Jongno outdoor Korean BBQ: 23-party Saturday wait, 4:50pm tip: Chowon

The outdoor drinking-and-grilling scene around Tapgol Park is so hot right now!!!! Especially in cool autumn weather like this, grilling meat outside is just a romance of its own TT TT TT So today I'm writing about Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch (초원식당 종로3가점), a Jongno outdoor Korean BBQ place I visited recently and was really happy with. But the wait is brutal;; so read carefully and play the timing game well!

Where is Chowon Jongno 3-ga and what are its hours?

Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is at 1F, 30 Jongno 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, within a 1-minute walk of Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 5. It's open every day from 17:00 to 01:00.

The restroom is inside the restaurant. And it's clean!!!!! The waitlist is on-site, so just enter your number on the machine when you arrive and wait!

Weekend waits at Chowon: what time should you go?

I went at 5:30pm on a Saturday and there were 23 parties ahead of us. I actually waited about 1 hour 30 minutes TT If it's a weekend, the answer is to arrive around 16:40-16:50, before opening.

Wow.. the atmosphere here is seriously crazy TT TT One waiting tip: go at 16:50. There was no waiting and nobody eating yet, so if you're going, really go early!!!!!!!!!!! If you show up at 16:40 you can just~ sit down right away! On a weekday, I was able to eat even when I went at 18:00! Or put your name down and have a light first round nearby!

Chowon menu and prices: what we ordered

We ordered frozen pork belly (₩18,000) and frozen beef brisket (₩18,000), and finished with self-serve fried rice (₩5,000).

• Frozen pork belly ₩18,000
• Frozen beef brisket ₩18,000
• Self-serve fried rice ₩5,000

Silver tray side dishes and the self-serve bar

The basic setup comes on a silver tray, which is such a retro vibe, right? They give you tons of kimchi and bean sprouts, and

if you need more, you can go get it at the self-serve bar inside the restaurant! Oh, and the Chowon restaurant! Has! A restroom inside!!!! And it's even clean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There aren't many bars or BBQ places around Tapgol Park in this condition,,,,,,,,,,, That's really important,,

Can't live without a Gleener,, a pre-meal Gleener is a must,, ah I'm so excited,, the weather, the menu, I'm losing it,,

Frozen pork belly vs. frozen beef brisket: which is better?

Having tried both at Chowon, I'm casting my vote for the frozen beef brisket!!! Soft and delicious. But speed is everything,,

You know pepper is a must, right? hehe

Kimchi tastes best grilled in the meat fat. Ah, it was so good,,, the food that day,, the atmosphere, everything,,

Chowon's outdoor vibe: red retro tables

Crazy, right!!!!!!!!!!! What is this atmosphere!!!!!!!!!!!! It looks like a photo from a day trip out of the city,, And what I liked most about Chowon was these red retro tables!! Red tables spread out all over the outdoor area, and it's honestly so charming!?

The pork belly is good too, but maybe because I just had jaw Botox not long ago, I preferred something soft,, the brisket was totally my style,,

Samsso (pork belly + soju) is the golden rule,, can't live without soju, really can't,,

Chowon self-serve fried rice, ₩5,000: just rice and seaweed?

Chowon's self-serve fried rice is ₩5,000, and it comes with toppings laid under the rice and seaweed. Everyone.. you absolutely cannot skip this self-serve fried rice here!!

It's called self-serve fried rice,, so I thought, uh,, is it just rice and seaweed,,? For ₩5,000?????????????? But there were toppings underneath!!!! We chopped up the meat and mixed it all together, and there's no way it could taste bad,,

Personally I think the rice at the end of a BBQ place like this is secretly really important... I'm a carb lover,,, no matter how good the meat is, if the finish is disappointing it feels empty, but Chowon's fried rice was good too, so we left properly full TT TT TT TT If you visit, definitely try the self-serve fried rice!

Was the 1 hour 30 minute wait worth it?

The 1 hour 30 minute weekend wait at Chowon was worth it. Honestly I was a bit worn out at first............. but once I sat at the red retro table and grilled meat, I had such a good time that the wait didn't feel wasted TT TT TT TT TT TT The staff were also kind, so the meal felt even better!!!

If you're looking for a Jongno outdoor BBQ spot, or a retro-vibe BBQ place by Tapgol Park, I'd recommend Chowon!!!!!! You can only go in weather like this, so hurry!!