Acorn pancake wraps and free fried rice at Namyangju BBQ: 2002 Witch's

With the weather this nice these days, a lot of you must be heading out of the city for a drive or a little getaway near Seoul, right? Today I'm introducing a spot near a valley in Wabu-eup, Namyangju, Gyeonggi, that felt like a hidden gem with an absolutely perfect atmosphere. It's <2002 Witch's Arpeggio>, which has been word-of-mouth famous for its tomato-jang pork belly.

You can enjoy a special menu while listening to the cool sound of the creek, so if you've been looking for a Namyangju date spot or an outing place for family and dogs, pay attention to today's post!

Where is 2002 Witch's Arpeggio, and what are its hours?

2002 Witch's Arpeggio is at 142 Suryero661beon-gil, Wabu-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. It sits near the Myojeoksa Valley in Wabu-eup, making it a perfect stop for a Seoul-area drive course. It boasts an unrivaled location where you can eat while looking at the valley scenery.

Hours are daily 11:30–21:00, with a break time from 15:30 to 17:00. Since it's a popular Namyangju restaurant, there can be a wait on weekends or at peak times, so I'd recommend checking the hours before you go!

Is there parking, and can you bring a dog?

• On-site lot: there's parking space right next to the restaurant.
• Outside lot: if the on-site lot is full, you can use Modu's Parking Lot across the street, so parking is plentiful and very convenient. Even if you're driving, you can visit without worry.
• Dog-friendly: dogs are welcome, making it a great Namyangju dog-friendly restaurant for an outing to the valley with your pup.

Outdoor seats above the creek and the look of the restaurant

As soon as you arrive, the cool valley scenery mixed with green foliage comes into view all at once. The neatly arranged outdoor seats let you eat while looking straight down at the valley, which is healing just to look at.

True to being a tomato-jang pork belly restaurant, the entrance is full of fresh tomatoes.

Since opening on October 3, 2002, the tomato-jang pork belly has been loved right up to today. That's presumably the number of guests who have visited, and it's massive.

A clean, cool creek trickles right beside the restaurant, and if you go down the stone steps next to it, you can even view a small waterfall up close. During the day it's great for enjoying the greenery and freshness, and at night, with the atmospheric lighting added, it transforms into a great Namyangju outdoor-seating restaurant, a great Namyangju date spot.

Menu and prices at 2002 Witch's Arpeggio

The signature representative menu here is, without question, Korea's first tomato-jang pork belly!

• Witch's Jar-Aged Tomato-jang Pork Belly (1 serving) ₩20,000
• Witch's Crispy Hand-cut Potato Pancake ₩25,000

• Witch's Tomato-jang Kalguksu (noodle soup) ₩15,000
• Salted Pollack Roe Nurungji (scorched rice) Stone-Pot Fried Rice ₩5,000
• Witch's Rice-Thief Tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patty) Kids Set ₩5,000

With not a single gram of gochujang in it, Witch's Arpeggio's own special tomato-jang blends in to create a savoriness you can't taste anywhere else. Plus, each table even has the recommended eating order posted, so you can enjoy it in different ways — it made me even more excited.

The side dishes: tomato kimchi and japchae

The side dishes were also generous and looked really tasty. There was a wide variety of wrap greens and sauces you could mix to your own taste. Especially the tomato kimchi! I was a bit thrown off by the unfamiliar sight of, wait, kimchi made from tomatoes...? But it's sweet and tangy in a way that whets your appetite, and I kept reaching for it again and again.

And that japchae (stir-fried glass noodles)! It's no secret that it tasted as good as what you'd get at a proper Korean restaurant, and I refilled it twice.

Tomato-jang pork belly ordered plain, with no cheese

I debated whether to add cheese, but decided to try the plain flavor first and ordered the Witch's Jar-Aged Tomato-jang Pork Belly.

The tomato-jang pork belly I ordered was finally set down. Thick slices of pork belly piled with a sweet-tangy-spicy special tomato-jang sauce came out, and just the smell as it grilled stirred up my appetite.

Because it's a tomato-jang-marinated pork belly, you flip it every 2–3 minutes so the sauce doesn't burn, and then a skilled staff member comes over and finishes the grilling for you.

True to being Korea's first tomato-jang restaurant, the sauce's balance was genuinely excellent. The tomato's fresh tang cut right through the richness of the meat, so I never got tired of it and could eat it deliciously all the way through. Pork belly eaten on the outdoor terrace seat with the sound of the cool creek was truly heavenly!

The finishing torch fire show at the table

When the tomato-jang pork belly is almost done, they finish it off with a torch fire show. It gets that smoky char that deepens the sauce's flavor, plus it's fun to watch, so from this point my mouth was watering — waiting to eat it was hard!

Finally, the finished 2002 Witch's Arpeggio tomato-jang pork belly!

For the first bite, eat it plain with nothing added to taste the tomato-jang pork belly's true flavor, and from the next bites on, pair it however you like. For me, wrapping it in acorn pancake was the best, so I refilled it several times.

Ending with pollack roe cauldron fried rice

For a Korean, the finish has to be carbs — fried rice, right! And you wouldn't believe how much is packed inside this cute little cauldron.

The combination of rice fried in tomato-jang sauce with mozzarella cheese, plus salty salted pollack roe on top. It's a genuinely can't-miss combination.

Mixed and grilled through, the nuttiness and the tangy-spicy notes came together, and it was a well-rounded meal that had me impressed to the very last bite.

Naver receipt review event: what you get

Fun fact: this high-quality ₩5,000 fried rice is given free as a service if you write a Naver receipt review! Don't miss it — make sure you claim it.

Is 2002 Witch's Arpeggio worth a visit?

2002 Witch's Arpeggio, where you can enjoy nature and a delicious specialty right beside a cool flowing creek! With its unique tomato-jang pork belly menu, plenty of parking, and dog-friendliness, I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a Namyangju restaurant or a Namyangju valley restaurant. It's perfect as a Namyangju date course with your partner or as a drive-and-outing destination — be sure to visit at least once! 😊