Makchang and gopchang taste test at Ssosam 208, a Suwon BBQ spot

Being in my last month of pregnancy means staying home a lot, so I got bored and dragged my resting husband out for a Suwon pork belly place I'd been wanting to try 😉 I heard eating out gets a lot harder after the baby comes, so on my days off I'm trying to get out and about while I still can.

Haha, even this far along my stamina isn't as bad as I expected, so I can still hop around pretty well, kaka. This place is close to home, near Suwon Station — let me introduce Ssosam 208 right away.

Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch: hours and atmosphere

⏰ Hours ⏰ 3:30pm – 2:00am, last order at 1:00am.

We got there around 5:45pm and it looked like we were the first customers?! But right after us it filled up fast! Seems like a lot of people stop by straight after work 👏🏻 They say soju really goes with pork belly but sadly I can't drink while pregnant 😢

The inside was genuinely huge — it can seat up to 78 people for groups?! Feels like a great spot for a Suwon pork belly company dinner too, this Ssosam 208.

The volcano grill setup and basic side dishes

We'd made a reservation ahead of time, and when we arrived this lava-shaped volcano grill and all the side dishes were already set out!

The basic side dish was tofu kimchi, and it was nutty and delicious ᰔ

There's shredded scallion, wild garlic leaves (myeongi-namul), and various sauces. That wasabi sauce wasn't too strong, just a hint of spice as a little kick — really good paired with the meat.

And the spicy rice noodle soup that comes as a default side dish(?)! Perfect for waking up your appetite. One sip of the broth and I was craving a drink 🥹

They put the tofu kimchi on first to preheat the grill.

Ordering pork belly, makchang, gopchang, and fried rice

We wanted to try a bit of everything, so we ordered pork belly, makchang, gopchang, and snow cheese kimchi fried rice across the board! Let me tell you which one was best 〰️

Ordering makchang also gets you makchang dipping sauce and bean powder on the side.

One serving each of pork belly and makchang came out! A staff member grilled it beautifully for us, checking the grill temperature as they went.

I suddenly got a huge craving for makchang and that's how we ended up here — I was actually more excited for the makchang than the pork belly 😋

Lava fondue cheese is a receipt-review perk

Looks like you can add lava fondue cheese into that volcano-crater-looking hole in the grill! You get it for free if you leave a Naver receipt review! We didn't bother this time haha — wanted to taste the classic version as it is ✨

So how was the staff-grilled pork belly?

The staff member kept coming back and forth, grilling it so well! I personally like my pork belly grilled crispy, which means longer cooking time, and the staff nailed it exactly like they read my mind 👏🏻 Absolutely perfect💛💛💛

Once nicely cooked, the pork belly goes onto a tray that drains the fat. Grilled crispy and delicious 🐷

We got lettuce by ordering it separately! I guess since some people don't eat it, it's not included as a default side.

Wrapped lettuce with wild garlic leaves, pork belly, and Ssosam 208's signature sauce, mmm ˗ˋˏwowˎˊ˗ — visually it looked like any other pork belly, but this really is a legit Suwon pork belly spot! Is there some seasoning mixed in?! Why is this so good?! I had zero expectations and it was incredibly delicious 👏🏻

Grilling the makchang and gopchang

And now the makchang, grilled properly crispy. Makchang gets chewy and tough if it's undercooked, so I like it grilled crispy ᰔ Crispy outside, chewy inside — let's dig in! I'd been craving this for days 😋

Grilling garlic alongside too 🧄 Good to mix in some tofu kimchi bites along the way as well!

Dipped it in the bean powder and it was crispy with none of makchang's usual funky smell. Nutty and so good!

And the gopchang we ordered extra 〰️ Gotta try a bit of everything!

We grilled the makchang even crispier ourselves. Haha, doesn't it look amazing 🔥

Gopchang gets rock hard if you overcook it, so once it's cooked just right, dip it in the bean powder and go for it!

This Suwon pork belly spot Ssosam 208 — the pork belly wasn't the only good thing, the makchang and gopchang were tasty too. But my husband's and my number one pick was still the pork belly❗️❗️❗️ It was genuinely so good my eyes went wide 😮 I thought it'd be pretty ordinary but nope, it was on another level?!

The gopchang was juicy and crispy and delicious too haha.

Finishing with snow cheese kimchi fried rice

Koreans run on rice, right?! We finished up by ordering fried rice too 😋

Cheese fried rice that looks amazing 🧀💛 But it had a slightly sweet taste?! Sugar? Or the kimchi? What was making it sweet?! 🤔 I mixed in some of the wasabi sauce and ssamjang and it got really good! A bit of extra seasoning makes it even better 👏🏻

There's also a parking lot right behind the restaurant, so it's convenient if you're driving too! Anyway, that was another good meal today.