Jongno Korean BBQ after ordering a baby's first-birthday ring: Cham

A Jongno gold shop for a baby ring, then Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

I went to a Jongno gold shop to order a first-birthday gold ring (dol-banji) for my nephew, and the smell of grilled meat pulled me into Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점), a great pork belly place in Jongno! I had no idea Jongno was this hot on a Thursday evening, but it's a total hotspot. I was honestly shocked by how many people there were.

Waiting at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch: Catch Table queueing

The restaurant is huge inside, yet it was really packed even on a Thursday evening. If you hate standing in line, you can queue in advance on Catch Table (a reservation and waiting app) and eat right away without a long wait. That's what I did, too!

What we ordered: Boseong black pork belly and neck

You order from a kiosk at each table! We checked which meats they had outside before going in, and Boseong black pork (Boseong nokdon) looked famous, so we ordered the Boseong pork belly and neck! The meat quality is good and it tastes great, so I'd totally recommend it if you're looking for a Jongno meat spot.

Doesn't the meat look super generous?! That's one reason I was so satisfied with Cham Dwaejitgan. They grill all the meat for you!

Basic side dishes and the self-bar

Basic side dishes come out, and you can enjoy them unlimited at the self-bar, so it's nice to just help yourself as much as you like.

For the first grill they give you kimchi, bean sprouts and water dropwort (minari) for free. The minari has to be ordered additionally, and the rest were at the self-bar. I finished the seasoned bean sprouts, then refilled and grilled more because I wanted to stir-fry them into the fried rice later.

Boseong pork belly and neck grilled by the staff

At Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch they put the pork belly and neck on all at once, and the staff grill everything really well, so you can just sit back. So easy.

Doesn't it feel professional? They hold the meat down with tongs so it cooks evenly, then walk off to another table.

They cut the pork belly and grill it in neat rows like that. I wonder if the round grill in the middle gets direct heat while the rest of the stone plate cooks with stored heat, because the kimchi didn't cook quickly at first!

Maybe belly and neck cook differently or at different speeds, because the pork belly was nicely done first.

Meat that's done first gets moved to the lower part of the grill like this. I grilled it a bit more down there too, but basically they moved it down once it was almost fully cooked!

The neck gets grilled further with mushrooms and peppers! Personally I felt the pork belly was tastier! Next time I'll order all pork belly.

Potato wraps, garlic pickles and shiitake wasabi

Doesn't it look great?! At Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch they slice potatoes thin and grill them so you can use them as wraps. The potato wrap was a real treat.

Wrapped with garlic pickles (maneul jangajji) and shiitake wasabi, it's seriously special! Whoever came up with these combos really knows food. Maybe it tastes even better because they grill the meat so well and just right?

Is it good for a Jongno team dinner?

That's why I think Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch would be great for a team dinner too. You just eat and enjoy.. the most junior member doesn't have to nervously grill the meat, which sounds wonderful.

Finishing with bean sprout fried rice

Boseong black pork is tasty with all kinds of vegetables too, so I worked hard at trying lots of combinations. I ate so much I wondered if it was okay to eat meat like this, and for the finale I ordered fried rice to prove I'm Korean.

Doesn't the fried rice look good too?! They even cracked an egg on top for us, which made it tastier. Chopping the bean sprouts finely and stir-frying them in made it even better.

A great stop after Jongno gold shopping

I recommend Cham Dwaejitgan in Jongno if you're looking for a team dinner place! It also seems like a must-visit for people coming to Jongno to look at gold. I bought the baby ring in the Piccadilly building and walked straight out to Cham Dwaejitgan, and the route suited me perfectly.