Sunday brunch pork belly with minari pancake in Cheongna: Sammi-jip

No boring pork belly place here — Cheongna pork belly restaurant "Sammi-jip" is a different story.

I arrived around noon on a Sunday and the place was already in full pork belly party mode. Why? I wanted to know the secret behind how Sammi-jip's pork belly wins over Sunday brunch crowds.

Sammi-jip location and hours

• 🏡 Address: 18 Cheongnacanal-ro 233beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon — inside the Cheongna 4-danji restaurant street
• 🅿️ Parking available in front of the restaurant
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 10:30–22:30 (last order 21:30)

Sammi-jip's popular lunch special

Sammi-jip, the Cheongna pork belly restaurant, is great for lunch specials too. With three options simmered right on a quality cast-iron pot lid — kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), budae jjigae (army stew), and duruchigi (spicy stir-fried pork) — it's a Cheongna lunch spot with real value for money.

Sammi-jip's spacious, comfortable interior

I tried to photograph the interior avoiding other customers as much as possible, and despite being a pork belly place, the white-toned, clean modern interior stood out. The table-order touchscreens were kept so spotless it genuinely lifted my mood — you could feel the same care extends to kitchen hygiene at this Cheongna pork belly restaurant.

Ordering pot-lid kimchi pork belly and minari pancake

Curious about the pot-lid kimchi pork belly, I ordered it, and a full spread of side dishes arrived. Since they stir-fry minari (water dropwort) on the pot lid too, I also ordered a minari pancake (minari-jeon) — excellent choice! The fragrant pancake had more minari than batter, so it was crispy and aromatic, and it paired wonderfully with the pork belly, adding an even richer flavor.

Sammi-jip's minari pancake starts from ₩10,000, served with a special dipping sauce made just for pancakes — a real specialty, definitely worth trying if you get the chance!

The Cheongna Sammi-jip pot lid arrives!

Thick pork belly, perfectly grilled. You understand why it's a Cheongna pork belly favorite the moment the pot lid arrives. Staff bring out the sizzling hot pot lid piled with kimchi, minari, seasoned bean sprouts, scallion salad, onion, and king oyster mushroom — my mouth was watering just looking at it, haha.

They pile on the finely sliced kimchi so deliciously — this is exactly the flavor that gets people here early for pot-lid kimchi pork belly!

Looking around again, I saw young newlyweds, elderly couples, groups of friends, whole families, and church gatherings — all sorts of people enjoying Sammi-jip's pork belly in Cheongna. Brunch or lunch, the pot-lid kimchi pork belly at Cheongna pork belly favorite Sammi-jip makes it all work, absolutely!

I tried a piece of pork belly plain, with no dip, and could really taste the quality of the meat — a faint smoky char passed through, filling my mouth with pork belly flavor.

Pot-lid kimchi pork belly — yes, this really is a Cheongna pork belly favorite!

The meat itself was delicious, sliced thick and cooked so that you could feel the juices with every bite, and best of all, grilling well-fermented kimchi alongside the pork belly meant its tangy flavor brought out the pork belly's flavor even more. Kimchi, minari, onion, mushroom — I cleared it all, haha.

Dessert: injeolmi ice cream

The ice cream shaped like injeolmi (rice cake coated in bean powder) I'd been waiting for! It was the perfect dessert after pot-lid kimchi pork belly at Cheongna Sammi-jip. The injeolmi powder (not sure if it was soybean powder) was sprinkled so prettily on top I almost didn't want to eat it! A refreshing, all-in-one way to end the meal.

Final verdict

Cheongna's Sammi-jip turned out to be a well-known pork belly favorite that I just hadn't heard of yet. Kimchi and pork belly, cooked together on a pot lid — next time I want to come back with family for a happy time together.

The pot-lid idea, and grilling minari and kimchi together — both wonderful at Sammi-jip. Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, definitely coming back.