Korean BBQ near Wangsimni Station: raw garlic in pork fat, Pujutgan

Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom (푸줏간생고기점) is a cauldron-lid Korean BBQ restaurant near Haengdang Market, known as a go-to for pork belly in Haengdang-dong.

Why go back to Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom after a crew get-together?

I came back because all the side dishes are free. Not long ago my crew had a group after-party in Wangsimni, and with a big group you end up ordering stew, naengmyeon (cold noodles) and all sorts of things alongside the meat. Here the sides are all free, so I remember eating really well for the price. The meat itself was great too, so this time I came again!

Where is Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom and what is it like inside?

Pujutgan is about a 5-minute walk from Wangsimni Station Exit 10, so it's easy to find. Wangsimni Station is served by Lines 2 and 5, the Gyeongui-Jungang Line and the Suin-Bundang Line, so you can get here from anywhere. Just note that there's no parking.

Inside, the place has 100+ seats, so it's really spacious. The tables are well spaced and the whole interior is wood-toned, so it feels clean and cozy for a BBQ joint.

It's so big that it's great for group gatherings and company dinners. The clean vibe also makes it a decent pick for a Wangsimni date dinner! True to its Haengdang Market reputation, it was already packed with people when I went in the evening.

Why the Pujutgan menu lists no prices for sides

The menu is fresh domestic pork and Korean beef (hanwoo). Looking at the menu, you only see meat, and no prices for sides like stew or noodles, right? Well... there's a reason 😎

If you order meat for your whole party, Pujutgan gives you kimchi stew, doenjang (soybean paste) stew, mul naengmyeon, bibim naengmyeon, janchi guksu (banquet noodles) and nurungji (scorched rice) all unlimited, just like that! And with free corkage for wine, whisky and so on, it's amazing for drinkers, right?!

• Kimchi stew
• Doenjang stew
• Mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth)
• Bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles)
• Janchi guksu (banquet noodles)
• Nurungji (scorched rice)

Cauldron-lid grill and the basic banchan (side dishes)

When you sit down, there's a huge cauldron-lid grill in the middle of the table.

Then the basic banchan (side dishes) get spread out: lettuce wraps, napa cabbage kimchi, garlic, king oyster mushrooms, pickled radish wraps, myeongi namul (pickled wild greens), ssamjang (dipping paste) and salt.

Pork belly, pork cap and pork skirt, one serving each, grilled by staff

This time I wanted to try different pork cuts, so I ordered one serving each of pork belly, gabeurisal (pork jowl) and galmaegisal (pork skirt).

When the meat comes, a staff member puts the meat, kimchi, onion, mushrooms and potatoes on the cauldron lid all at once and grills them for you, so we could focus on talking. So comfortable!

Kimchi and raw garlic fried in pork fat

Because it's a cauldron-lid grill, the pork fat runs down the slope, and the kimchi gets fried in that fat, you know?

They put a really generous amount of kimchi on, which is perfect for wrapping with the meat, and later they poured raw garlic onto the grill too and stir-fried it in the pork fat.

Maybe because the staff grill it, the meat was thick but cooked through to the middle. Golden on the outside, juicy, not dry at all, and delicious!

Free bibim naengmyeon and doenjang stew: how big and how good?

After eating a good amount of meat, I ordered the unlimited bibim naengmyeon and doenjang stew. I thought free might mean small or sloppy portions, but it clearly doesn't look like free quality, right? The portions are huge too, so groups and big eaters should try one each!

The doenjang stew in particular, unlike at other BBQ places, is packed with tofu and meat. With prices so high these days, even just ordering several sides feels like a much better deal. And you'll never run short of drinking snacks!

If you're looking for Haengdang-dong pork belly or a BBQ place, where even just ordering beef or pork gets you free naengmyeon, stew, noodles and nurungji, you have to try Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom!