjang (dipping sauce), and fresh wasabi. We mostly wrapped the meat with the side dishes and barely touched the sauces.

Four ways the owner says to eat the pork

Nicely browned pork belly! The owner showed us the best ways to eat it.

First: pork belly on its own, no sauce

The owner said the meat already has a bit of seasoning, so try it plain first. First was pork belly with no sauce at all. The outside is crispy, and one bite fills your mouth with juice. Because it's pre-grilled over oak firewood, you don't get any of that typical pork gamey smell. We tasted the subtle oak aroma along with the meat's natural juiciness.

Second: perilla-leaf radish wrap with meat, garlic and scallion

The second way to eat it: perilla-leaf radish wrap + meat + well-roasted garlic + scallion strips.

Third: myeongi wild garlic leaf with meat and garlic

The third way to eat it is wild garlic side + meat + garlic.

The pork jowl was grilled crisp and golden, like bacon. Grilled that crisp, it has a really nutty flavor.

Fourth: pork jowl with grilled kimchi

The fourth way to eat it: pork jowl + grilled kimchi. Crispy pork jowl with well-fermented kimchi — a solid combo.

The tastiest combo we found was perilla-leaf radish wrap + garlic + scallion strips + meat. The wrap cuts through the richness of the meat, and the spiciness of the scallion strips adds even more flavor.

Self-bar refills and the brisket doenjang jjigae

There's a self-bar here, so we refilled the perilla-leaf radish wraps as much as we wanted. Wild garlic side comes with a ₩3,000 extra charge.

The brisket doenjang jjigae wasn't greasy at all and had great umami — really tasty.

We mixed rice into the brisket doenjang jjigae and cleaned it up. We also piled well-grilled kimchi, cooked in the meat's fat, onto white rice. Absolutely delicious.

The serving robots at Hwassi2192 were working hard.

Takeout, dining with kids, and getting to Yeoju Premium Outlets

They also sell the oak-fired pre-grilled pork for takeout, 30% off, so you can enjoy that oak-fired flavor at home.

Kids' chairs are available. The table next to us had a family with two young kids. Since the staff grills the meat for you, it's an easy restaurant to dine at with children. It's also close to Yeoju Premium Outlets, so it's a great spot for a family meal before or after shopping — just 10 minutes from Yeoju Premium Outlets.

A handy stop after a round of golf in Yeoju

Hwassi2192's original location is in Bungnae-myeon and has been a famous Yeoju grill restaurant for ten years. The Nam-Yeoju Branch 2 we visited today has been open for about a year.

Yeoju is known as golf country — there are a lot of golf courses here. Apparently the soil in Yeoju drains well, which makes for great turf growth. Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2, just 5 minutes from Nam-Yeoju IC, is a great spot for refueling on protein after a round at a nearby golf course.

• 5 minutes away: Freedom CC, Ariji CC, Trinity, Geumgang CC
• 10 minutes away: Solmoro CC, Icheon Midas CC, Nam-Yeoju CC, Heslley Nine Bridges CC, Yeoju CC

There's a private room too, so it seems good for group visits or family gatherings. Also perfect for an after-party following a round at a nearby golf course.

Here's the inside of the women's restroom — clean and tidy. You can feel the owner's thoughtfulness with a fan placed inside.

Coffee is available after the meal too.

What makes Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2 worth the trip

• The restaurant is very clean and hygienic.
• Staff grill the meat for you, so it's easy to just sit and eat.
• The meat is pre-grilled over oak firewood, so you get that oak aroma.
• Near Nam-Yeoju IC, so it's convenient to nearby golf courses and the premium outlets.

For lunch, the pork platter came with thick-cut belly and neck first pre-grilled over oak firewood, then finished on the grill. The belly and neck stayed juicy, and the jowl was grilled crisp and nutty. I'd recommend Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2 as a great Yeoju grill restaurant.