Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ with a steamed egg side: Meongseokjip

Went to eat meat with a friend and the vibe at Meongseokjip was totally on point 🐷💚 It's super close to Jongno 3-ga Station so there was no trouble finding it, haha!

Meongseokjip in Jongno 3-ga: grabbing an outdoor table in the alley

Meongseokjip is a BBQ restaurant tucked in an alley near Jongno 3-ga Station with outdoor tables lined up all the way through. Tables are spread out in the alley and it's just perfect for eating outside in weather like this, haha. The smell of grilling meat was wafting out and I couldn't just walk past…🤭

Meongseokjip, right there as soon as you walk into the alley! There were a lot of tables outside so we grabbed a spot there too ✨ Sitting with my friend for soju, the atmosphere was seriously perfect, haha!

There's a separate waiting machine at the entrance! Seems like during busy hours you register a number here and wait, haha. Even when we arrived there were already quite a few people eating at the outdoor tables!! If we'd come a bit later we might not have gotten a seat, ugh.

Self-serve side dishes at Meongseokjip, restroom inside

Meongseokjip does side dishes buffet-style, so you can grab as much kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, lettuce wraps, and garlic as you want. There's also an alcohol and drinks fridge in the back and a restroom inside the restaurant, which was convenient! And the side dishes here are self-serve 💚 They had good stuff prepared to eat with the meat, so it was nice being able to grab more without feeling awkward, haha.

Ordering the Meongseok set with pork jowl instead of pork collar

I ordered Meongseokjip's Meongseok set and swapped the pork collar that normally comes with it for pork jowl. Got a shot of the menu too! They have aged pork belly, skirt steak, pork jowl, pork collar, and even beef, plus sides like kimchi fried rice, brisket doenjang stew (soybean paste stew), pork kimchi stew, and steamed egg! We ordered the Meongseok set but swapped the pork collar that comes with it for pork jowl 🐷 I wanted both pork belly and pork jowl, so eating it this way was totally satisfying, haha.

How do the aged pork belly and pork jowl taste?

Meongseokjip's aged pork belly comes out sliced thick, golden brown outside with the juices still inside. The moment the meat came out, the visuals were insane..💕 A pile of thickly sliced meat came out, and just from looking you could tell the fat-to-meat ratio was great!

The pork belly was thick, so the outside cooked up golden while the inside kept its juices, giving it a great chew! Especially with the fat rendering out onto the grill and cooking the kimchi and bean sprouts alongside it — genuinely the best…😋

And swapping in the pork jowl was totally the right call!! That chewy yet fatty texture unique to pork jowl was fully there, and eating it in between bites of pork belly made things even tastier since the texture kept changing, haha. I already love pork jowl so this made me even more sat—isfied!

Don't skip the green onion kimchi at the self-serve bar

The green onion kimchi I grabbed from Meongseokjip's self-serve bar was the highlight of the day. Put meat on a lettuce wrap, add grilled kimchi, garlic, and ssamjang (dipping sauce), and take a big bite… it's the kind of taste that instantly makes you think of soju, lol 🍶 I really think that green onion kimchi from the self-serve bar was the kicker.. I refilled just that twice this day.. haha ♥ If you're going here, I definitely recommend grabbing the green onion kimchi from the self-serve bar-!!

The steamed egg side arrives puffed up like a dome

Meongseokjip's steamed egg comes puffed up over the rim of the earthenware pot like bread. We also ate the steamed egg together, and look at these visuals lol 🥚✨ It was super fluffy and soft, easy to eat! Pairing spicy kimchi and meat with steamed egg is such a perfect combo, haha.

We drank soju together this day too, and grilling meat at the outdoor table really made the atmosphere complete 💚

If I ever come to Jongno again, this is a place I definitely want to visit-! It really felt like making happy memories with a high school friend, so it was a happy day-♥

Final verdict on Meongseokjip 🥩🍶

• The alley outdoor BBQ vibe is great for drinks with a friend
• The aged pork belly was thick and juicy, really tasty
• Swapped the set's pork collar for pork jowl and was totally satisfied 💕
• The combo of grilling kimchi, bean sprouts, and garlic together is the best
• The fluffy steamed egg is a great side to recommend too!!
• Self-serve side dishes make refills easy, haha