Grilled 4mm pork belly for three near Suwon Station: Taejang Sikdang

I wandered around near Suwon Station a while back and ended up at Taejang Sikdang Suwon. Honestly I walked in with zero expectations, but I left thinking anyone who likes frozen pork belly absolutely has to come here at least once.

Taejang Sikdang is a naengsam (frozen pork belly) spot that's had daily waits at its Mangpo and Maetan-dong branches. It combines the convenient service and generous side dishes that top Suwon Station BBQ places are known for, with a 90s–2000s retro sensibility layered on top.

Where is Taejang Sikdang Suwon Station Branch, and what are its hours?

Taejang Sikdang Suwon Station Branch is located in Maesan-ro 2-ga, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, across from the neighborhood fixture Hanshin Pocha. Hours are 16:00 - 01:00, and apparently they give out a free cold draft beer coupon if you book through Naver Reservation.

Walking a short way into the alley from the busy streets near Suwon Station, Taejang Sikdang had that 'this is a real hidden gem' look from the outside — I remember thinking, wait, there's a naengsam place up here? Opening the door revealed a cozy old-school spot with a bit of the patina of time on it.

Inside Taejang Sikdang: retro K-pop song festivals on screen

The dining room at Taejang Sikdang Suwon Station Branch had that noisy, full-of-people-warmth energy that makes you want a shot of soju the second you sit down. At first I thought, wait, is there a DJ or something? Turns out for the retro vibe they had old song festivals playing on the wall with the music running the whole time — haha, the retro vibe is unreal. The tables were spaced well and the staff greeted us kindly, so it was a pass from first impressions!

There was no wait when I went, but even if there were, they've got arcade games set up so you could genuinely have fun waiting. Before visiting, I browsed some blog posts about Taejang Sikdang and kept seeing 'the side dishes are seriously generous' — and sure enough, these came out and got set up almost right after we sat down.

4mm or 6mm? Which pork belly thickness to order

At Taejang Sikdang, 4mm is naengsam (frozen pork belly) and 6mm is fresh pork belly. I was debating which thickness to get, and when I asked the staff they said 4mm is the signature naengsam, so I ordered that. Three servings wasn't a small amount, and the 4mm wasn't even that thin, either.

Freshness is everything with naengsam, and the moment it arrived at Taejang Sikdang, the pork belly looked like exactly the right thickness — not so thick it's overwhelming, but not so thin it falls apart either. Calling a pork belly 'ideal' makes it sound like I'm describing my type...

The egg-yolk dipping sauce and side dishes for grilling

The egg-yolk special sauce at Taejang Sikdang was delicious, and the bean sprouts, green onion, and pickled chili peppers were apparently the real kicker. The side dish lineup that maximizes the pork's flavor deserves a mention too — grilling kimchi and bean sprouts on the pan alongside the meat was genuinely amazing. And add bracken fern to that = paradise.

Just looking at it, doesn't it look delicious? The meat is good, and everything else is good too, I'm telling you. Frozen pork belly usually releases a lot of white broth (protein denaturation byproduct) as it grills, or ends up dry, but here — maybe because it's good meat that was quick-frozen — you could see the quality even while it was cooking. Staff set up the first round of meat and side vegetables themselves so we could focus entirely on eating and talking.

I laid a crispy grilled piece of naengsam on top of the sweet-and-sour green onion salad, and although sesame oil-salt dip isn't normally sold as an add-on, all the sides that came out tasted so good I tried dipping in that too. Taejang Sikdang's side dishes are set up well for wrapping bites, so the meat-plus-wrap combo was excellent. I'd actually had naengsam recently in Daejeon, and even so, Taejang's was genuinely delicious.

Steamed egg and cold bibim noodles to finish

Taejang Sikdang's steamed egg wasn't topped with cheddar cheese, but a soft cheese like the kind you get on yeoptteok (spicy rice cake), and it was delicious — haha. Steamed egg: pass! Cold bibim noodles: pass! And the atmosphere was just right for chatting, which was great.

Who should eat at Taejang Sikdang Suwon Station Branch?

• Anyone who used to think 'naengsam is naengsam, it's all the same'
• Anyone looking for a genuinely can't-miss restaurant near Suwon Station
• Anyone who wants pork and a cold drink on the way home from work

If that's you, I'd fully recommend Taejang Sikdang.