Chilled vs frozen thin-sliced pork BBQ in Seocho, Seoul: Gyodaepae

Tent season is here… I'd had my eye on this place whenever I passed Gyodae Station, and it turned out to be a Superchart campaign?! I ran straight over!!!!

How to get to Gyodaepae in Seocho: hours and parking

Gyodaepae is a thin-sliced pork belly (daepae samgyeopsal) restaurant a 4-minute walk from Gyodae Station Exit 14. It's open Mon–Fri 11:30–23:00 and Sat 17:30–23:00, closed Sunday, and there's no parking.

• ⏰Hours: Mon–Fri 11:30–23:00 / Sat 17:30–23:00 (closed Sunday)
• 📍Location: 4-minute walk from Gyodae Station Exit 14
• 🚘Parking: Not available

I thought about trying the outdoor tent, but nobody was out there yet so I ate inside again haha. Guess I still don't have the courage^_^💦

This is what the inside looks like~! A mix of round tables and rectangular tables

You know pepper is a must with thin-sliced pork belly, right..? There's some at every table!? That's proof the owner knows what they're doing.

What comes with the meal at Gyodaepae, and the house dipping sauce

Gyodaepae's table setting is simple: kimchi, radish salad, scallion salad, seasoned bean sprouts, lettuce wraps, garlic, and a house sauce. Of these, the gochujang (or chogochujang?)-based sauce with chili flakes was the best match for the thin pork belly.

The banchan spread is simple. Kimchi, radish salad, scallion salad, seasoned bean sprouts, lettuce wraps, garlic, and the house sauce haha

(Sorry, took this mid-bite) This is the gochujang (or chogochujang?)-based sauce, and it had chili flakes mixed in!! Totally into it!!!🌶️♥️ It went so well with the rich, fatty pork belly. It's a flavor you can basically imagine, but it's just good haha

That flyer in my line of sight was tempting me the whole time, but I held out.. Next visit I'm trying it though, yukhoe looked so good ㅠ My other half ordered the Gyodaepae Set⭐️

I was also curious about the pork neck version so we got that too haha

What's in the Gyodaepae Set: chilled belly, chilled neck, frozen belly

The Gyodaepae Set comes with chilled pork belly and chilled pork neck sitting on top of the tray, and frozen pork belly hidden underneath. Most daepae places serve mostly frozen meat, but Gyodaepae seemed to really specialize in chilled.

At the very bottom is oil for wiping down the grill haha, no drooling please~ On top is the chilled pork belly and chilled pork neck! Most daepae is frozen, but Gyodaepae actually sells chilled~? Chilled seemed to be this place's specialty!!! The frozen belly is hiding underneath!!! Okay, time to start grilling~!

Chilled belly first, let's go! Pepper to your heart's content — my partner loves pepper so much I had to tell him to stop adding it hehe

You know that distinct daepae samgyeopsal flavor, right? Thin but tender, rich and fatty — I love it. I usually like cutting meat small so I cut one strip into quarters, but since it's already thin there wasn't much to bite into, so I just cut it in half instead haha. You could really taste the meat well haha. Next up, pork neck!

Hmm, personally the thin-sliced pork neck was just so-so~~ For neck cuts I think a thick piece that traps the juices is the tastiest way to grill it! Just my preference!!

Doenjang soup and three refills from the self-serve scallion salad bar

Gyodaepae serves doenjang soup as a standard side, and there's an indoor self-serve bar with scallion salad, seasoned bean sprouts, and kimchi. The grilled vegetables were so good I refilled three times.

Doenjang soup came out as a basic side(?), and it was a hidden gem haha. A sip of soju, a spoon of soup, and we're grilling

There's a self-serve bar inside too! We put scallion salad, seasoned bean sprouts, and kimchi on the grill and cooked them. They were seasoned just right even eaten plain, so good haha. The grilled vegetables themselves were so tasty we refilled three times haha hehe, the owner's cooking skills are top tier!!

Put on a piece of meat~ add scallion salad~ add kimchi~ top it with garlic and it's so good~~ Every time I eat meat I think of Kobongi haha, though I guess kids these days don't know who that is..?

Chilled or frozen thin-sliced pork: which one to order?

After grilling all three at Gyodaepae, my conclusion is that the chilled pork belly was the tastiest. The frozen pork belly was good too, but next time I think I'll order chilled pork belly only instead of the combo.

This is the frozen belly that was hiding underneath! Personally I thought the chilled version was tastier haha. But! This one was also really good too. Ah… daepae samgyeopsal, it's been a while and it was so good🤍 Best of all, since it's so thin it cooks fast, which is perfect for someone as impatient as me haha. I usually prefer thicker cuts, but there are days when thin-sliced belly is oddly exactly what I crave! On those days I think I'll come back to Gyodaepae haha. Though next time I'll probably skip the combo and just get chilled pork belly~!

You can guess how it ends — the fried rice ending haha. I'm not hiding anything on purpose ㅠ we really finished it all haha. Lately I've gotten a bit weaker so I couldn't manage the fried rice, kind of a shame, but I decided it's better to eat in moderation than to overeat and then be sad about gaining weight haha. Chuseok is coming up so gotta diet^_^ three-day-resolution, fighting

The restroom is right outside the door if you open it, just so you know

If you're looking for a Korean BBQ spot near Gyodae or Seocho Station, I recommend Gyodaepae~!