Open-air pork kimchi grill restaurant in Uman-dong, Suwon: Sarangjip

Today's review is of my go-to spot for pork kimchi grill (dwaeji kimchi-guyi), Sarangjip! I think I've already been more than 10 times haha

Let's jump right into a regular's honest review ♡

Where is Sarangjip, and what are the hours?

❝ Sarangjip ❞ A Gwanggyo favorite for pork kimchi grill | an atmospheric open-air-style grill spot near Ajou University Hospital

• ⏱️ Hours: Daily 11:00 – 22:00
• Break time 14:30 – 16:30 / Last order 21:30
• 📍Location: 18-7 Aju-ro 39beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor

Sarangjip's open-window, open-air atmosphere

Now that the weather's turning cool, I keep thinking about open-air dining spots!! At Sarangjip, the Gwanggyo pork kimchi grill favorite, when the weather's mild they open all the windows so you can eat your meat in an open-air atmosphere ♡

The inside has a retro interior — it kind of feels like visiting your grandma's old house haha

By the way, Sarangjip is seriously great for music... I'm the type who loves it when 80s-90s songs come on 🎧🎶

That cherry-red ceiling and the chandelier... it brings back so much nostalgia!!

Sarangjip menu and prices

Pork kimchi grill favorite "Sarangjip"

• Pork kimchi grill (small) - ₩19,000
• Pick.ᐟ Pork kimchi grill (medium) - ₩26,500
• Pork kimchi grill (large) - ₩32,500
• Pick.ᐟ Finishing fried rice - ₩2,000
• (Lunch special) Pork kimchi fried rice - ₩5,000
• (Lunch special) Pork kimchi fried rice, large - ₩6,000
• Kids menu = soy sauce egg rice - ₩3,000
• Steamed egg - ₩3,000

One reason I love Sarangjip is honestly the value for money. First off, the small size already comes with 300g of meat and it's under twenty thousand won •••♡ On top of that it's loaded with kimchi and onions? And the lunch special pork kimchi fried rice is only 5,000 won lol

Drinks are around ₩4,500 for soju and beer too, so you can really tell prices are cheaper than in Seoul

You can order via table-side ordering, and the staff are quick so the food comes out fast!!

Side dishes and the addictive bean sprout soup at Sarangjip

Sarangjip's basic side dishes 🥢

The basic sides come out neatly, exactly what you need for the pork kimchi grill, and if you ask for garlic they give you a huge pile

This is the one I especially love — the bean sprout soup •••♡ It's got a buttery flavor but also spicy and sharp, so addictive? It's a taste you absolutely can't get anywhere else, I'm so curious about the recipe... If you ask for a refill they bring you more haha

Pork kimchi grill is all about wrapping it in lettuce/perilla leaves, and they give you a huge stack of perilla leaves so you never even need to ask for a refill lol

How much pork do you get in the 26,500-won medium grill?

Pick.ᐟ Pork kimchi grill (medium) - ₩26,500

-ˋˏ Finally, the pork kimchi grill I ordered has arrived ˎˊ-

I ordered the medium size hoping to really pig out for once, but I was genuinely shocked at how much food it was •••

Looking at it from the side, you can see the meat and kimchi piled up, and you immediately feel just how generous the portion is!! I guess since it's near a university area, the prices are really kind 💸💸

It's covered in red seasoning with plenty of tangy kimchi and onions? Now let me turn the gas burner down low and really dig in.

How the pork tastes, and the owner's lettuce-wrap combo

They gave me a big piece of meat first — and it's definitely not one of those pieces that's all fat, the juices are still totally intact

The ratio of lean meat to fat seems to be good because it's so tender when you chew, and since it's not pork belly, it's rich without being greasy

My pick is a piece of meat with kimchi and onion on top ☆ On top of that, the kimchi isn't too sweet and is just the right level of tangy-sweet, exactly my style •••♡ I really hate sweet kimchi, but Sarangjip really nails it 🥹🫶🏻

The owner wrote a delicious combo suggestion right on the restaurant wall?! It's a wrap method with corn, mayonnaise, kimchi, meat and all sorts of side dishes piled on top! I especially love the meat + kimchi + raw garlic combo haha

Even after mindlessly grabbing bite after bite like this, there's still so much meat left on the grill

Normally you're supposed to leave about 5 spoonfuls of meat before making the fried rice, but here you don't have to worry about that at all ❗️❗️

Finishing fried rice for 2,000 won — and how to get the crispy scorched rice

If you order the fried rice, they take the grill and fry it right there for you! They also tell you that if you like scorched rice (nurungji), you can leave the flame on for about another minute before turning it off

I always leave it on for about a minute before turning off the heat!!

Even with just a small scoop, the fried rice comes loaded with meat and kimchi ••• since the pork kimchi grill itself is already delicious, the fried rice made from it can't help but be delicious too ☆

Scrape up all the scorched rice stuck to the bottom and you've got the perfect Korean dessert to finish -˚✧₊⁎

Takeout and delivery are both available, so if you live in Suwon, give Sarangjip's pork kimchi grill a try sometime!! A favorite near Suwon World Cup Stadium, a favorite near Ajou University Hospital, a favorite for lunch in Uman-dong — that's Sarangjip. This review is done •••♡