Icheon Korean BBQ lunch with pork belly and pot rice: Neul Gogi Jip

Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch (늘고기집 이천본점), an Icheon favorite from a Korean cuisine master, had great side dishes, fluffy pot rice, a special doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew), and cold noodles that were exactly to my taste.

My husband and I had errands nearby, and since we were hungry, we decided to fill up with a proper meal first. Before we knew it, we were sizzling ribs from early in the day!

A busy restaurant with plenty of seating, even for an early lunch

This is quite a large restaurant. We arrived around 11:30 a.m., which felt fairly early, but it was already bustling with diners.

At the entrance, they were selling all sorts of side dishes, sauces and pastes, marinated crab, and bugak (crispy fried seaweed or vegetable chips). I saw quite a few people browsing and buying them. And on the way out, I found myself taking another look too! The side dishes generally suited my palate so well—clean-tasting, yet really moreish.

We were shown to our table. I liked how the hall was arranged entirely with tables where you could enjoy a cozy meal. Further inside, there were also many private rooms, so it seems like a great place for gatherings or company dinners.

We ordered pork belly, ribs, and yellow-rice pot rice

What should we try? Whenever I visit an Icheon restaurant, I always look at the rice dishes first, but that day I was craving pork belly so, so much. So we ordered one serving each of pork belly and ribs, and chose yellow-rice pot rice.

They also had full-table set menus. They looked ideal for lunch, and lots of people were having them. When I saw the side dishes arriving, I thought that would be a good choice next time too. There were so many dishes, neatly served in substantial ceramic bowls—it was every bit as impressive as a Korean set meal.

Spicy marinated crab came as a standard side, and it had such a rich, savory flavor. As I ate, I became curious about the soy-marinated crab too. You can order it separately, but there are also set menus that include crab, so those sound good as well.

Pork belly grilled by the staff

But we came to grill meat! I hesitated a little because it was so early, but now that I think about it after eating there, it was absolutely the right decision. First up was one serving of pork belly, priced at ₩19,000. It came with the lean end trimmed, and even the fatty parts were wonderfully springy and delicious.

And if you are looking for an Icheon Korean BBQ restaurant where the staff grill for you, keep this one in mind. A staff member cooked it beautifully with that lovely sizzle on a hot pan. Which means? We could focus entirely on eating.

The fatty part of the pork belly was not greasy at all; it was firm and nutty. It reminded me of the pork I had in Jeju before. There were plenty of side dishes, and we could take as many wrap vegetables as we wanted from the self-service bar, so we enjoyed a generous, delicious meal.

Yellow-rice pot rice after a 10-minute wait, plus tendon doenjang-jjigae

You have to have rice, right? Instead of a regular bowl of rice, we ordered the yellow-rice pot rice, and you really should try it. Since this is a region famous for rice, they clearly put a lot of care into their rice dishes. It is not loaded with extras—they say they cook it with yellow rice milled fresh each day. That is why it takes about 10 minutes after ordering.

The grains were fluffy and had a lovely nutty flavor. My husband said the fresh geotjeori kimchi he brought from the self-service bar was delicious too, and he had already finished half a bowl of rice before the pork belly was even cooked.

Another recommended dish is the beef tendon doenjang-jjigae. It contains beef rib meat and dogani (beef knee cartilage), and one spoonful is enough to make you fall for its deep flavor. It has to be ordered separately, and at ₩10,000 I initially thought the stew was a little pricey. But once I saw the amount of cartilage and rib meat inside, along with the size of the earthenware bowl, I understood.

Bibim-naengmyeon with marinated pork ribs

When you eat ribs, you have to have cold noodles too. Since it was not hot out, I found myself wanting bibim-naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles). The seasoning here was totally my style. It had a fruity note and a sharp, spicy kick that kept drawing me back for more.

After we had been enthusiastically eating the pork belly, they changed the grill plate for us—the one for cooking ribs. Then they cooked our serving perfectly too. The marinated pork ribs were also ₩19,000, and they are aged for 24 hours in a nuruk (fermentation starter) soy sauce marinade.

The cut was a mix of rib meat and pork neck, so it had a high proportion of lean meat. It was not overly seasoned, with just the right sweet-savory balance, so I think children would enjoy it too.

Coffee and soft-serve ice cream after the meal

We had such a proper full-table meal at Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch. I am curious about the set menus that come out like a full course, so if I pass through the area again, I will have to stop in for the yellow-rice pot rice one more time. The pork belly and ribs we had that day were satisfying too. The side dishes were clean and tasty, and the geotjeori kimchi and wrap vegetables at the self-service bar were especially memorable. After your meal, make sure to stop by the lounge—you can round things off with coffee and soft-serve ice cream.