Gunsan Korean BBQ opening run with kids: pork jowl at Jongchagyeok

Craving meat during a trip to Gunsan, I stopped by Jongchagyeok, a well-known pork belly restaurant in Jochon-dong, Gunsan! The meat was so, so good, and the concept was so unique and fun that it became a really memorable meal haha.

• Address: 12 Yangchon 1-gil, 117ho, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk
• Hours: Mon–Fri 16:00–23:00 / Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00
• Parking available
• Baby chair available

What is the train-station concept at Jongchagyeok Gunsan Branch, and how did the kids react?

Jongchagyeok, a pork belly restaurant in Gunsan, had me excited even before stepping inside, thanks to its train-station concept! Since we'd just come from the Gunsan train village, the kids loved it even more haha. Such an appealing concept.

Even the door looks like a train door haha. The kids were thrilled, saying it felt like riding a train. It wasn't your usual interior — it had a really special feel! The kids loved it, but honestly the adults felt a bit of that childlike wonder too!

An interior that fully commits to the concept! Jongchagyeok, this Gunsan BBQ restaurant, serves meat that's pre-seared before it reaches you! Since we did an opening run, I was able to get good photos of the interior! Jongchagyeok in Jochon-dong, Gunsan turns out to be popular enough to have a wait during regular meal times or busy hours!

What we ordered at Jongchagyeok: salt-grilled pork chunks and marbled pork belly

Jongchagyeok, this Gunsan BBQ restaurant, uses hand-selected premium domestic Korean pork and pre-sears it for about 10–15 minutes at 'Chobeol Station,' so you get to enjoy even tastier meat! We ordered the Jongchagyeok salt-grilled pork chunks and marbled pork belly! There were plenty of other side menu items too, so it was nice being able to customize the meal to our taste haha.

There was a totally retro poster too, so I took a photo! As someone who loves this kind of thing, the concept was super satisfying haha.

Jeotgal pairings and the self-bar at Jongchagyeok Gunsan Branch

At Jongchagyeok, this Jochon-dong restaurant, you can eat your meat with a range of sauces, letting you enjoy it in even more ways. From wild garlic leaves (myeongi-namul) to various jeotgal (salted seafood), there were plenty of options to try different meat combos. It was fun trying to find the best combination among them all.

Squid jeotgal, pollock roe (myeongnanjeot), shiitake wasabi, and more — the restaurant introduces its recommended pairings, and it's fun to try them exactly as suggested!

The jeotgal was so, so good. It's tasty even on its own, but with good meat it's even better, argh. There's such a variety that you never get tired of it.

Oh, and they also give you jjondeugi (chewy rice snack) and gim (seaweed sheets), which are even better grilled haha. After finishing our meal, I gave the kids the jjondeugi and they gobbled it right up. Wrapping the meat in grilled gim is pretty appealing too.

The self-bar has wild garlic leaves, chopped scallions and more, so you can help yourself easily. Pollock roe and shiitake wasabi aren't on the self-bar, but staff will refill them if you ask!

Pre-seared pork finished tableside by the staff

About 10 minutes after ordering, they bring out the pre-seared meat, and the thickness and color of it alone... you could tell it was going to be delicious before even taking a bite.

Look at how thick the meat is, argh. Staff grilled it for us too, so it was both convenient and perfectly cooked. It looks juicy just from the photo!

The salt-grilled pork chunks had both tender and thick cuts that locked in all the juices, giving it a savory flavor that even the kids devoured.

The kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) that came as a basic side dish was amazing too. Packed with meat... the broth was refreshing, and it worked great both as a side with anju (drinking snack) or paired with the grilled meat!

Since the meat itself was so good, any pairing worked well — the salt-grilled pork and pork belly were both delicious. Tasting the meat at Jongchagyeok, this Jochon-dong, Gunsan restaurant, made it clear why it draws a waitline~

Topping the pollock roe with squid jeotgal was delicious too. With meat this good, any combo of the honey pairings just worked.

There's also wild garlic leaves, and wrapped with the meat in a lettuce wrap, it's a flavor you can't stop eating~!

Adding pork jowl, and finishing with jjondeugi (chewy snack strips)

The portions were already generous, but we added pork neck too^^ The pork neck was delicious as well. All the meat was so good that if you love meat, you should definitely visit Jongchagyeok, this Gunsan BBQ restaurant.

We finished off with jjondeugi and a proof-of-visit shot! A pork belly restaurant we met during our Gunsan trip! We enjoyed the meal so much we promised each other we'd stop by again next time we're in Gunsan!