Mild cheese pork bone BBQ lunch near Yonsei: Dondbbyeong Gongbang

Today I went to Dondbbyeong Gongbang (돈뼈공방), a great pick for lunch near Yonsei University, and had their grilled pork bones!

Where is Dondbbyeong Gongbang, and what about parking and hours?

Dondbbyeong Gongbang is at 30 Yeonse-ro 11-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul (1st floor), about 517 m from Exit 2 of Sinchon Station on Line 2. There's no parking, so I'd suggest using a nearby public parking lot.

The opening hours are clearly posted: every day from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with last orders at 10 p.m. And no break time!

Signature cheese grilled pork bones at the mildest spice level

The cheese grilled pork bones are the signature of Dondbbyeong Gongbang, a place that's serious about bones. My stomach wasn't ready for anything big, so I took on the mildest spice level.

The table was clean, with a cutlery set on the side.

We grabbed a window seat. The sauce sat on the table with paper cups.

Even the grilled bones without cheese sound like great drinking food.

They say the pork neck bones are top grade and simmered in-house for more than 10 hours every day. That's a lot of time and care in one dish.

What's on the menu and how much does it cost?

The main dishes are cheese grilled pork bones at ₩39,000, Gongbang grilled pork bones at ₩35,000 and Gongbang gamjatang at ₩33,000. Shall we look at the menu?

Built around these main dishes, the set menus split into two kinds: with self-serve flying fish roe fried rice, or with fried rice and ramyeon included. Just choose according to how many people are in your group.

Oh! There are separate set menus for the gamjatang and the grilled bones.

Hangover soup and hot pot options if you're eating solo

Many solo diners were having haejangguk (hangover soup). The boneless version caught my eye, and there's a clear haejangguk too.

There's a haejangguk that comes with dumplings, one with kongbiji (soybean pulp), and even pork cutlet if someone with you wants something different. The ox head soup sounds good to me too.

The hot pot (jeongol) choices are varied too. There are king dumplings and budae gamjatang (army-stew style), and the hearty aged kimchi gamjatang was already sold out.

How to choose the spice level

Time to pick your heat. Regular is about Shin Ramyun level, Fiery is Buldak level, and they can even show you extra spicy. I think the smart move is to order what your stomach can handle.

Side dishes, groups and bookings

You just can't walk past the side dishes. Bomb steamed egg, sizzling-plate corn cheese and mixed fritters piled up all look so satisfying. You can add them on to the hot pot, steamed dishes and grilled dishes.

Dondbbyeong Gongbang accepts groups and offers takeout and delivery. With 36 seats on the 1st floor and 32 in the basement, about 70 seats can be booked, so just ask the restaurant.

How did the cheese grilled pork bones taste?

The cheese grilled pork bones were loaded with cheese, the meat was moist, and the bones slipped right off, so they were easy to eat. A neat set of side dishes came out first, and the barley tea was nutty and good.

And here come the cheese grilled pork bones! There are tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and dumplings in there too.

Plastic gloves and wet wipes are ready so you can pick the bones up and eat with your hands.

This is the moment you think of rice! I ordered some separately.

Loaded with cheese. The meat was moist and the bones came off smoothly, so it was easy to eat. I ate it all in one go... well, I didn't put it all in my mouth at once.

I ate the corn too, haha. There were also wide glass noodles at the bottom, which were nice to eat alongside.

Is the portion enough for two people?

The cheese grilled pork bones were a big portion for two. We diligently picked the meat off, and since the bones come apart easily, it goes quickly. 👍

Still, I wanted the clear pork bone haejangguk too. I think it would be even better with some broth alongside. It works for takeout as a lunch near Yonsei, and you can ask the restaurant about takeout and reservations.

As expected, they put real effort into the barley tea too. It was nutty and went down easily.

Lunch, a drink or a group meal in front of Yonsei, all handled comfortably. That was the Yonsei branch of Dondbbyeong Gongbang, a pork bone BBQ and gamjatang specialist that's easy to enjoy.