Seohae Korean restaurant for minari pork belly: Sammi-jip

Sammi-jip in Cheongna 4 Complex’s dining alley: location and parking

Sammi-jip is on the first floor at 18 Cheongna Canal-ro 233beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon. There is parking for around five cars in front of the restaurant, which was convenient. If you are taking public transit, get off near Hanil Verace or Dongyang En’Park 4 Complex and head into the Cheongna 4 Complex dining alley.

A spacious interior that stayed comfortable and smoke-free

As a newly opened place, it was clean and comfortable. I loved that it was so smoke-free and hygienic that it hardly felt like a barbecue restaurant. The restaurant is spacious, making it great for a Cheongna company dinner, and the owner and staff were kind too.

The space was divided with partition walls, so it also felt private. High chairs were available, making this a great spot for a family meal in Cheongna too—so good ><

Banchan, from minari to dongchimi broth

When we ordered, the complimentary banchan (Korean side dishes) included minari (water dropwort), seasoned shredded scallions, seasoned bean sprouts, special sauce, whole mushrooms, onion, wrap vegetables, garlic, ssamjang dipping paste, and refreshing dongchimi broth. The side dishes were neatly presented, and the dongchimi broth in particular was cool and delicious.

We ordered the signature kimchi scored whole pork belly and kimchi diced pork jowl. The meat had already been kitchen-seared and arrived almost fully cooked, so we did not have to do the hard work of grilling it ourselves.

Kimchi pork belly and pork jowl grilled by the staff

The staff carefully placed minari, kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, shredded scallions, mushrooms, and onions next to the seared meat, then grilled everything for us.

Just as coffee made by someone else tastes best, meat grilled by someone else tastes best.

The scored whole pork belly burst with juices as soon as I bit into it. Maybe because it was fresh Korean pork, the rich, refined meat juices were outstanding. The diced pork jowl was tender and moist as well, with a deep flavor.

Dipping the meat in the special sauce that comes with the meal made for a harmonious, flavor-packed bite.

Eating the pork belly with fragrant minari made it feel fresher than any pot-lid minari pork belly I have tried. There has been a lot of talk lately about Chinese kimchi, but Sammi-jip uses only fresh kimchi made in-house, so it was perfect alongside the meat.

₩6,000 soybean paste stew and a self-serve side-dish bar

For a side dish, we ordered doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew). At ₩6,000 it was a great value, and it came generously filled in an earthenware pot.

It was packed with all sorts of ingredients, which gave it an even deeper flavor. The soybean paste stew was delicious too.

During the meal, it was convenient to refill any side dishes at the self-serve bar in front of the kitchen whenever we wanted.

The menu includes sets and lunch specials

Lastly, the menu!

There are set menus such as a full Sammi kimchi platter plus soybean paste stew and a half Sammi kimchi platter plus soybean paste stew, so it is easy to order according to your group size. Along with pork belly, you can also try Korean beef 2++ brisket at ₩19,000, which makes the selection feel varied.

• Kimchi pork belly ₩17,000
• Kimchi scored whole pork belly ₩17,000
• Kimchi pork neck belly ₩18,000
• Kimchi diced pork jowl ₩18,000

With stew lunch specials including pot-lid osam duruchigi (spicy stir-fried pork and squid) at ₩11,000, pot-lid kimchi stew at ₩10,000, pot-lid budae-jjigae (army base stew) at ₩11,000, and pot-lid duruchigi at ₩11,000, this is also a great Cheongna barbecue restaurant for lunch.

• Single-serving lunch special: kimchi stew in an earthenware pot ₩11,000
• Single-serving lunch special: budae-jjigae in an earthenware pot ₩12,000

• Cheese potato pancake ₩10,000; minari pancake ₩10,000; minari soy sauce egg rice ₩5,000
• Kimchi stew ₩10,000; budae-jjigae ₩11,000; soybean paste stew ₩6,000
• Mul-naengmyeon (cold broth noodles) ₩8,000; bibim-naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles) ₩8,000; kimchi bibim makguksu (spicy buckwheat noodles) ₩8,000; jjolmyeon (chewy spicy noodles) ₩7,000
• Spam fried eggs ₩9,000; injeolmi ice cream ₩5,000

There is a wide range of alcoholic drinks too, making it perfect for a Cheongna company dinner. The stews are available for takeout as well, so this was a Cheongna pork belly favorite that would be good to visit anytime!