Day drinking at a 2pm-opening BBQ restaurant in Icheon: Jeongsiljangne

Today's spot is Jeongsiljangne Ppalgan Gogi, a well-known restaurant near Icheon Terminal on the Icheon food alley in Changjeon-dong. It's the second sibling brand of Jeongsiljangne Sulzip near Icheon Namcheon Park, and the red seasoned meat here is made with a handmade red sauce that doesn't actually use gochujang (red chili paste).

This place opens at 2pm, and since it had been a while since I'd had a proper Saturday day-drink, I showed up right around opening. Completely satisfied — a genuine day-drinking gem in Icheon.

Jeongsiljangne Ppalgan Gogi hours and what the restaurant feels like

Jeongsiljangne Ppalgan Gogi is open from 2pm to 1am, so you can drop by anywhere from a daytime drink to late night, and the restrooms are separated by gender.

A restaurant on the Icheon food alley, an Icheon Korean food favorite, a spot near Icheon Terminal — Jeongsiljangne Ppalgan Gogi. The black-and-red interior gives it a sleek feel.

Even the standing sign outside is red. Apparently nowhere else in Icheon grills this red seasoned meat over charcoal. It's just a short walk up from Icheon Terminal toward the food alley.

We showed up right at opening, so we ended up being the first customers. The place is big enough for group gatherings, and since it's open from 2pm to 1am, you can visit anytime from a daytime drink to late night.

The restroom is indoors, separated for men and women, and really clean. The sink is near the entrance, so it's easy to just wash your hands.

A wide variety of drinks in stock too. Cheoeumcheoreom wasn't listed on the menu board, so I was worried they might not carry it, but thankfully they did.

They're also running a receipt review event. Not even a soft drink — a whole bottle of soju as the gift. Apparently you can also get a soft drink instead of alcohol.

Since it's grilled over charcoal, they pour water around the rim of the table burner. The utensil sets were also individually pre-packaged, which felt nice and hygienic.

Menu at Jeongsiljangne Ppalgan Gogi and what we ordered

Jeongsiljangne Ppalgan Gogi's menu has spicy raw pork belly and spicy round meat patties, plus non-seasoned raw pork shoulder too. There's also big bowl bibimbap, udon, extra egg roll, kimchi stew, and a wide lineup of drinks including Byeolbit Cheonha, Hallasan, and Ilpum Jinro.

Since we had a second stop planned, we ordered two servings of spicy raw pork belly, one big bowl bibimbap, and soju.

Banchan and the egg roll

The banchan (side dishes) that came out after ordering pair really well with both the egg roll and the meat. The mul kimchi (water kimchi) was cool and refreshing and really delicious.

The egg roll that gets a lot of good reviews — now I get why. It's really soft and delicious.

While we were sipping soju with the egg roll, they brought over the charcoal. Our seat was getting the full blast of the AC, so it was a bit cold, but with the charcoal lit it was perfect.

How to grill the spicy raw pork belly over charcoal

Two servings of spicy raw pork belly, 200g each — a solid portion.

Seasoned meat burns easily over charcoal, so you have to keep fussing with it. At first we spread the pieces out and grilled them one by one, but just piling them on and flipping constantly ended up soaking in more charcoal aroma and tasting even better.

Right around the time the meat finished grilling, the big bowl bibimbap arrived and the day-drinking properly began.

Big bowl bibimbap and doenjang stew

The big bowl bibimbap is listed as a 2-person portion, but it feels more like 2.5 servings. The bibimbap ingredients are also generously loaded in. If you like bibimbap, highly recommend — it's good enough that you could come just for this alone. Definitely reordering next time.

The doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) that comes included as standard. It's loaded with ingredients and even has meat in it — the kind of doenjang stew flavor that just about everyone would like. A genuine Icheon Korean food gem.

The spicy sauce and the free extras

Time to dig into the main event, the meat. Since it's already seasoned, I tried it plain first without dipping it in anything — the meat was tender with just the right sweet-and-salty balance, delicious even on its own.

There was also a spicy sauce to dip into, which definitely bumped up the heat — I actually preferred it dipped in the spicy sauce.

While we were eating, they brought over braised tofu just to have us try it. The owner clearly just has great cooking instincts.

You can wrap it in lettuce, pile it onto the bibimbap, and mix it up in all kinds of combos — honestly nothing here misses.

They also gave us peaches on the house. We'd originally planned on stopping at two bottles of soju, but with the peaches on the table we ended up finishing three. Left full and happy.

Is Jeongsiljangne Ppalgan Gogi worth it for day drinking in Icheon?

A restaurant on the Icheon food alley, a spot near Icheon Terminal, an Icheon day-drinking favorite — Jeongsiljangne Ppalgan Gogi. I usually prefer unseasoned meat over seasoned, but even so I really enjoyed this seasoned meat.

The meat was great, but the big bowl bibimbap and doenjang stew were genuinely delicious too, and with the egg roll and banchan all being good as well, the owner clearly has real cooking skill. On top of that the staff were friendly and the place was clean, so it was a great mood for a daytime drink.

Being on the food alley near the terminal makes it easy to get to, and with hours from daytime through the small hours, it's good to visit anytime. Seems great for gatherings or work dinners too. Recommend checking it out whenever you're craving good seasoned meat in Icheon.