Three cuts for two at Matdongsam, a Beomeo-dong Daegu pork BBQ

I recently had some seriously delicious pork belly, so my standards have gotten way too high lately 😂😂 I figured no regular pork belly place could satisfy me anymore… but then I found the number one spot that completely changed my mind!!

The moment I took my first bite of pork belly here, I thought 'wow, this place really knows what they're doing' lol. It's up there with the best pork belly I've had recently, so let me introduce it today!!

Where is Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch, and what are its hours?

Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch is at 15 Dongdaegu-ro 74an-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu, 1st floor, about 806m from Exit 11 of Beomeo Station. It's open daily from 17:00 to 23:00, with last order at 22:00.

• 🐷 Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch
• 📌 15 Dongdaegu-ro 74an-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea, 1st floor
• 🚇 About 806m from Beomeo Station Exit 11
• ⏰ Daily 17:00–23:00 / last order 22:00
• ✨ Check before visiting! You can get a strawberry or mango ade coupon for pregnant women plus 3 other coupons via Naver
• ※ Closed September 25 (closures are announced on Naver and Instagram)

Inside the renovated house: ground floor, annex and second floor

Matdongsam is short for 'delicious neighborhood pork belly'! The name already gives off that solid local favorite vibe haha. Right at the entrance there's a banner announcing powerful air conditioning, and in this weather, that phrase felt so welcome lol.

Matdongsam is a renovated house turned pork belly restaurant, split across the 1st floor, an annex, and the 2nd floor. I figured there'd be no need to worry about waiting given how much space there was, but guess what... it was nearly full when we got there lol. Seeing it packed despite having so much seating really confirmed its status as a popular spot in Beomeo-dong!! 👍

How should two people order at Matdongsam?

For two people at Matdongsam Beomeo, ordering individual servings by cut was easier than getting the 600g combo platter. Whenever we go to a pork belly place as a pair, we usually just stick to the basic order, so 600g felt like it'd be a bit much. So instead we picked the cuts we wanted and ordered one serving each of teuk-ogyeopsal, gabrisal, and jjondeuksal!

Make sure to leave a receipt review 🩷

Pre-cooked kimchi and the standard side dishes

Here are the basic side dishes! I liked that they only served exactly what was needed, no fuss. And you all know grilling potatoes in the pork fat until golden brown is delicious, right?? 🥹

Uniquely, the kimchi here comes already cooked! I personally prefer stir-fried kimchi over fresh kimchi, so this was a total win for me!! Grilling it once more in the meat fat made it even tastier.

Lettuce wraps aren't included in the basic side dishes, but if you press the staff call button on the kiosk and select 'lettuce wraps please,' they bring it right over! Almost everything you'd need is available through the staff call button, so all you have to do is sit and tap a finger lol, super convenient. We requested all kinds of things and the staff were so kind about bringing them over that we could eat comfortably without feeling self-conscious 🩷

Teuk-ogyeopsal vs gabrisal vs jjondeuksal: how the three cuts compare

Can you tell the meat quality is good just from the photo?? Ah, seriously, all three — teuk-ogyeopsal, gabrisal, and jjondeuksal — were so delicious 🥹 My friend Dori and I kept debating 'so which one's the best?' the whole time 🤣🤣 They were all so good we honestly couldn't pick a winner!!

That small stainless bowl in the middle is garlic oil! They told us once it starts bubbling, transfer it into the paper cup and dip the meat in it.

It fits perfectly into the paper cup like this haha.

We couldn't skip doenjang jjigae and rice, so we ordered those too! The doenjang jjigae was spicy and savory and delicious, perfect for a bite between rounds of meat haha. It was also generously loaded with tofu, which was a nice bonus 🤭

All three cuts of meat were genuinely delicious — teuk-ogyeopsal had a great balance of chewy fat and lean meat, jjondeuksal had a chewy texture like skin, and gabrisal was appealingly soft! We usually don't order extra meat when we go to pork belly places, but this was so good we ended up doing it anyway lol. And the one that was most to my taste — gabrisal — got an extra serving!! 🤤🤤

How big is the yeolmu noodle bowl that finishes the meal?

We finished up refreshingly~~ with yeolmu noodles 🧊🧊

The portion of noodles is huge, right?? We ordered it as a light side dish but were surprised at how generous the serving was lol. The flavor leaned more sweet than tangy!

Verdict on Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch for two diners

Matdongsam was exactly what its name promised — delicious neighborhood pork belly! Teuk-ogyeopsal, jjondeuksal, and gabrisal each had a clear appeal of their own, and Dori and I debated the whole meal over which was best, but in the end we couldn't decide lol. My personal favorite was the soft gabrisal, so I ended up adding one more serving 🩷

Usually when the two of us go to a pork belly place we just stick to the basic order and rarely add more, but by the time our initial order of 5 items came out, it had somehow become 15... lol. That's how satisfying it was — we just kept ordering more and more. There's clearly a reason this place is packed despite having so much seating! If you're looking for a great pork belly restaurant in Beomeo-dong, I recommend Matdongsam!!