Okgil-dong Korean BBQ date at weekend opening: Dwaeji Gongbang

What kind of Korean BBQ restaurant is Dwaeji Gongbang in Okgil-dong, Bucheon?

Dwaeji Gongbang Bucheon Okgil-dong Main Branch (돼지공방 부천옥길동본점) is a BBQ place in Okgil-dong, Bucheon, known for tasty Iberico pork neck. I really love Iberico pork neck, so whenever I hear about a good spot I go check it out, and this time it was Dwaeji Gongbang, which people say is a solid Okgil-dong BBQ restaurant.

So many new BBQ places open these days, but not many are ones you actually want to go back to. I read reviews carefully before visiting, and a lot of them said the pork neck here was especially good, so I was extra excited. I went thinking it would just be a comfortable neighborhood meat dinner, but the meat quality was better than I expected and I was happy the whole meal. I could see why so many people recommend the signature Iberico pork neck.

Opening hours and atmosphere: is Dwaeji Gongbang busy at weekend opening?

Dwaeji Gongbang is at 7-4 Yangji-ro 184beon-gil, Sosa-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi, on the first floor. It is open 16:00–24:00 on weekdays and 15:00–24:00 on weekends (last order 23:20). We arrived right at weekend opening, so we could eat fairly leisurely.

The place is small. Besides the main hall there is a separate table area in the back, but overall it isn't very big. It has a relaxed neighborhood-pub feel, which suits an Okgil-dong date or a dinner out.

Guests kept coming in while we ate, and by the time we finished it was almost full. At the evening peak there are even people waiting outside, so you can tell it's a popular BBQ spot in Okgil-dong.

What should two people order at Dwaeji Gongbang?

We ordered the half platter (₩47,000), which lets you taste four cuts: thick Iberico pork neck, gabrisal, neukgalbi-sal and kkodeul-sal. Since a tofu stew comes included, we ordered 2 bowls of rice in advance to go with it, and midway I got curious about the new perilla oil buckwheat noodles, so we added those too.

If it's your first visit and you can't decide which cut to get, the platter is great because you taste several cuts at once. The amount was right for two, and we got to enjoy a variety of textures.

Included side dishes and side dishes to take home

The basic side dishes were myeongi namul, white kimchi, pickled garlic stems and pickled chili strips, all good with meat. They're so popular that they even sell them separately. The pickled chili strips and pickled garlic stems, which I especially loved, are ₩8,000 each.

I care about side dishes as much as the meat, and every one of them went well with it. Refills are no problem, so I kept mixing and matching and never got tired of eating.

Do staff grill the thick Iberico pork neck for you?

Yes! The signature thick Iberico pork neck was grilled by the staff, from the start, to the best doneness. Before putting the meat on, the staff member carefully checked the grill temperature, and I thought even a small detail like that is part of making the meat taste good. Seeing the thick, reddish-pink meat raised my expectations before it was even cooked.

It was scored closely with knife cuts, so it cooked evenly through, and the moment I bit in, the juices filled my mouth. The outside had a gentle charcoal aroma and was nutty, and the inside was moist, with the meat's sweetness coming up the more I chewed.

Honestly, pork neck is often dry if grilled badly, so I usually don't expect much, but there was none of that worry at Dwaeji Gongbang. My boyfriend normally prefers pork belly, but he said that day the pork neck was the best.

Best combo: Iberico pork neck with grilled white kimchi

Personally, the best combination at Dwaeji Gongbang was grilled white kimchi. Lightly grilling the white kimchi kept its crunch while adding a gentle tang that brought out the flavor of the meat even more. It cut through any greasiness neatly, so I kept going back for one bite after another.

I usually eat myeongi namul more often, but that day the grilled white kimchi stuck with me more. I ate almost every cut with white kimchi.

How do gabrisal, neukgan-sal and kkodeul-sal taste?

After the pork neck, we grilled the half platter's gabrisal, neukgalbi-sal and kkodeul-sal one by one. They come on a cutting board, and you grill them in that order, so you don't have to ask which cut is which. That was handy.

The gabrisal was chewy and nutty, and the neukgalbi-sal gave off a deep meaty flavor the more I chewed. The kkodeul-sal lived up to its name with a springy, firm texture that was fun to chew, and each cut tasted and felt different, so I never got tired. One kind of meat alone might have felt heavy, but with the platter I enjoyed it to the end.

The house-recommended galchi-sokjeot (salted hairtail innards) pairing

The restaurant also posts a recommended way to eat. They suggest dipping the meat in galchi-sokjeot (salted hairtail guts) after lightly boiling it, or pairing it with white kimchi, pickled chili strips and pickled garlic stems. I tried it, and the galchi-sokjeot especially suited my taste.

The salty umami lifted the meat's flavor even more, and since I already like galchi-sokjeot, I was even happier.

How is the included sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)?

The tofu stew (sundubu-jjigae) served by default was also better than expected. For something that comes as a basic extra, the portion was quite generous, packed with egg and soft tofu, so a bowl of rice disappeared quickly.

The broth was spicy and rich, nice to spoon up between bites of meat, and it was as satisfying as a proper meal dish. With the rice it felt almost like ordering a full meal item. Even though it comes free, it didn't feel like an afterthought; it was actually a pleasant surprise.

Dessert course: new perilla oil buckwheat noodles

The last thing we ordered, the new perilla oil buckwheat noodles, was also satisfying. The nutty aroma of perilla oil spread gently, and the buckwheat noodles were springy and chewy, with a great texture.

A bite between pieces of meat left my mouth feeling clean, so I was glad we ordered it. Even though we were nearly done with the meat, it had an umami that kept me eating, and the portion was right for sharing between two. My boyfriend said it was one of his favorite dishes too, so we'll probably order it again next time.

KakaoTalk promotion to check before you go

By the way, if you add the Dwaeji Gongbang Bucheon Okgil-dong Main Branch KakaoTalk channel, you can get a free pork skin or a drink. They were also running other events, like a police officer appreciation coupon, a birthday yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) coupon, and a soju/beer coupon before 6 p.m. on weekdays. Checking before you go should help you get a bit more out of the visit.

Is Dwaeji Gongbang in Okgil-dong, Bucheon worth a return visit?

I like Iberico pork neck, so I went with high hopes, and it exceeded them. The staff grilled the pork neck for us so we could enjoy it at its best, and I liked that even the side dishes and tofu stew felt carefully made. Above all, I remember eating well in a comfortable atmosphere the whole time.

These days I wander around neighborhoods on weekends hunting for new good eats, and this was personally one of the best Okgil-dong BBQ places I've been to lately. Next time I'd like to come back with my family, and if you're looking for a good BBQ restaurant in Bucheon, it's worth a stop.