1st-floor seats, bean sprout pickle and grilled potato: Ijjok

A great samgyeopsal (pork belly) restaurant near Hapjeong: Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal

I was running errands near Hapjeong Station a while back and by dinnertime was hunting for somewhere to eat — and found a really good pork belly place! I walked in starving and half-wilted, but the staff grilled everything from start to finish, so I got to eat comfortably and deliciously.

A meat restaurant in a Hapjeong alley, near Seongsan Middle School

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal (이쪽 김치삼겹살) sits in an alley in Hapjeong. I think the name is so cute. It's close to Seongsan Middle School and to Hapjeong Station, so it's really easy to get to. If you're looking for a good meat restaurant near Hapjeong Station, Seogyo-dong, or Seongsan Middle School, this is the place.

• Address: 20 Dokmak-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:30–23:00
• Last order 22:00
• Closed every Sunday

Ijjok also serves set lunch menus, so it opens early at 11:30 AM. It looks perfect not just for dinner but for lunch or a daytime drink too.

Two entrances — one on the 1st floor, one in the basement

From outside I saw two entrances and hesitated, then went in through the left one — turns out the left leads to the 1st floor and the right to the basement, a pretty unique layout! We sat at a 1st-floor table.

What's on the menu

Looking at the menu, besides the à la carte items, I noticed a well-put-together set menu with exactly the right dishes! And especially at lunchtime, they have great-value lunch sets, so it looked like a good spot for office workers nearby to come for lunch too.

On the wall were tips for enjoying Ijjok's meat even more, plus instructions for using the restaurant! Fabric deodorizer, phone charging, hair ties — you could see the owner's thoughtful attention to customers ♥

Bean sprout pickle instead of onion pickle

Once we ordered, the side dishes were set out neatly. Most pork belly places serve pickled onions, but here they unusually serve pickled bean sprouts instead. On top of that, scallion salad — pork belly's best friend — came along too, which I loved!! FYI, my boyfriend won't go to a samgyeopsal place that doesn't have scallion salad..

Kelly beer (₩6,000) — gotta have a drink before the meat! So cold that the day's fatigue just melted away...

What's in the ₩55,000 2-3 person set

The 2-3 person set (₩55,000) comes with pork belly (or pork neck) x2 servings + jowl meat x1 serving, plus steamed egg and doenjang stew. Once the meat arrived, the staff carefully grilled the meat and kimchi from start to finish! They put some of the meat on the grill first — the pork belly looked thick and the meat quality looked excellent.

I tried a bite of the pork belly. Crispy outside, juicy inside... seriously crispy-outside-tender-inside. The staff member's grilling skills are insane...

Piling on the bean sprout pickle was a crunchy delicacy too, and wrapping it with scallion salad and grilled kimchi gave this nutty, savory flavor ㅠㅠ amazing.

Jowl meat with fresh wasabi and sesame oil dip

Here's the beautifully grilled jowl meat. The jowl meat had such a great chewy texture too.

Eating it with kimchi and fresh wasabi on top — omg..♥ I always put fresh wasabi on and dip it in sesame oil sauce, and everything was set up here for that, so I got to eat it so happily!

Steamed egg, doenjang stew, and grilled potato

The steamed egg was so fluffy, soft, and moist too — the kind you keep reaching for. The doenjang (soybean paste) stew had absolutely no artificial seasoning taste, just that savory, delicious doenjang flavor! And to finish, a perfectly grilled potato wrapped up a great meal perfectly!!

If you're looking for a great samgyeopsal restaurant near Hapjeong Station, I recommend Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal — the meat quality is great and they grill it for you from start to finish.