After-work Korean BBQ in Nonhyeon: 1.5mm vs 3mm and Jeju pork, Daepae

I suddenly wanted pork belly so badly after work, so I headed to Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch! I found it while looking for a tasty BBQ place in Nonhyeon that stays open late, and since it runs 24 hours, you can drop by any time. Late evening or even early morning, no pressure, so it's perfect for anyone looking for a 24-hour spot in Gangnam :)

Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch: location, hours and parking

Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch is on the 1st floor of 49 Hakdong-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in the Nonhyeon food alley, and it's open 24 hours. There's no parking, so I'd recommend a nearby public parking lot.

It's in the Nonhyeon food alley, so it's easy to find :) When the weather is nice, there are even terrace seats for outdoor dining!!

The place is big and the tables are nicely spaced, so it looked good for get-togethers with friends or company dinners. The staff were friendly too, so I was happy from the first impression 🤭

How much is the Daepae Market self-serve bar, and what's on it?

The self-bar at Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch is ₩2,000 per person, and you can help yourself to the usual BBQ-restaurant sides: ssam vegetables, minari (water dropwort) to grill, kimchi, sauces and onion pickles.

Pay ₩2,000 per person and the self-bar is yours: ssam vegetables, minari to grill, kimchi, sauces, onion pickles and other basic BBQ-restaurant sides.

There's a lot to choose from and it's kept clean :) You can take whatever sides you need, as much as you like, with no awkwardness about it, so the meal is way more comfortable, right??

Daepae Market menu and our first after-work order

The menu at Daepae Market has plenty of daepae (thin-sliced) meats: thin pork belly, Jeju five-layer pork, beef brisket, beef belly, thin pork neck and more. The thin pork belly comes in either 1.5mm standard or 3mm naengsam (thicker, frozen-style pork belly) cut, so you can enjoy the difference in texture.

Here's the Daepae Market menu. I liked that you can pick from lots of thin-sliced meats to suit your taste, and it's fun to try different cuts, right? ✨ I ordered both thicknesses, so let me tell you the difference ☺️

• Jeju five-layer pork (100g) ₩7,900 × 2
• Thin pork belly (100g) ₩4,900 × several plates of 1.5mm and 3mm :)
• Self-bar

This is my first-round order. A staff member said the Jeju five-layer pork was tasty, so I trusted them and ordered it, and I also tried the standard ₩4,900 thin pork belly in the 3mm naengsam thickness!

The meat on the left is the 3mm naengsam thickness, and the one on the right is the Jeju five-layer pork.

I also grabbed a good load of ssam vegetables from the self-bar.

There are also onion pickles, shredded scallion salad, kimchi, real sesame oil and salt 👍

How does the Jeju five-layer thin pork taste?

The Jeju five-layer pork (₩7,900 per 100g), the recommended dish at Daepae Market, was the softest meat I had that day. It was rich and nutty, not tough, and juicy.

The five-layer pork going onto the heated griddle first! I added bracken and minari too ☺️

Because it's thinly sliced, it cooks fast, which I loved! That signature nutty thin-pork-belly aroma rises up, and from the first bite I understood why so many people come here, T_T And I got why the staff member recommended the Jeju five-layer pork,, ✨ It was rich, not tough at all, juicy and soft haha!!!

Trying it with grilled minari 👍

What is the 3mm naengsam-cut pork belly like?

The 3mm naengsam-thickness thin pork belly at Daepae Market is ₩4,900 for two strips, so the value was great, but compared with the Jeju five-layer pork it was slightly chewy. So I ordered the 1.5mm cut as well to compare.

Next up, the grilled 3mm thin pork belly. The color of the meat looks fresh too, and two strips of pork belly for ₩4,900 is crazy good value, right?

I dipped it in the sesame oil sauce haha. Maybe because the Jeju five-layer pork was so soft and beyond my expectations, the 3mm naengsam-thickness pork felt slightly chewy by comparison~~ So I ordered the 1.5mm cut to compare.

1.5mm vs 3mm thin pork belly: which is more tender?

Even though it's the same thin pork belly, the 1.5mm standard thickness at Daepae Market chewed softer than the 3mm naengsam thickness. A serving of the 1.5mm pork belly comes with 6 strips.

This is the standard 1.5mm thin pork belly~! One serving comes with 6 strips.

Great color on the meat, right! It's thin, so it grills quickly too, which I love about this cut.

I made wraps with perilla leaf and pickled radish, and they were so good. The grilled green onion kimchi was amazing too ,,🤤

✨ Definitely, even though it's the same meat, the 1.5mm cut chewed softer than the 3mm naengsam thickness~! It kept a nice texture, so it was chewy yet tender, and so nutty! I think ordering the standard thin pork belly is enough for a satisfying meal :)

Tip: griddle corn with self-bar sweet corn

✨ Tip! Making griddle corn with the canned corn from the self-bar is a treat too 🌽 There are lots of meal-type dishes and they're cheap, so finishing with one would be great at this Nonhyeon BBQ spot, Daepae Market :)

Is Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch worth a visit?

The biggest strength of Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch is the really kind prices, so you can eat your fill without worrying! Considering how much pork belly costs these days, the value is quite good and I was very satisfied!! It's open late, so it's great when you're craving a late-night meal, and the atmosphere was nice for a drink too.

If you want tasty pork belly at an easy price in Nonhyeon, or you're looking for a BBQ place that's open late, I recommend Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch. It was a satisfying meal with great-value thin pork belly and Jeju five-layer pork. Next time I'd like to try other cuts and side dishes too 😊