Solo-friendly pork restaurant near Ansan Jungang Station: Jigeul Lab

Jiglab in Gojan-dong, Ansan: what is it like for dining solo?

Jiglab (지글랩) is a newly opened BBQ restaurant near Jungang Station in Gojan-dong, Ansan. All the meat comes out already grilled and served as a set, so it's easy to eat alone. I went while looking for somewhere to have a meal by myself, and not having to grill the meat myself made eating solo really comfortable.

Best of all, the price is just over ₩10,000, so it was a great Jungang Station BBQ spot to drop into casually.

Jiglab location, hours and parking

• Address: 907 Jungang-daero, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi (Building 3, 1st floor)
• Hours: 11:00–21:30 (last order 21:00)
• Parking: available in the building (1 hour provided)

Jiglab is a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Jungang Station. A sign at the entrance reads "grilled samgyeopsal (pork belly) set," so before I even went in I could tell this was a BBQ place where you can eat comfortably without grilling yourself. Since I was there for a solo meal, that was extra welcome.

Are the seats comfortable for one person?

The Jiglab shop in Gojan-dong, Ansan is mostly a long run of bar seats.

Each seat has a partition, so I could eat without worrying much about the people next to me.

How is the meat cooked?

At Jiglab you don't grill at the table. The meat is cooked by machine and given a smoky fire flavor before it's served.

There's less worry about the smell of meat sticking to your clothes, and you can eat right after ordering, which made it perfect as a solo meal spot in Ansan.

What's in the Premium HanDon pork neck set (₩11,900)?

What I ordered was Jiglab's Premium HanDon pork neck set for ₩11,900. (HanDon is Korean domestic pork.)

It came all at once: 180g of HanDon pork neck, rice, soup, rolled omelet (gyeran-mari), kimchi, pickled radish and sauce. The meat filled the pan quite generously, so my first impression was that the portion was better than I expected.

The fire-flavored HanDon pork neck

The pork neck was cut into bite-size pieces and nicely browned on the surface.

It came with onions that went well alongside. The meat had that firm texture typical of pork neck without being overly dry, and thanks to the subtle fire flavor on the outside, it was well seasoned even on its own.

A full set: rolled omelet, soup and rice

The accompaniments worked well too. There aren't many side dishes, but they're the kind you can pair with the pork one at a time, so it felt clean and tidy.

The rolled omelet comes in two pieces, nice to eat one in the middle of the meat. It was soft and mild, so its flavor didn't clash with the smoky pork neck, and with the warm soup it felt much more like a proper set meal than just eating meat.

With warm rice and soup, it didn't feel lacking as a meal at all.

How to eat it with kimchi, pickled radish and sauce

The sides were a neat spread of kimchi, pickled radish and sauce. The kimchi was crunchy and a bit spicy, good to have after several pieces of meat, and the pickled radish was tangy and light, like a palate cleanser.

When I wanted something richer, I used the sauce that came with it. Dipping the pork neck lightly in the sauce and putting it on top of rice instantly made it feel like a perfect rice-side dish.

Pork neck with rolled omelet was soft and mild, while pork neck with pickled radish felt much lighter.

Even with the same pork neck, the feel changes depending on what you pair it with, so I never got tired of the 180g until the end.

Would I go back to Jiglab?

Jiglab's pork neck set includes rice, warm soup and rolled omelet, so as a meal it was more substantial than just eating meat. Among Gojan-dong, Ansan restaurants, the biggest plus of Jiglab is that you can eat BBQ comfortably without grilling it yourself.

I also liked the seating, which doesn't feel awkward when you visit alone. At ₩11,900 for 180g of HanDon pork neck plus rice, soup and sides, the price wasn't a burden either.

On a day when I want a hearty solo meal of meat near Jungang Station, I'd stop by again. It suits anyone looking for a solo-friendly BBQ place near Jungang Station.