Icheon BBQ next to a water park: late-summer beef platter, Jowatso

Hope you're enjoying the Liberation Day holiday! We're past the start of autumn and past the last hot spell, and with rain yesterday and today the weather has definitely cooled down.

With the seasons changing like this, you really need to look after your health, so I went to get some premium beef and refuel on protein at Jowatso, a beef restaurant in Janghowon, Icheon, Gyeonggi, at the tail end of summer.

Inside Jowatso: dining room and family-friendly touches

Inside, Jowatso's Janghowon location is spacious, comfortable, and spotlessly kept. You'd expect a beef BBQ place to smell of meat, but there wasn't a hint of it — just cool and fresh.

Young staff were constantly circulating, keeping the tables and self-serve bar clean. Everyone was so friendly, too!

Grilling meat tends to heat things up even with the AC on, so they'd set out mini table fans so you don't get worn out mid-grill. Such a thoughtful touch! They also had chairs ready for small children.

A water park right next door and parks nearby

There's a water park right beside the restaurant (in front of the Icheon Agricultural Technology Center), so it'd be great to let the kids splash around there and then bring them in for a hearty meat meal afterward. Chuseok is coming up soon too, so having good beef with the family and then a light walk afterward sounds perfect.

With big parking lots in front and behind the building, there's no need to worry about parking, and with Janghowon Sports Park and Janghowon Park nearby, it's ideal for a family visit — a genuinely family-friendly restaurant.

What comes on Jowatso's 850g special-cuts platter

Jowatso's signature menu in Janghowon is the special-cuts platter, made up of premium rib, chuck flap, short rib finger meat, flat iron steak, and canola-honey marinated grill.

The total weight is 850g, so it was a generous amount for two, and a spicy beef hangover soup came out as a complimentary dish too.

A bowl of steaming hot broth

Even though the hangover soup was complimentary, it had a proper amount of beef and bean sprouts in it, so it was really spicy and refreshing. You know that flavor that makes you want to mix in rice and cure a hangover? Exactly that.

The place is run directly by a professional chef with certifications in Korean, Japanese, and Western cuisine plus pufferfish preparation, so not just the main meat but every single side dish had its own genuine flavor.

Jowatso's pride and joy! The signature special-cuts platter

Isn't the color of the charcoal and meat gorgeous? Especially with meat you grill yourself like this, the charcoal has a big impact on the flavor, and Jowatso in Janghowon uses quality meat and quality charcoal.

The signature special-cuts platter comes with rich, hefty premium rib and chuck flap with snowflake-like marbling,

along with chewy short rib finger meat and clean-tasting flat iron steak, plus canola-honey marinated grill with a subtle canola flower aroma — a whole platter packed with quality beef in a range of flavors. No shortage at all; a generous, hearty portion.

How each beef cut tasted off the charcoal

We grilled each cut slowly and a little at a time, dipping some in wasabi and wrapping some in lettuce — we enjoyed it so much. It's a flavor that pretty much anyone can enjoy, no love-it-or-hate-it about it.

A flavor that gets happier with every bite

The quality beef was delicious topped separately with the seasoned lettuce salad, garlic, and chili that came alongside it. And the marinated grill brushed with sweet Jeju canola honey wasn't overpowering at all — just subtly sweet and delicious.

The meat itself is so good that it's delicious even with just a dip of salt, no extra seasoning needed.

The premium rib was unbelievably tender, melting in the mouth. You could really feel the soft, deep flavor and texture of the beef. Next time, I think I'd order a bit more premium rib before getting too full.

Cold buckwheat noodles and the free ground beef to take home

Of course dessert after beef is naengmyeon (cold noodles)! I'm firmly on Team Mul-naengmyeon (water-based cold noodles)!! You have to try the cool water naengmyeon with floating ice shavings ^^ The combo of meat and bibim-naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles) is good too, but finishing with mul-naengmyeon after all that meat is clean and refreshing.

After we finished eating, they also gave us complimentary ground beef, freshly minced in-house with a meat grinder. Endlessly touched by that ♥

Honestly, this is a beef restaurant that feels good from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave!! It was one of those places where you think, 'I'm so glad I came.' I hope the owner's warm intention — valuing substance over flash, keeping a flavor that everyone can love without exception — keeps reaching more and more people for a long time. It'd be even better if it were closer, but it's genuinely worth the trip even from far away.

Jowatso Janghowon Gamgok Main Branch: address, hours, parking

• Name: Jowatso Janghowon Gamgok Main Branch
• Location: 25 Seodongdae-ro 8809beon-gil, Janghowon-eup, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
• Last order: 9:20 PM