Jongno 3-ga outdoor Korean BBQ: bamboo path and 90-min limit, Tapgol
In short
Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch is an outdoor-table (yajang) Korean BBQ restaurant serving frozen pork belly (naengsam) on Supyo-ro in Jongno, Seoul. Over Chuseok, the writer and a friend joined the waitlist at 5pm, got in about an hour later, and ate naengsam, one extra serving of pork neck and fried rice. Portions were not large, but the bamboo, stone wall and lights made for a great outdoor atmosphere. Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch suits anyone who wants naengsam in a small, lively outdoor setting.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 5 · 2-min walk (store listing, Oct 6, 2026)
- Address
- 111 Supyo-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (1st floor)
- Wait
- Joined the waitlist at 5pm, seated about 1 hour later
- Seating
- Every table is outdoors (yajang); the indoor area holds only the self-serve bar and restrooms
- Time limit
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Ordering
- Magnetic menu beside the table; no tablet or call bell, so you order with the staff
- Self-serve
- Sides such as ssamjang and garlic, plus aprons, at the self-serve bar; spoons, chopsticks, glasses and paper cups in picnic baskets between tables
- What we ate
- Naengsam (frozen pork belly), 1 extra serving of pork neck, fried rice
as written by the visitor on Oct 8, 2026
It's outdoor-table season, and Jongno is a hot spot as always 🔥 For Chuseok I went to Jongno 3-ga with a friend for frozen pork belly at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch (not a pilgrimage site for the elderly, but a great restaurant, haha)!
How long was the wait at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch?
We joined the waitlist at 5pm and got in after waiting an hour. Inside there are no seats, only the self-serve bar and restrooms, and every table is set up outdoor-style. That's probably why tables turn over so fast!
How do you order, and where are the utensils?
The menu is stuck on with magnets beside the table~ There's no tablet or call bell, but it's such a busy place that there are lots of staff walking around all the time, so ordering was no trouble.
Picnic baskets sit between the tables with spoons, chopsticks, cups and paper cups, so you can just take what you need without asking for more!
The basic spread that's set up as soon as you sit down 🍴 A restaurant that serves bracken fern (gosari) is rare, so rare. I L♡VE Geumsa
The bamboo-path interior and self-serve bar
The inside is decorated like walking through a bamboo grove, so it didn't feel like a restaurant at all~
Follow the bamboo path in and the self-serve bar is on the left and the restrooms on the right 🤗
All the side dishes, like ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste) and garlic, plus the aprons, are at the self-serve bar!
How was the naengsam portion, and what did we add?
The prepared naengsam comes out first, and after finishing it we were still hungry, so we added one serving of pork neck (moksal) too! The naengsam here isn't a big portion, sadly 😢 But with this season's atmosphere, it's all good... ❤️
We even polished off bokkeumbap (fried rice), Korea's classic after-meal dessert, but I forgot to take a photo 😂
The time limit is 1 hour 30 minutes
Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch has a 90-minute limit. We were enjoying the food so much that the sun had set and our time was almost up 😢 Even as we left with reluctant steps, the line outside was huge! The stone wall view, bamboo and lights together make a great atmosphere 👍🏻
If you want to eat naengsam at an outdoor table in a bustling small-group atmosphere, I recommend Tapgol in Jongno 3-ga.
A walk along Cheonggyecheon after the meal
After a full meal the weather had cooled down and was perfect for walking, so ending the day with a stroll along Cheonggyecheon is just perfect ✨
Where it is
111 Supyo-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st floor)서울특별시 종로구 수표로 111 1층
Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga: hours, menu and prices →
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