Samgakji BBQ date night: duck and highballs at Cheongdo Minari Sikdang

My partner and I headed to Cheongdo Minari Sikdang Samgakji Branch — a lunch spot that's been hot lately around Yongridan-gil and Samgakji — on a weekend to recharge and get our fill of fragrant seasonal minari (watercress)!

We paired fresh Cheongdo minari with garlic-piled fresh duck roast, cute round-rolled minari flower pork belly, and cold highballs and beer for a perfect weekend feast. From the deep umami of southern-style aged kimchi to six neat banchan and a killer combo of three signature sauces, our mouths never got a break — here's the full rundown!

The best order at Cheongdo Minari Sikdang Samgakji Branch

At Cheongdo Minari Sikdang Samgakji Branch, we'd recommend the duck roast half portion (₩36,000) piled high with pungent minced garlic, paired with thin, chewy minari flower pork belly (₩17,000). For lunch, the minari shabu-shabu (₩14,000) is also a good call.

The deep-flavored aged kimchi, tofu, and whole rice cake that come standard are a treat grilled together on the griddle. Add a crisp highball or cold beer and it's a perfect spot for a Samgakji work dinner or date.

Cheongdo Minari Sikdang Samgakji Branch at a glance

• Business name: Cheongdo Minari Sikdang Samgakji Branch
• Location: near Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (2-3 min walk from Samgakji Station, Lines 4 & 6 — super convenient)
• Basic banchan: southern-style aged kimchi, perilla-leaf-wrapped radish, gungchae pickles, braised lotus root, macaroni corn salad, radish salad, onion strips
• Signature sauces: secret grill sauce, perilla-seed vinegar-chili sauce, coarse salt & fresh wasabi

How far is Cheongdo Minari Sikdang from Samgakji Station?

Cheongdo Minari Sikdang Samgakji Branch sits just a 2-3 minute walk from the Samgakji Station exits on subway Lines 4 and 6, so it's very easy to reach by public transit.

Once you turn into the alley, the cozy yellow sign and warm wood-toned exterior catch your eye right away, so it's easy to find.

Inside the restaurant: interior and seating

Inside, spacious wood tables are laid out comfortably, making it a pleasant spot for group get-togethers, work dinners, or a couple's date. There's also group seating on the 2nd floor, which sounds great for company dinners too.

Warm mustard-yellow walls, orange leather booths, and a corrugated-panel ceiling give off a cozy '90s-diner vibe. Every table comes built-in with a tablet ordering system and a heavy cast-iron round griddle, and the ceiling ventilation is tightly designed so smoke and smells don't linger much even while grilling.

Why Cheongdo minari (water dropwort) is good for you

The wall lists the various benefits of Cheongdo minari — preventing gout, flushing out heavy metals, easing hangovers — so I felt healthier just waiting for the food!

Full tablet menu and prices at Cheongdo Minari Sikdang

Each table has a tablet for easy ordering, so let me break down the prices by menu category!

1. Duck dishes

• Minari fresh duck roast (half): ₩36,000
• Minari fresh duck roast (whole): ₩59,000
• Minari fresh duck hotpot (half): ₩36,000
• Minari fresh duck hotpot (whole): ₩59,000
• Minari fresh duck bulgogi (half): ₩36,000
• Minari pork & duck combo (500g): ₩46,000
• Extra duck (roast/hotpot/bulgogi, 200g each): ₩12,000

2. Grilled pork dishes

• Minari pork combo plate (450g): ₩46,000
• Cheongdo minari flower pork belly (150g): ₩17,000 (extra flower belly ₩15,000)
• Minari quick-frozen pork belly (180g): ₩18,000 (extra pork belly ₩16,000)
• Minari quick-frozen pork shoulder (180g): ₩18,000 (extra pork shoulder ₩16,000)

3. Shabu-shabu and lunch sets

• Minari shabu-shabu (spicy / mild): ₩14,000
• Minari fried tofu & shrimp shabu (spicy): ₩14,000
• Cheongdo minari cold noodles + dumpling set: ₩9,000
• Steamed rice: ₩1,000

4. Specialty sides and rice dishes

• Minari pancake: ₩9,000
• Minari beef tartare: ₩18,000 (tasting-size minari tartare ₩9,900)
• Vegetable fried rice (for belly/roast): ₩4,000
• Fried rice (for hotpot/bulgogi): ₩3,000
• Minari ramyeon / Jjapaguri / Doenjang jjigae

5. Free perk: the Naver receipt review event

Apply for the photo review event on the table tablet and you can score a free crispy minari pancake or a cold highball — don't forget to grab it!

Aged kimchi and the six side dishes served with every meal

As soon as we sat down, a generous basic spread was set around the big griddle.

What caught my eye first was the southern-style aged kimchi with its deep umami. It's great eaten cold and tangy as-is, but grilled golden in duck fat on the griddle later, it's downright gasp-worthy!

The perilla-leaf-wrapped radish, with a slice of pickled radish layered onto each leaf, was so convenient — no fumbling to wrap, just pick up a piece and go.

Crunchy gungchae pickles, sweet-salty braised lotus root, soft macaroni corn salad, and tangy radish salad rounded out a spread that paired perfectly with the meat.

A big steel bowl piled with fresh onion strips came with its own dressing, keeping things clean and cutting through any greasiness.

Three house sauces and how to match them to the meat

On one side of the table sat sauce bottles ready for us to mix to our own taste. We filled a three-way dish and enjoyed a variety of flavor combinations.

• Addictive perilla-seed vinegar-chili sauce: tangy-spicy vinegar-chili paste mixed with plenty of nutty perilla powder. Dip duck and minari in it for a mouthful of nutty umami.
• Umami-packed grill sauce: a sweet-salty secret soy sauce blend, perfect for duck, flower pork belly, grilled tofu, and rice cake alike.
• Coarse salt and fresh wasabi: for when you want to taste the clean, savory juices of the meat itself — a light dip in salt with a bit of pungent fresh wasabi keeps it crisp.

How to grill the garlic-piled half duck roast

We ordered the two most popular meat dishes today.

The duck roast half portion, with pungent minced garlic piled on bright red fresh duck meat, was stunning even before hitting the griddle.

Bright red, springy fresh duck meat comes topped with a mountain of coarsely crushed fresh garlic.

The owner brought over a timer and told us to flip the duck for about 5 minutes before adding the vegetables.

Spread on the hot cast-iron griddle, the garlic mixes with the duck fat and sizzles as it cooks. The smell alone was incredible — I wanted to eat it right then.

The spiciness of the garlic burns off in the fat, leaving only sweetness and a subtle kick, with no gamey smell at all.

Once the meat is about 70% cooked, enoki and oyster mushrooms, whole onion, and Cheongdo minari get piled onto the griddle to wilt slightly.

The rich duck meat and fresh, crunchy minari stems balance each other, cutting through the richness.

Ah! With a pairing this good, alcohol — beer or highball — is essential!

Duck roast, rice cake, tofu and aged kimchi on one griddle

On the hot, generously sized griddle, we piled on plenty of garlic-marinated fresh duck, with thick hand-made tofu (2 pieces), whole rice cake, sliced potato, mushrooms, and onion on the side.

As the duck turned golden and its savory fat dripped down the griddle, the special trick was piling tangy aged kimchi and Cheongdo minari on one side to wilt slightly!

The clean duck meat with its subtle garlic aroma paired with crunchy minari was gasp-worthy from the very first bite.

Minari flower pork belly paired with a highball

Thinly rolled into a flower shape, the minari flower pork belly's pale pink meat and balanced fat layer built up plenty of anticipation.

After the duck roast, we went straight in with the thin minari flower pork belly on the griddle.

The flower belly is thin so it cooks fast, and with crispy-yet-chewy texture bursting with savory juices, our chopsticks never stopped.

Paired with a crisp highball and cold beer, the fat got washed right down — a top-tier drinking pairing.

Four minari and meat combos worth trying

Radish-topped perilla leaf + grilled aged kimchi wrap: layer golden duck meat and grilled aged kimchi over the radish-topped perilla leaf and wrap it up — tangy and juicy, an amazing combo.

Grilled potato + pickled onion sandwich: pile meat and pickled onion onto crispy griddle-fried potato slices for a nutty, crunchy treat.

Duck roast dipped deep in perilla-seed vinegar-chili sauce: dunk the pungent garlic duck deep into the perilla-seed sauce and eat it with minari — no greasiness, and you'll keep going forever.

Grill sauce with tofu and rice cake: dip the duck-fat-soaked hand tofu and chewy rice cake into the signature grill sauce for a filling finish.

A griddle cleared to the last bite

Meat, aged kimchi, potato, tofu, rice cake — we cleared it all, right down to the bare griddle!

Final verdict on Cheongdo Minari Sikdang Samgakji Branch

From the pungent garlic duck roast half portion to the nutty minari flower pork belly, deep-flavored aged kimchi and neat banchan, and the cold highball-and-beer pairing — everything was perfect at this Samgakji restaurant.

With seating up to the 2nd floor and a comfortable layout, it works great for a hearty lunch, an after-work Samgakji dinner, or a date with your partner. If you want to enjoy fragrant Cheongdo minari dishes, minari pork belly, and shabu-shabu near Samgakji, be sure to visit Cheongdo Minari Sikdang Samgakji Branch!