Ilsan pork belly restaurant: kimchi-grilled 200g ogyeopsal at Auseong

It'd been a while since I wanted kimchi and pork belly with my mom, so we headed to Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu (아우성 개성손만두), an Ilsan Korean BBQ spot! My old workplace was nearby, so I used to stop by for dumpling hot pot during lunch breaks, but it's also known as an Ilsan pork belly favorite, so this time I came after work for some grilled pork and soju haha. Thick, fresh, chewy ogyeopsal with kimchi packed full of umami — let me introduce this Ilsan pork belly spot!

Where is Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu, and when is it open?

Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu is located at 31-10 Jeongbalsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, on the 1st floor. It's open 24 hours a day, every day, and parking is available in the building!! Since this Ilsan pork belly spot runs 24/7, you can comfortably eat here anytime, even late at night haha.

Inside the restaurant and the group tables at the back

I visited after work on a weekday and there were tons of customers~ The interior was clean too!! There's group seating in the back so it's great for work dinners too~ Lots of tables were grilling pork belly, but the ventilation was great so it felt really comfortable!!

What's on the menu at Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu

The menu includes gaeseong sonmandu jeongol (dumpling hot pot) and beef shabu-shabu, plus fresh samgyeopsal, ogyeopsal, duruchigi, and more!! The dumpling hot pot and shabu-shabu are tasty, but Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu, famous as an Ilsan pork belly spot, has really delicious ogyeopsal too~~

How much meat is a 200g serving of ogyeopsal?

The ogyeopsal comes in a 200g portion per serving, and the amount was so generous, and you can see how fresh it is!! The meat is really thick too!! It's way more than the usual 2-person portion at other pork belly places!!

Grilling kimchi and whole onion alongside the pork belly

They put kimchi and onion on the grill too~~ Grilled onion is so delicious, and they gave us a whole onion!! The kimchi at this Ilsan pork belly spot is a work of art~ So much umami!! Crunchy, and it pairs so well with the ogyeopsal~~ I'm booking this as my regular spot from now on~~

The side dishes that come with the meal

The basic side dishes — lettuce wraps, shredded green onion, pickled onion, and seasoned bean sprouts — all pair well with the pork belly! Overall the side dishes were clean and delicious!

The ogyeopsal sizzling away deliciously~~ Even though it's ogyeopsal, there wasn't as much fat as I expected! It was much leaner and tastier~~ Grilling kimchi and onion in the pork belly fat, too~~

Steamed egg included with every pork belly order

When you order samgyeopsal or ogyeopsal, they also give you steamed egg (gyeranjjim) as a default side, and it was warm and fluffy and so delicious~~ Really soft, and perfect for settling your stomach before the meal!!

How did the ogyeopsal taste?

The ogyeopsal was really thick, and the skin part was chewy and full of juice, so delicious!! Lean yet savory all the way through~~ You bite in and the juices just burst out, so good!!

The kimchi was so good that eating it with the pork belly, I just kept going endlessly~ The kimchi + pork belly combo is truly the best~!~!

Soju after work~ Kimchi and pork belly with soju is a must! This is happiness~~ Finding little joys after work~

Lettuce, ogyeopsal, kimchi, and shredded green onion~ Wrapping it all up neatly into a ssam!! You know pork belly is amazing wrapped up too~~ Chewy, juicy ogyeopsal with crunchy, umami-packed kimchi~ Plus tangy shredded green onion~ What a combo!!

Finishing the meal with fried rice

You can't skip fried rice after kimchi and pork belly~~

They chopped up the leftover pork belly small and mixed it in, making the fried rice even more delicious~~ Since the kimchi was so good, the fried rice turned out great too haha. Thick, chewy ogyeopsal and umami-packed kimchi~ Such a delicious Ilsan pork belly spot, Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu!! Highly recommend it as an Ilsan pork belly favorite~~