Jirisan black pork and cold noodles at a Jongno3-ga Korean BBQ: Cham

Today I want to introduce a proper Jiri Mountain black pork samgyeopsal (pork belly) spot in Jongno! There are so many Korean BBQ places around Jongno3-ga that it's always hard to decide where to go, but I visited Cham Dwaejitgan today because not only is the meat good, but they actually grill it for you!

Where is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch, and when is it open?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is at 1 Donhwamun-ro 5ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 1F Piccadilly building. It's under a minute's walk from Exit 2-1 of Jongno3-ga Station. It's open daily from 12:00 to 23:00.

A one-minute walk from Jongno3-ga Station Exit 2-1

The location here was really good right off the bat! Coming out of Exit 2-1 of Jongno3-ga Station, it took less than a minute to walk there. It's on the first floor of the building with the CGV, so even first-time visitors should find it easily haha.

Black pork aging in the restaurant's aging fridge

The first thing that caught my eye walking in was the meat neatly lined up in the aging fridge…. Being able to see the condition of the meat myself made me even more excited before I'd even eaten anything!!! Since they sell well-aged black pork, it felt like the aging fridge itself was properly managed.

Inside Cham Dwaejitgan, and the bag storage under the seats

The interior was clean and I liked that the tables weren't packed too closely together! And you know how it always bothers you at a Korean BBQ place, worrying about your coat or bag smelling like meat? Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch has storage space under the chairs where you can put your bag or jacket! You know these small details actually matter a lot, right?

What we ordered: black pork ogeopsal 19,000 won and pork neck 18,000 won

We ordered the black pork ogeopsal for ₩19,000 and black pork pork neck for ₩18,000. If you're going to a pork belly place, you have to try both the fattier cut and the leaner cut, right! I'm team pork neck, but my friend wanted to try the ogeopsal too, so we got one of each!

Side dishes and the self-serve vegetable bar

The basic side dishes included shredded scallion, salad, pickled chili, and lettuce wraps, and there was a good variety of sauces to go with the meat too!

And I was happy to see wasabi mushrooms, which I especially love at Korean BBQ places. Whatever runs low among the basic sides, you can grab more at the self-serve bar as much as you want.

Staff grill it all: pork, kimchi, bean sprouts and minari

It's not just meat on the grill — they add kimchi, bean sprouts, and even minari (water dropwort)! Kimchi and bean sprouts grilled in pork belly fat… honestly no explanation needed. And with the fragrant minari cooking alongside too, there were so many combinations to pair with the meat!!

But what I liked most was that they actually grill the meat for you! A Jongno3-ga Korean BBQ where staff grill it for you… you know these are surprisingly hard to find!!!!!!!

I'm really bad at grilling meat myself, so places that grill it for you are amazing!!! Especially with thick-cut black pork, the texture and juiciness can vary a lot depending on how it's grilled, so having someone grill it for us was reassuring and great!

The ogeopsal had that chewy texture on the outside really nailed down!! The pork neck was much leaner in style than the ogeopsal, but it wasn't dry at all — the juices were well preserved inside the thick meat, which was great!

After eating some meat, you can also grill sliced potatoes on the pan. This was a real treat too. Made me want a beer,,

Sides to finish: margarine soy sauce egg rice, doenjang jjigae and cold noodles

It felt like a waste to end with just meat, so we also ordered margarine soy sauce egg rice (₩3,900), doenjang jjigae (₩6,000), and cold noodles (₩7,000) as sides. Soy sauce egg rice — need I say more.. but next time I'd like to try the fried rice!

It paired well with the doenjang jjigae, but what was surprisingly delicious here was the cold noodles.

Ordering cold noodles after meat is basically an unwritten rule, so we got some, and I was surprised at how genuinely good they were! Little bits of icy slush floating in it,, absolutely perfect for weather like today,,

Is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch worth a visit?

Cham Dwaejitgan had great accessibility, being under a minute's walk from Jongno3-ga Station! I loved that they grill the meat for you, the meat itself was delicious, and there was a good variety of sides too — worth a visit at least once! Recommended!!