Yangju Korean barbecue with stone-pot rice: Mat Chandeul

I happened to have a reason to visit Yangju. While wondering what to have for dinner, I remembered this chain I often stopped by in Gwangju whenever I craved pork belly. They properly age thick cuts of meat, grill them themselves at the perfect temperature, and let you enjoy freshly cooked stone-pot rice and savory nurungji sungnyung all in one go, so off I went. Today’s spot is a great aged-meat restaurant in Okjeong’s central shopping district:

Mat Chandeul Wang Sogeum Gui Yangju Branch (맛찬들왕소금구이 양주점).

Finding it in Okjeong’s central shopping district and parking

It sits prominently along the main road on the first floor of Okjeong New Town’s busiest area, so it is impossible to miss even on a first visit! By public transit, transfer to a bus at Deokjeong or Deokgye Station, get off at the Okjeong Central Shopping District stop, and walk about three minutes. If you are driving, park at Buja-ro Tower.

The building has an underground parking lot, so you can visit without parking worries. After eating, tell the counter your vehicle number when you pay and they can register free parking!

• Address: 108–111, 1F, 74 Okjeongdong-ro 7da-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (경기 양주시 옥정동로7다길 74 1층 108~111호)
• Access: In the main commercial area of Okjeong’s central shopping district; a 3-minute walk from the bus stop
• Hours: Daily 11:30–23:30
• Highlights: Professional grilling service, 14-day-aged Korean pork, freshly cooked stone-pot rice, and free in-building parking
• Restrooms: Outside the restaurant in the building, with separate facilities for men and women

A spacious, comfortable dining room

The moment I stepped in, wow… the place was huge. (The one in my Gwangju neighborhood is definitely a modest size.) Every table had high backs and partitions, making it great for a private meal with your group; and there was none of the thick smoke or greasy slipperiness typical of barbecue restaurants, so my first impression was simply how comfortable it felt. In front of the counter,

I saw that the Yangju branch had been chosen as the best Mat Chandeul sibling branch. You could really feel how much care they put into service. They had also posted the important country-of-origin information prominently.

Both the beef and pork are entirely domestic!! Even Korean ingredients for kimchi can be hard to find these days, but even the red pepper powder here is domestic, so I could eat with confidence.

They also have a separate meat-aging room! The meat is weighed by the gram before it comes to your table.

What we ordered and when to order the stone-pot rice

The signature items are domestic fresh pork belly and pork neck aged at low temperature for 14 days. Add Korean beef yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) and freshly cooked stone-pot rice, which is fired up as soon as you order—it is the essential course!

• 14-day-aged fresh pork belly (150g): ₩17,000
• 14-day-aged fresh pork neck (150g): ₩17,000
• 14-day-aged fresh five-layer pork (150g): ₩18,000
• Grade 1++ Korean beef yukhoe (120g): ₩19,000 (impressive)
• Freshly cooked stone-pot rice (2 servings): ₩5,000 (must order 15 minutes ahead!)
• Doenjang jjigae (soybean-paste stew; brisket / perilla leaf / shepherd's purse): ₩5,000 (shepherd's purse is seasonal only)

We ordered two servings of aged fresh pork belly (₩17,000 × 2), grade 1++ Korean beef yukhoe (₩19,000), and stone-pot rice (₩5,000).

We had reserved ahead, so we sat right down at our reserved table when we arrived : ) Since it was around 7:30 on a weekday, there was not much of a wait.

Starting with yukhoe, then thick aged pork belly

Once you order, a generous spread of neat side dishes arrives first: pickled vegetables, aged kimchi, pickled shredded chili peppers, and sweet-spicy bean sprout and scallion salad, all ready to cut through the richness. Before the grill heated up, the grade 1++ Korean beef yukhoe arrived first.

It was fresh chilled meat rather than frozen, so it had a springy chew that clung to the tongue. The seasoning was not overly sweet, letting the meat’s own nutty umami shine. (The moment I took a bite of yukhoe, I immediately wanted an ice-cold beer 🍺) Next came the aged fresh pork belly.

The thickness alone was on another level. At first, I wondered, is this really the right amount for two servings? But the gram weight was written right there, so it was exact hahaha.

A staff member carefully checked the grill temperature with an infrared thermometer, then put on the meat once it was right. They seared the outside crisp, cut it into even pieces, and cooked it at a steady heat, so I did not have to worry about it burning—I could just hold my chopsticks and wait. So convenient.

As expected, meat grilled by a professional tastes best 🤤 (They arranged four combinations for us, like sushi.)

I took the first bite exactly as they arranged it, and boom—the juices burst out. Personally, my best combination was adding a little shredded radish and topping it with spicy pickled shredded chili peppers before wrapping it up!

Freshly cooked stone-pot rice alongside the meat

The freshly cooked stone-pot rice that we ordered ahead arrived just as they started grilling the meat,

with glossy, fluffy grains of rice all finished.

While it is still hot, scoop the rice straight into bowls and immediately pour warm water into the pot.

Mixing the stone-pot rice well with the seasoned sauce, wrapping it in gim (roasted seaweed), and adding pork belly was delicious too. (Who was it that said the portion was small?) Hahahaha. The meat was so thick that I was sooo full.

After we finished the meat, the savory nurungji sungnyung—hot water steeped with the pot’s scorched rice—warmed my stomach and washed away all the greasiness. The perfect finish 🤍

Meal done for today.

Order the stone-pot rice when you place your order, no question!!! It takes about 15 minutes to cook, so you absolutely need to order it with your first meat order to eat it alongside the meat without breaking the flow.

From the thick, juicy aged meat to the attentive grilling service and the stone-pot-rice-and-sungnyung finish, it was a thoroughly satisfying meal with nothing missing. If you are looking for an easy, delicious pork belly place in Okjeong, I think it is worth stopping by!