Gimpo pork belly lunch sets and Maldon salt cuts: Donpu The Grill

Where to park at Donpu The Grill in Janggi-dong, Gimpo

Donpu The Grill is a charcoal-grilled meat restaurant in Janggi-dong, Gimpo. Park at the public parking lot nearby — it's free on weekends and gives you the first 60 minutes free on weekdays, so keep that in mind if you're driving~

On days I'm craving meat, charcoal-grilled meat is always the first thing that comes to mind~ This time I visited the Gimpo Janggi branch of Donpu The Grill!

Donpu The Grill hours and closing day

11:00–23:00, break time 15:00–17:00, closed every Tuesday. Since they're open from lunch through dinner, you could stop by for lunch and come back later for a hearty dinner of meat too~

Donpu The Grill menu and prices

This pork belly restaurant in Janggi-dong has its menu split broadly into set menus, à la carte items, and lunch meal sets that are great for midday dining.

The main set menus were

• Donkkajok Set (with octopus) ₩79,900
• Donpu Octopus Set ₩63,900
• Donpu Signature Set ₩55,900
• Handon Couple Set ₩48,900

How much are the lunch bap sets at Donpu The Grill?

At lunchtime this isn't just a meat-only place — you can also choose meal sets~ Available from 11:00-15:00: Aged Pork Belly Bap ₩13,500, Charcoal Thin-Sliced Pork Belly Bap ₩13,500, Duroc Pork Neck Bap ₩13,500, Charcoal Jeyuk Bap ₩12,900, Beef Short Rib Bap ₩19,900, Broth Jeyuk ₩23,900, Snow Cheese Broth Jeyuk ₩27,900, Spam Broth Jeyuk ₩27,900

What's at the self-serve bar

What really caught my eye here was the self-serve bar!! There was a funny sign that said 'Today's cardio = round trip to the self-serve bar' haha — it's a space where you go grab the lettuce wraps and side dishes you need yourself~

What comes in the 48,900 won Handon Couple Set

I ordered the Handon Couple Set at this pork belly restaurant in Janggi-dong~ Once the whole set arrived, the table filled up fast haha. Along with the meat, there were lettuce wraps and all sorts of side dishes ready to go, great for mixing and matching one bite at a time!! And the basic spread included stone-plate kimchi rice!! The stone-plate kimchi rice is really something special — a kimchi stew with pork, packed with egg and rice, bubbling away on a hot stone plate, which made it even more delicious!

Side dishes and chilled boiled pork

The side dishes included cold boiled pork and salad, among other things~ Dipping the cold boiled pork with white kimchi into the sauce was basically an appetizer in itself~ Chewy with tons of savory flavor haha

The sauces, salt and wasabi lineup

The sauces come in three kinds, plus salt, wasabi, and galchi sokjeot (fermented hairtail innards)~ With wasabi mayo, ponzu sauce, and steak sauce, you can enjoy the meat in a variety of different flavors, which I really liked~~

How long does the pre-seared aged pork belly take on the grill?

First they put the pork belly on the grill~ Since the owner grills it for you, you really get to enjoy it moist and delicious. It comes pre-seared, so cooking time was shorter than starting from raw meat, and you just finish it off golden brown on the grill~

The pork belly had a good balance of fat and lean meat, and the surface turned golden brown as it cooked~

Taking a bite, the outside was savory and cooked through while the inside stayed moist~ Maybe because it's aged, it was incredibly tender~

Finishing the pre-seared meat on the grill left the outside golden and the inside still moist. Dipped lightly in salt, you really get the clean, plain taste of the meat itself, and it's a whole different feel eaten with ssamjang or kimchi!!

It was so nice being able to grab plenty of lettuce wraps from the self-serve bar~~ Getting to enjoy cooked kimchi and minari too made this such a great pork belly restaurant find in Janggi-dong

How the pork belly tastes dipped in Maldon salt

Donpu The Grill gives you Maldon salt, which almost made me feel like I was eating a pork steak~ The Maldon salt adds even more savory depth, and wasabi ended up being my favorite pairing with it haha

How was the texture of posamgyeop (rib-side pork belly)?

Of everything I ate this time, the chewy texture of pyosamgyeop stuck with me the most~ It's the pork belly attached to the rib bone, and it has a bit more bite than regular pork belly, so if you love the texture of meat itself, I'd definitely recommend trying pyosamgyeop too!!

After grilling it golden on the pan, laying one piece over a lettuce wrap with scallion shreds and kimchi cut down the greasiness and added a crisp, chewy layer of flavor~

Is Donpu The Grill good for a family gathering?

Overall, if you're looking for a good spot in Janggi-dong, Gimpo, this place covers both meat dishes and lunch meals~ Comparing the texture differences between the charcoal-grilled pre-seared aged pork belly, the charcoal-grilled pre-seared pork neck, and the chewy pyosamgyeop was genuinely fun, and I'd highly recommend Donpu The Grill for a family gathering!!