Bucheon Korean BBQ restaurant for wasabi pork belly: Cham Dwaejitgan

I found a great pork belly place near Sinjung-dong Station in Bucheon! There are lots of barbecue restaurants around the station, but it is hard to find one that feels both delicious and fresh. At Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch (참돼짓간 부천신중동점), the meat quality felt excellent and the juices were abundant. There were also lots of banchan (Korean side dishes) and sauces, including minari and bean sprouts, so it made for an even more enjoyable meal.

A spacious Korean BBQ restaurant near Sinjung-dong Station

Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch is in the dining alley behind Lotte Department Store's Jung-dong branch. The restaurant was very large and had plenty of tables.

The black-toned tables and chairs gave the space a calm, clean feel, and the wall by the entrance was entirely made of clear windows, making it feel even more open.

I had no idea there was such a big pork belly restaurant in this area. The space and tables were large, so we could eat comfortably even with our 16-month-old. They have high chairs, baby spoons, and forks too. Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. It is not easy to find places like this lately, and you can visit anytime without worrying about a break time or closing day.

Rice-husk-smoked Korean pork and what we ordered

The meat at Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch is tender Korean pork smoked with rice husks. They say they use only Grade 1 Jirisan black pork and Boseong Nokdon pork fed green tea. Maybe that is why the quality of the meat really felt special. The table setup was so interesting too: alongside the charcoal, I think that was rice husk!

The grill has separate areas for meat and vegetables, so everything cooks neatly without getting mixed together.

Which cuts did we order?

There were so many cuts—black pork ogyeopsal, black pork neck, Boseong Nokdon chamsamgyeopsal, Boseong Nokdon flower neck, cheongyeopsal, and gabrisal—that I spent ages deciding what to choose. The names were not ordinary either! In the end, we ordered cheongyeopsal and black pork ogyeopsal, plus kimchi jjigae and margarine soy sauce egg rice on the side.

Ogyeopsal and cheongyeopsal grilled by the staff

The meat arrived in such gorgeous colors. At Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch, the staff grill the meat for you. Although ogyeopsal and cheongyeopsal are fatty cuts, they were not tough—just tender and springy, full of juice.

The pieces were quite thick, so they took a little while to cook. But watching them turn golden made me even more excited!

My favorite pairing is meat with wasabi. I tried a piece of black pork ogyeopsal with wasabi, and it was deeply savory and nutty, with the pork flavor shining through. Even better than I expected!

The cheongyeopsal was amazing too... It had more layers of fat, so it was even nuttier, with a slightly crisp texture as well.

Potato wraps and mushroom wasabi

One unusual thing was the gamja ssam (potato wrap): you wrap the meat in a very thin slice of grilled potato. I added the mushroom wasabi and seasoned greens that came as banchan, and the combination was so good. The mushroom wasabi was completely my style, so I made that wrap again and again.

There were so many banchan and sauces: kimchi, minari, shredded scallion salad, perilla leaves, lettuce, cabbage salad, wasabi, spicy sauce, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), and more. I really loved being able to pair the meat with whatever suited my taste, because I enjoy trying lots of different flavors like this.

Minari with pork is the best too. The fresh fragrance of the minari and the nutty pork flavor fill your mouth.

Delicious egg rice and kimchi stew too

Even the side dishes we ordered were delicious, which made this meal even more memorable. The margarine soy sauce egg rice came topped with two eggs; mix it all together and it is full of sesame oil aroma—there is no way it could be bad.

The kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) was very generous too, packed with meat and tofu. It was a great side to finish a whole bowl of rice with.

I could not resist ordering beer too, and something amusing came with it: a milk thistle liver supplement was attached to it. They are thinking about your liver even while you drink! My husband and I each had one. It was my first time seeing a place give out milk thistle, and it made the meal more fun.

A comfortable meal with a child

Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch has a very spacious, pleasant setting, high-quality meat, and tasty, varied accompaniments. It is good for team dinners and family meals, and people visiting with children like me can eat comfortably too. I left after a very satisfying meal, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great meat restaurant in Bucheon.