Hongdae pork belly restaurant with a 30-min Saturday wait: Chopilsal

Last week I wanted good pork belly for a dinner appointment near Hongik University Station, so I went to Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch, a well-known Hongdae pork restaurant. Being as popular as it is, I had to wait about 30 minutes on a Saturday evening before getting in. Since you can reserve ahead through Catch Table or Naver, I'd recommend booking in advance if your schedule is set.

How to find Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch, and how long the Saturday wait is

Close to Exit 1 of Hongik University Station, Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch sits in an alley behind Hongdae Megabox. I expected some wait since it was the weekend, but with a dozen-plus parties ahead of me, I ended up waiting longer than I thought.

Inside the two floors of Chopilsal: is it good for group dinners?

After the wait, I was seated at a table toward the back of the 1st floor. The restaurant operates across two floors.

Inside, every table was full of people enjoying good times over grilled meat. I saw groups of friends, couples, coworkers, and tourists — a Hongdae pork restaurant that works well no matter who you're with.

Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch menu and prices

Here's the menu and pricing at this Hongdae pork restaurant near Hongik University Station. There's a grilled pork section and a meal section, and the menu was simpler than I expected — only pork belly and pork rib as grilled options, which made me even more excited to try the pork belly.

There were also five meal options like kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and cold noodles. They serve Hwayo and various other liquors too, so it's a good spot to grab a drink alongside the meat.

They're also running a Naver review event, so I snapped a photo of it. If you participate, you reportedly get a free taste of pork skin, which sounds worth grabbing.

The side dishes: pickled perilla leaves with ssammu and thin-sliced radish salad

At this recommended Hongdae pork restaurant near Hongik University Station, the side dishes were set on the table first. I liked that each person had their own small plate with salt, meat sauce, and wasabi already prepared.

The sides included white kimchi, three kinds of pickles — chili peppers, garlic, and perilla leaves layered with ssammu (pickled radish for wrapping) — plus radish salad and scallion strips. Having ssammu tucked between the perilla leaves was something I'd never seen before, so that was a fun surprise. I usually don't touch radish salad much at pork restaurants, but here the radish was sliced very thin and the sauce was spicy and delicious, so I ended up really enjoying it too.

Three servings of salted ogyeopsal: why two people should still order three

While the staff mixed the scallion strips, our ordered three servings of salted pork belly arrived. Each serving is 120g for ₩12,000. So if there are two of you, I'd recommend ordering at least three servings from the start. It came with big chunks of mushroom, and the color of the meat already looked delicious.

Once the grill pan was hot, the staff started grilling the neatly cut pork belly of this Hongdae restaurant right away. They say they use meat from their favorite farm, and the quality really showed.

What to order alongside: Chopilsal mixed cold noodles and double cheese egg custard

We also ordered Chopilsal's mixed cold noodles and the double cheese egg custard, and both looked and tasted perfect, so I'd recommend pairing these two side dishes with the meat. It was a combination we were very satisfied with. They were priced at ₩8,000 and ₩45,000 respectively.

Was Chopilsal Pork Grill in Hongdae worth it?

I tried the well-grilled salted pork belly with the cold noodles and egg custard, and also in various combinations with the mountain herb pickles, ssammu-perilla pickles, scallion strips, and white kimchi — the meat itself was truly delicious, and so were every side dish and side menu, so I left Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch completely full and satisfied.

Having been there myself, I immediately understood why this Hongdae pork restaurant near Hongik University Station gets such long evening waits. If you want to spend a good time eating delicious meat near Hongdae, I'd recommend giving Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch a visit.

Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch hours, parking and address

• Hours: Mon–Thu 12:00–24:00 / Fri–Sun 12:00–02:00
• Last order: 1 hour before closing
• Address: 172 Donggyo-ro, 1st & 2nd floors, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• No on-site parking (use nearby public parking lots)