Family samgyeopsal dinner with private rooms in Daejeon: Oil-nae

What should I eat today? That's how I stumbled on Oil-nae, a great spot in Yuseong, Daejeon! Samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) is always delicious, but when I heard the drinks were only ₩1,900, I couldn't not go. This time I visited Oil-nae Daejeon Bongmyeong, a samgyeopsal restaurant in Bongmyeong-dong, Daejeon, with my family.

Where is Oil-nae Daejeon Bongmyeong, and what are its hours?

<Oil-nae Daejeon Bongmyeong> 📍 87-1 Daehak-ro, 1st floor, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon ⏰ Daily 11:00–24:00 🅿️ Parking - open lot next to the restaurant

We visited around 5pm on a weekend. Maybe because it's newly opened, the whole place felt really clean and tidy. What I especially liked was that the spoons and chopsticks were individually wrapped! These days I've started paying attention to details like that, and it made a great first impression with how clean it felt. The restroom was also inside the restaurant and separated by gender, which was convenient.

Private rooms and folding-door seating: does Oil-nae work for groups?

The main hall itself was quite spacious, but what I liked most about Oil-nae was that there are so many private rooms. Lots of rooms AND ₩1,900 drinks… When you're looking for a place for a work dinner or family gathering with a big group, finding somewhere like this is such a relief.

There was also a space with folding doors installed, which looked good for larger group gatherings or company dinners. Anyone who's worked a regular job knows it's surprisingly hard to find a room-style restaurant where a big group can eat comfortably. In that sense, this could be a solid option for anyone looking for a place for a work dinner in Bongmyeong-dong.

What's on the self-serve side dish bar at Oil-nae

The first round of side dishes is brought out by staff, and after that you help yourself from the self-serve bar for any refills. Drinks are also self-serve. Apparently they run some things self-serve in order to keep the meat fresh and the drinks cheap — honestly, I found it convenient and nice, haha.

There's a self-serve bar set up on one side

At the self-serve bar there's pickled onion, myeong-i namul (wild garlic leaves), ssam-mu (pickled radish for wraps), pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi), napa cabbage kimchi, ssamjang (dipping sauce), garlic, lettuce, and cheongyang chili — all the basics that go well with samgyeopsal. You just take as much as you want.

The basic side dishes are brought to you, and for anything else you help yourself at the self-serve bar.

Three servings of samgyeopsal: how was the pork belly?

We ordered three servings of samgyeopsal. The restaurant states it only uses pork slaughtered within 5 days, and honestly, just from the color, the meat looked really good. Definitely a great spot in Yuseong, Daejeon!!

They cut it into pieces just the right size for the grill. The pork belly sizzling away… the smell alone was amazing, haha.

Samgyeopsal really is one of those foods that makes you happy from the moment it hits the grill. Eating the well-cooked pork belly wrapped with myeong-i namul or ssam-mu, topped with pa-kimchi, was just perfect.

Cheese egg stew, rice and blue crab doenjang stew at Oil-nae

For a side dish, we also ordered the cheese egg stew. It came out in a stone pot, so generous it looked like it might overflow — the look of it alone won me over.

The moment I took a spoonful, the cheese stretched out in long strands. My kid loved it too. It wasn't overly seasoned and had a nice savory flavor, making it a great side to eat alongside the samgyeopsal.

You can't skip the carbs, so we also ordered a bowl of rice. I was surprised at how generously it was served. Maybe because it's right in front of Chungnam National University, it felt like the owner's way of making sure college students leave full, haha.

And of course you can't eat samgyeopsal without a stew on the side. We ordered the blue crab doenjang stew. It wasn't salty and had a nice savory depth, going well with rice while eating the meat.

Driving to Oil-nae? Non-alcoholic beer is on the menu

Honestly, since I was driving that day, I hesitated a little even after hearing the drinks were ₩1,900. Luckily, they also sell non-alcoholic beer. So we made up for it with two bottles of non-alcoholic beer, haha.

For those who can't drink because they're driving, having a menu option like this was really nice. Overall, Oil-nae was a clean spot in Yuseong, Daejeon, with lots of private rooms, great for groups, and the samgyeopsal itself was delicious. If you're looking for samgyeopsal in Bongmyeong-dong, a work dinner spot in Bongmyeong-dong, a family meal, or a place for group gatherings, it's worth a visit. We had a comfortable meal with family :)

I was driving so I hesitated for a moment, but they sold non-alcoholic beer so I had two bottles. Kudos to the owner for the thoughtful touch.. 👍🏻