Seogwipo BBQ restaurant that warms baby food: Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon

Whenever you travel to Jeju, black pork is one of those dishes you just have to eat at least once, right? While planning this trip, I visited Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon Shinhwa World Branch, known as one of the go-to black pork restaurants near Shinhwa World. '-

Where Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon Shinhwa World Branch is, and its hours

Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon Shinhwa World Branch is located at 1769 2-dong, Jungsangan-seoro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, and is open daily from 11:30 to 22:30 (last order 21:10). It's a BBQ restaurant that offers pickup and drop-off service near Shinhwa World.

• ✓ High chair
• ✓ Microwave

If you're traveling with a baby and staying at Jeju Shinhwa World like we were, this place is worth keeping in mind — it's conveniently close to Shinhwa World, plus they offer pickup/drop-off nearby!

There's parking space right in front of the restaurant, so it was easy to get the baby out of the car too.

You can also bring outside alcohol for a corkage fee. Soju or beer pairs well with Jeju black pork, but it was nice that if you'd brought your own drinks or wine while traveling, you could pay the corkage fee and enjoy them together.

Inside Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon: seating that works with babies

I expected the typical greasy smell and chaotic atmosphere of a BBQ place, but the inside of Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon was clean and comfortable instead. That's always a worry when looking for good black pork restaurants, but this one was fine.

The tables were spaced generously rather than cramped, which made it comfortable for families, and since there was a high chair, we could eat comfortably with our baby too.

What's on the menu at Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon

Unlike places that only serve black pork, Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon lets you try both Jeju black pork and white pork together.

A microwave for warming baby food

There was a microwave in the restaurant, so we could bring our twins' baby food and warm it up easily. When traveling with a baby, you often end up carrying baby food or side dishes separately, and it's such a relief when a restaurant has a microwave so you don't have to go hunting for somewhere to heat things up.

Black pork geungogi, 600g for 66,000 won

The first thing we ordered at Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon was the black pork geungogi (thick-cut muscle meat), 600g for 66,000 won. Black pork in Jeju really has to be eaten thick-cut to get the real flavor. The meat came prepared in thick slices, so it looked appetizing right away.

When you go to a BBQ restaurant with two babies, honestly, how easy the meal is matters just as much as how good the food tastes. Taking care of one baby, then the other, meanwhile the meat is burning, then you're feeding the baby while the meat needs flipping again... this cycle repeats and often the parents don't get a proper meal at all, haha. Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon serves the meat pre-grilled to some degree, so we didn't have to grill it from start to finish ourselves, which made things much easier.

The side dishes that come with the meal

After ordering the meat, the table was set with side dishes good for pairing with meat — shredded green onion, pickled radish, and various pickled vegetables. These were clean, appetite-boosting side dishes that went well with the pork, which can otherwise feel rich.

Since the meat comes pre-grilled and you finish it off on the grill plate, the smell alone as it cooked was already making my mouth water.

Best of all, it wasn't just one cut of meat — we got to try several different parts together.

Salt and maeljeot (fermented anchovy dipping sauce)

Finally, the first bite of black pork in Jeju!! I first dipped it lightly in salt to taste the meat's natural flavor. Being thick-cut, you could really feel the texture when you chewed, and the surface was grilled to a nice golden brown with a savory, nutty flavor. And most of all, it was truly tender.

Second, I tried it dipped in maeljeot. Unlike other maeljeot I've had before, this one wasn't too salty and had a nice savory depth.

You can't eat meat without a beer to go with it. Pairing cold beer with black pork in Jeju really made it feel like a proper vacation, haha. A bite of thick grilled pork followed by a cold gulp of beer cut through the richness nicely.

Cucumber glass noodle salad, 8,000 won

The cucumber glass noodle salad at Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon costs 8,000 won.

This cucumber glass noodle salad was personally one of my favorites! It's made with glass noodles and cucumber, seasoned sweet and tangy, and it paired really well with the meat. Piling a generous scoop onto a thick piece of grilled pork added a sweet-tangy note that cleanly balanced out the richness of the meat.

Adding raw ribs, 300g for 30,000 won

The raw ribs at Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon are 300g for 30,000 won. Originally we only planned to order the black pork geungogi, but it was so much tastier than expected that we ended up adding a serving of raw ribs too.

We hadn't planned on trying the raw ribs from the start, but once we started eating, we got curious about other cuts and ended up ordering more! Good meat really does make you want to keep eating, haha.

The raw ribs had a different charm from the geungogi. Being meat on the bone, the texture felt a bit chewier, and the nutty flavor really came through too. Eating the geungogi first and then adding the ribs made for a fun comparison, since the texture differs by cut even though it's the same black pork.

Why Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon works for dinner with babies

This Shinhwa World-area BBQ restaurant, Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon, is nice because you don't have to travel far from Shinhwa World, and the nearby pickup/drop-off service is a big plus too! When you go to a BBQ restaurant with a baby, parents are often too busy grilling to relax, but since the meat comes pre-grilled here, we could eat relatively comfortably.

Grilling up thick cuts of Jeju pork, each part had slightly different texture and flavor, so it was fun trying them one by one. Thanks to this, I feel like I really got to properly enjoy black pork in Jeju, haha. If you're looking for a BBQ restaurant to visit with a baby near Shinhwa World, search for Heukdonsibaekdonmyeon.