Seohae Korean barbecue: kitchen-grilled pork belly at Sammi-jip

Sammi-jip Hours and Parking

I went to Sammi-jip (삼미집), a popular spot in Cheongna District 4, for pork belly that comes out already grilled.

• Location: 18 Cheongna Canal-ro 233beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon; 179-12 Cheongna-dong, Seohae-gu, Incheon
• Hours: Daily 10:30–22:30 (no break time; last order 21:30)
• Parking: Free parking available

For parking at Sammi-jip, there was a small space right in front of the building, so I was able to park for free. If the spaces in front are full, I heard the nearby church lot is open on days without services, so that may be helpful to keep in mind.

The atmosphere was bright and clean, and the friendly staff made it feel lively. With group tables available, this was a Cheongna barbecue restaurant that would work nicely for a casual family meal or a work dinner. It is close to Cheongna Lake Park too, so it is in a good spot for a meal after a lake-park date or walk.

Sammi-jip Menu and Lunch Specials

• Kimchi pork belly ₩17,000 / kimchi pork neck belly ₩18,000 / kimchi whole pork belly ₩17,000 / kimchi pork jowl ₩18,000
• Korean beef brisket ₩19,000
• Lunch special: cauldron-lid kimchi stew ₩10,000 / cauldron-lid budae-jjigae (army base stew) ₩11,000
• Minari pancake ₩9,000 / potato cheese pancake ₩9,000 / minari soy sauce egg rice ₩5,000

One advantage of Sammi-jip pork belly was that it is grilled right in the kitchen before it comes out. Since the grilling service is included, the prices felt reasonable.

For lunch specials, there are cauldron-lid kimchi stew and cauldron-lid budae-jjigae, making this a good place for lunch at the reasonable prices of ₩10,000 and ₩11,000. I think it would be especially nice for people working around Cheongna to stop by.

It is also listed as corkage-free: you can bring up to one bottle with no restriction on the type of alcohol. If you are looking for a Cheongna restaurant where you can bring wine, this could be a good one to visit.

There is also an event for injeolmi (roasted soybean powder rice cake) ice cream and drinks worth ₩5,000, so those interested may want to take part.

Cauldron-Lid Side Dishes and Self Bar

The side dishes included jangajji (pickled vegetables) that went well with the meat, along with kimchi, minari, seasoned shredded green onion, and seasoned bean sprouts placed on the cauldron lid. You could use the self bar if you needed more. I liked that the self bar was kept clean.

Personally, I really loved the kimchi cooked in the pork fat on the cauldron lid, and it was nice that minari came as a standard side dish too.

They also served refreshing dongchimi (radish water kimchi) with little ice crystals, a side dish that washed away the richness completely. There were fresh wrap vegetables too, including lettuce, perilla leaves, and peppers.

Kitchen-Grilled Kimchi Whole Pork Belly

The meat comes out already grilled in the kitchen through the grilling service, which was great because there was no hassle of grilling it myself.

The staff arranged the kimchi, minari, mushrooms, seasoned shredded green onion, and seasoned bean sprouts in a convenient way to eat, using the pork fat. The napa cabbage kimchi stir-fried in pork fat was especially delicious.

I ordered three servings of kimchi whole pork belly, and it was a tasty amount for two people to share. The pork belly was good on its own, and the special sauce with Cheongyang chili peppers gave it a savory depth. Thanks to the grilling service, the meal was so easy.