Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ after a gold bracelet errand: Cham Dwaejitgan

The day I picked up gold in Jongno 3-ga and went for pork belly

I went to Jongno on an errand for my mom to pick up some gold, and ended up eating pork belly just behind the Jongno 3-ga jewelry alley. Getting to Jongno 3-ga alone took an hour, so it felt far, far away, and at some point my stomach started growling >.< Since I was already out, why not look for a good pork belly place in Jongno?!! I love pork belly, and there are lots of BBQ restaurants behind the jewelry alley, so I figured I had to eat some meat before heading home, haha.

After picking up the gold bracelet at a jewelry shop near Exit 1 of Jongno 3-ga Station, I found Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점), a Jirisan black pork specialist, right in the back alley!!

Which Jongno 3-ga Station exit is closest to Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is close to Exits 1 and 2 of Jongno 3-ga Station on Line 1 and Exit 2-1 on Line 3. Once you turn into the alley, it's on the first floor of the Picadilly CGV cinema, so it should be easy to find!!

A long exhaust hood stretches along the exterior and I couldn't see the main door, so I thought this was the back side. The place that looked like the shop next door was actually the entrance, haha. The door is right next to the hood, lol.

The moment you walk in, there's meat aging everywhere.

Inside Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

Even though it was a weekday and not mealtime, Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch had plenty of diners. I noticed a lot of foreigners too~ Has it already become a known favorite among them?! haha. Maybe it's because of social media, but foreigners seem to know the good restaurants even better these days >.<

What's on the menu at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is a Jirisan black pork specialist, so besides Jirisan black pork five-layer belly and neck, you can enjoy domestic pork like Boseong Nokdon (green-tea-fed pork) belly, flower neck, jowl and gabeuri (pork shoulder-neck cut). Sides include kimchi stew, doenjang (soybean paste) stew, mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth), bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) and more.

• Jirisan black pork five-layer belly
• Jirisan black pork neck
• Boseong Nokdon pork belly
• Boseong Nokdon flower neck
• Boseong Nokdon jowl
• Boseong Nokdon gabeuri (pork shoulder-neck cut)
• Sides: kimchi stew, doenjang stew, mul naengmyeon, bibim naengmyeon and more

A handmade grill that doesn't splatter oil, and the side dishes

I read through the "Cham Dwaejitgan Promise" and it says they use a special handmade grill so oil doesn't splatter. I loved that~ I had even sat at the far diagonal end to stay away from the grill, and it turns out I didn't need to, lol.

The signature pork belly combo here comes as the standard side dishes: spicy sauce, mushroom wasabi, potato slices, garlic stems, vegetables and more.

Do staff grill the meat at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch?

Yes, at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch the staff grill the meat for you until it's fully cooked. They set everything up in no time, and put dropwort, bean sprouts and kimchi on the grill >.< With so many staff around, no wonder there are so many customers~

Ordering 2 servings of Boseong Nokdon pork belly

We ordered 2 servings of Boseong Nokdon pork belly!! Personally I prefer regular pork belly to five-layer belly, so sorry to the Jirisan black pork, but today I went with the Boseong green-tea pork, lol.

The grill was a nice big size too. There's a round grill in the middle with charcoal for the meat, and next to it a side-heat area where you can cook dropwort, bean sprouts and kimchi. So the vegetables don't burn and cook just right >.<

The staff kept walking by, checking and cutting the meat, and just as we were deep in conversation they told us it was ready to eat, hahaha. They'd laid it out so neatly and prettily ^^

How do the shiitake sauce, potato wraps and Boseong Nokdon pork belly taste?

I dipped the golden-brown Boseong Nokdon pork belly in the shiitake mushroom sauce >.< You get the mushroom aroma, and there's a barbecue flavor in the sauce too, which is oddly addictive?! haha.

There were lots of potatoes in the first setup and I wondered what they were for, then the screen said "potato wrap" (gamja-ssam), lol. So I followed along too ^^ I put pork belly, garlic stems and wasabi on a potato slice as instructed, and this combo was great too?!! It has a different charm from a lettuce wrap, and I even wondered if I could get extra potato slices >.<

I ate the Boseong Nokdon pork belly the original way in lettuce and perilla leaves, with dropwort, and as a potato wrap, and with so many ways to enjoy it, it vanishes in a flash. So you end up ordering one more serving, that's the kind of pork belly place this is >.<

Counter extras and opening hours

At the payment counter of Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch there's coffee along with candy, mouthwash and lens wipes, so it was nice to finish the meal feeling fresh~ It's close to the subway station too, so it's a great Jongno pork belly spot for group gatherings ^^

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is at 1 Donhwamun-ro 5ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Picadilly CGV cinema, 1st floor, Unit 1-89; Donui-dong 137), and it's open daily from 12:00 to 23:00.