Crispy hayansal pork jowl for two with side dishes: Neopttakjip

I was thinking about what to eat for a simple dinner... and suddenly craved meat, so I changed course to Neopttakjip, a pork belly spot near Samsong 🤭

Basic info on Neopttakjip Samsong Branch

• Address: 63 Dongsong-ro, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, 1F Unit 101, Junplaza, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 12:00–23:00 (last order 22:00)
• Restroom: Inside
• Parking: Available

Getting there from Samsong Station and parking

From Exit 3 of Samsong Station, turn right at the corner, then left at the corner where Neopttakjip is, and there's a shopping complex parking lot on the first floor! The lot is divided by store, with only 1–2 spots per store ㅠㅠ I'd recommend calling ahead to check if a spot is available before you visit. There's an entrance that leads straight from the parking lot into the restaurant.

The vibe and seating

The exterior is exactly what a hip BBQ restaurant should look like! 😁 There seemed to be a lot of waiting, since there's a separate waiting area set up out front!

I visited on a weekend early evening when there weren't many customers, but by dinnertime the seats were completely full haha. There were private rooms too, and since the place is fairly large, there were quite a lot of regular tables — about 13–15! Having a wait even with this many seats... that's proof it's a good restaurant...👍🏻

What we ordered — hayansal for two

I don't eat a huge amount of meat, so instead of the mixed platter I ordered a single item for two servings. I was debating whether to get kkodeulsal (chewy cartilage cut), but after seeing that hayansal is described as crunchy and chewy, I ordered two servings of that instead 😆 The weekday lunch special is seriously great value!! Office workers near Samsong Station should really come for the lunch special... so jealous... 😂

Self-serve bar and side dishes

The self-serve bar was super clean and well kept haha. Lettuce, peppers, garlic, and ssamjang aren't included automatically, so you'll need to grab them yourself.

After coming back from the self-serve bar, I found a bottle opener set on the table... I thought it was a spoon, my bad... 🤣 But the scallion-pepper pickle and garlic scape side dish were absolutely insane................................. so moving........... I wish every BBQ restaurant served the same side dishes as Neopttakjip ㅠㅠ

The scallion-pepper pickle had a hint of perilla seeds and perilla oil, and the garlic scape side dish was super tangy-spicy and delicious. A perfect match with the meat!! 😋 The salad was really good too, and it's packed with substance from the start. It had quail eggs + corn + penne and fusilli short pasta, tasted like curry, and was delicious 💛 I wonder if the owner is even making a profit..? 😅

Hayansal (170g), two servings, ₩16,000 × 2

Hayansal (170g), two servings, ₩16,000 × 2 — a special cut from the pig's head, crunchy and chewy

If you order meat, rice cake sticks and sausage come included as default haha. The sausage burns easily, so keep an eye on it! (Speaking from experience, I burned the sausage while focused on the meat.) Hayansal lived up to its description — super crunchy, and the chewing texture was so satisfying 🤍

I usually like a soft texture, but that day I somehow wanted something crunchy. And guess what — I ordered exactly the texture I wanted, and it was even delicious..!! The special cut was a total win 🤗

Perilla oil mak-guksu, ₩7,000

And!!! If you like sweet and tangy flavors, just order the perilla oil mak-guksu no questions asked. There's red seasoning inside, so mix it all together before eating. So delicious, seriously.. I'm definitely ordering it again next time..

Neopttak Countryside Cheonggukjang, ₩7,000

I was surprised at how red the cheonggukjang looked as soon as it arrived. It's less like a thick soybean-paste stew and more like a gochujang stew mixed in! Lots of tofu, lots of meat, incredibly delicious. Mix rice into this and it instantly becomes a cheonggukjang rice bowl to eat with drinks..🤤 I drove there so I sadly couldn't drink, but if you're drinking, you absolutely must eat rice with the cheonggukjang!! 😭😭

The sesame oil and perilla powder dip combo

Uniquely, they instruct you to dip the meat in sesame oil and perilla seed powder. It's an unusual combo, but surprisingly it worked really well?! So I mixed a small amount of ssamjang with a ton of perilla powder, and it was absolutely necessary 👍🏻 The lettuce at the self-serve bar was so fresh~ easy and nice for making lettuce wraps. I didn't order rice, so I wrapped the noodles instead, and it was still so delicious lol. The scallion-pepper pickle and garlic scape side dish are not optional — they're mandatory!!

If you're looking for a great pork belly restaurant near Goyang Starfield, check out Neopttakjip Samsong Branch!! You can taste the perfect harmony between the meat and the side dishes 🥰