Cheongju Korean BBQ with mulberry highball: Baeksan Hwarro

Cheongju favorite for pork belly, Baeksan Hwarro 🚩Location: 7-12 166beon-gil Songhwa-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea ⏳Hours: 11:30–01:00

I was visiting Cheongju and a local friend told me about a good Korean BBQ spot, so we went together. It's Baeksan Hwarro Techno Polis Songjeol Branch! If you're looking for a good restaurant in Cheongju, Songjeong-dong, or a Korean BBQ place in Cheongju, this review might help haha.

What is the atmosphere and seating like at Baeksan Hwarro in Songjeong-dong?

We went on a weekend evening and the place was already packed. Whether it's already famous or just because it's the weekend, every table was full? The tables were spaced comfortably enough, so it was easy to sit and eat with friends, and there were plenty of families too. Not too chaotic — it had that comfortable Korean BBQ restaurant vibe.

Baeksan Hwarro menu: what comes in the small mixed platter?

Looking at the Baeksan Hwarro menu, there was a lot to choose from — aged pork belly, scored pork jowl (gabrisal), scored pork neck (hangjeongsal), salt-grilled pork, and more. Since there were three of us, we ordered the small mixed platter. Getting to taste several cuts at once seemed like a good choice for first-time visitors.

Apparently they used to grill the meat for you. Now it's switched to a bigger portion that you grill yourself haha.

The basic side dishes came out clean and neat overall, which I liked.

And then the small mixed platter arrives. Wait, what's going on with this color of meat...! It's a set with pork jowl, pork neck, salt-grilled pork, plus pork rind, and every piece looked so appetizing. My excitement was already rising before we even started eating lol.

The grill plate looked kind of unusual but was surprisingly easy to cook on!? Everything got nicely golden brown!

Steamed egg, doenjang jjigae and pot rice come free with the platter

Baeksan Hwarro Cheongju includes steamed egg custard for free! Eating a spoonful here and there between bites of meat cut through the richness nicely and paired well as a drinking snack too lol. Someone who loves places that give you these thoughtful extras... that's me right here ^-^

Freshly made pot rice served in a metal pot! The rice comes out piping hot, and it's delicious with the meat or with stew too. Turns out on top of the free steamed egg, the doenjang jjigae is also complimentary? So they smartly canceled the doenjang jjigae we had ordered lol.

Why you should order the mulberry highball at Baeksan Hwarro

What I'd recommend most at Baeksan Hwarro Cheongju is the mulberry highball. I was originally going to get beer, but I saw a mulberry highball on the menu and tried it. But seriously, you have to order this..!! It was so good haha. It's packed with blueberries and mulberries, giving it a tangy-sweet, refreshing flavor that went really well with the meat. It's not a style with a strong alcohol taste, but sweet and refreshing, so you keep drinking it haha.

How do the scored pork jowl, pork neck and salt-grilled pork taste?

By the way, the scored pork jowl was so delicious, and the pork neck's chewy texture was great as always...!

The salt-grilled pork was nice and light, and we grilled mushrooms alongside it too — they soaked up the fat and moisture so much that even the mushrooms tasted like meat(?) lol. Places with a crowd really do have a reason haha.

That taste that makes the drinks go down smoothly while eating meat...

Lastly, we ordered a bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles). Isn't cold noodles after meat basically the golden rule lol. Eating the noodles with the sweet and tangy sauce paired so well with the meat. That magic where you say you're full but keep eating...

The pork rind in the platter is grilled last

The pork rind included in the small mixed platter is served last, after you've finished all the meat, and it was genuinely delicious too. That pork rind was insane...!

Chewy and golden-grilled, it was the perfect drinking snack lol. I joined a review event and got an extra serving of pork rind too, and ended up finishing every last bite before I left haha.

The free convenience corner next to the register

On our way out after paying, I noticed a section stocked with all kinds of things — hair ties, mouthwash, dental floss, candy, Febreze, band-aids, basically everything lol. You might worry about smelling like meat, or suddenly need something, and they've thought of that too — what a thoughtful touch!?

The staff were kind too, and the mulberry highball and the pork rind were what stuck with me the most! I went to Cheongju for fun and, thanks to my friend, ended up having a proper delicious meal :)