Day-drinking Korean BBQ at opening time in Munjeong: Minari Naengsam

What kind of BBQ place is Minari Naengsam near Munjeong Station?

Minari Naengsam is a frozen pork belly (naengsam) restaurant near Munjeong Station in Songpa, where you can grill unlimited minari (water dropwort) along with the meat. It is open Mon–Sat 16:00–24:00 and closed every Sunday. Naver reservations, free corkage and parking are all available.

Wow, I found my number one minari pork belly place! I've had quite a lot of minari pork belly, but the minari at Minari Naengsam was strangely, insanely good. The meat was good too, of course, but the minari was out of this world. And it's unlimited!!!

When does the outdoor seating at Minari Naengsam open?

The outdoor seating at Minari Naengsam opens at 5 p.m., I was told. It's the welcome patio season in Munjeong, but we arrived earlier than that, so sadly we ate inside.

Even inside it somehow felt like a patio. Even though we practically did an opening run, three or four groups were already eating. There are quite a lot of tables inside too, so it's a good spot for a work dinner for office workers around Munjeong Station. I should suggest Minari Naengsam next time we have a team dinner.

Minari Naengsam menu and what the two of us ordered

The best-selling menu item at Minari Naengsam is kkot naengsam (flower-shaped frozen pork belly), made from Korean grade 1 or higher female pork, rolled up and flash-frozen. The two of us ordered 2 servings of kkot naengsam and 1 serving of 1++ Korean beef brisket (chadolbaegi), and for sides, cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) and rice!

Yay yay, naengsam with daytime drinking, here we go~~

There was also a super fancy-looking pepper grinder! Sprinkle a little on the naengsam and it gets even tastier.

Unlimited minari, perilla-powder chojang and side dishes

At Minari Naengsam, they first pile the supreme, delicious minari high on the grill. And this minari is unlimited? I'm so happy.

Then comes the perilla-powder chojang (sweet-sour chili dip), and it's surprisingly great with naengsam. You know dipping pork belly in gochujang is honestly the best, right?

The mustard-leaf kimchi (gat kimchi) and scallion kimchi that come as side dishes are tasty on their own and amazing grilled too.

The naengsam and brisket we ordered have arrived>< Shall we start by tossing in the brisket?

1++ Korean beef brisket (120g): how is it grilled with minari?

The 1++ Korean beef brisket at Minari Naengsam is a 120g serving, and we ordered it just to have a taste. Both naengsam and brisket cook fast, which makes them even better.

I'm hungry, so grill it up quick!

Then came the ssam vegetables and scallion salad (pajeori). Whoever made that pajeori sauce is a genius, it was so good.

The soju goes down so smoothly~ A late daytime drink is just great.

Ahh, and how good is minari when it's grilled in the fat of quality brisket? Ugh, I keep thinking about the minari and my mouth is watering.

The brisket is delicious with just salt. Eat it with the scallion salad and the savory depth is the real deal.

Kkot naengsam (flower frozen pork belly) 160g, which cooks fast

After slurping down the brisket, the next batter is the kkot naengsam 160g at Minari Naengsam! If this is the kind of flower we're talking about, it's more than welcome.

The naengsam cooks fast too, which I love. Wow, beautiful, just beautiful.

The owner overheard us saying the heat was weak and brought over a windshield too. Nice touch. Ah, and the minari is crazy good all over again.

Side dishes: country cheonggukjang and rice

Country cheonggukjang as a side at Minari Naengsam? Can't resist. It's good value too. Order it right now!

My beloved tofu is packed in there too, loads of it.

I believe the foundation of a BBQ place is its rice, and at Minari Naengsam even plain rice is delicious. A place like this is an automatic pass ㅠ The rice has to be good to make the meat taste twice as good.

Wow, naengsam you could eat every day and never get sick of! A Munjeong Station go-to? I'm recommending this place, no question.

Minari refills and candy after the meal: worth going back?

Minari Naengsam brings you another whole bowl of minari as a refill, and the owner walking around carrying a bowl of minari is the killer point.

Sprinkle some pepper on it and eat it as is, and it's amazingly tasty. Was minari always this good and this well matched with meat? With such good-quality meat, minari grilled in the meat fat seems ten times tastier.

They even press candy into your hand as dessert. I was satisfied in every way with Minari Naengsam, the Munjeong Station patio spot in Songpa. I have to go back here~!~!