Gimpo charcoal grill house with a 690g octopus set: Donpu The Grill

One of those days I didn't feel like cooking and wanted to eat out — and it turned out a new BBQ place had opened that lets you enjoy beef, pork, and my favorite, octopus, all in one set! This is Donpu The Grill, a Gimpo pork belly spot worth knowing about.

Where is Donpu The Grill and is there parking?

This Gimpo pork belly restaurant I visited sits in the Janggi-dong eatery street, and you can park beside or in front of the building! There's usually plenty of parking space, so I'd recommend arriving early — if you're running late, the nearby public parking lot is a convenient backup.

Inside Donpu The Grill and how ordering works

I went with my husband, and even though it was a bit early for dinner, there were quite a few other customers already. The inside of Donpu The Grill was fairly spacious, with a self-serve bar on one side and a kiosk at every table, so ordering was easy and comfortable!

What comes in the Donpu Octopus Set?

I'd already looked at photos beforehand, so I ordered right after sitting down — the Donpu octopus set with beef, pork, and octopus. It's a whole pre-seared beef short rib, grade-1 Korean pork belly and neck, and chewy boiled octopus, all grilled over charcoal, and it came generously with six different sauces, side dishes, water dropwort, kimchi, and steamed egg!

Stone-plate kimchi fried rice is included in the set

Another item included was stone-pot kimchi rice — a dish that costs ₩9,900 on its own but comes free in the set?! As the name suggests, it's kimchi stew served in a stone pot with rice mixed right in, the classic kimchi-stew-over-rice flavor that any Korean would love. They even added a fried egg on top, nice touch haha.

Grilling order and how far 690g goes

Staff grilled the meat for us, so we could just relax and enjoy it — we started with the cold boiled pork side dish, and it was sliced thin, which felt fresh and new! It went really well with the accompanying sauce.

While we ate the side dishes, staff grilled the beef first, then the pork, then finished with the boiled octopus. Combined, the meat and octopus came to about 690g, plenty for 2–3 people, and they grilled the water dropwort and kimchi alongside too — the water dropwort alone costs ₩4,400 as a solo item, but it was included in the set from the start!

The sauces ranged from familiar basics to three original sauces unique to Donpu The Grill, and it was fun picking through them — personally I loved the wasabi mayo one. The whole table was set generously the moment we ordered, so it felt like being properly hosted — I think this would also be great for bringing family or parents.

How do the beef short rib and pork belly taste?

The beef short rib I tried first came in big, generous pieces, and the juices ran out the moment I bit in — so good. The pork belly had a great meat-to-skin ratio too, wonderfully savory and chewy! Honestly the beef was delicious, but personally the pork belly won me over even more — you could tell the meat quality was good the second you tasted it, haha.

How is the boiled octopus served?

The boiled octopus comes out as about half a whole octopus, lightly blanched and then grilled again over charcoal, giving it a soft yet springy texture I really loved. It's already seasoned just enough to eat as is, with a slightly salty edge that made it even tastier — total beer snack material! Filling up on beef and pork first and then finishing with the octopus over a drink felt like the perfect combo, haha.

Since this place just opened, it was my first visit, and between the variety of sauces, the side dishes, and the fresh vegetables piled at the self-serve bar, I left full and satisfied. Having so many different items included in one set meal was great too, since it lets you enjoy things your own way no matter who you come with — next time I'm bringing friends back here.