Baby-friendly Korean BBQ in Cheongna, Incheon: Sammi-jip

It's already been 5 months since our little one, Chorok, was born, and we still hadn't gone out for a proper meat dinner. With a baby that young, I kept worrying about smoke and about being too busy grilling to actually enjoy the meal, so we kept putting it off. Then a couple in our neighborhood with a 7-month-old baby suggested we finally do our first post-birth meat outing together. While searching for a Cheongna pork belly restaurant we could bring a baby to, I found Sammi-jip, where the meat is pre-grilled in the kitchen, so we decided to check it out.

What Sammi-jip in Cheongna is like at 7pm

Sammi-jip is a pork belly restaurant on Cheongna-canal-ro 233beon-gil in Incheon, and we arrived around 7pm. When we first walked in there were plenty of empty tables and it was quieter than expected, but by the time we left around 9pm the place was almost full.

Partitioned seats at Sammi-jip with room for a baby chair

The best part was that the whole restaurant had wide aisles that made it easy to fit a baby chair, and there was even a space separated by partitions like in the photos below, which made it perfect for bringing a baby. That space actually had an even wider aisle, wide enough for two strollers to pass through at once. (Still, it's probably worth double-checking with the restaurant whether you can bring a stroller in, haha.) Since the space was separated, it felt like we didn't have to worry about nearby tables even if the baby fussed a bit or wandered around. It's hard to step out if you feel bad about bothering another table, you know?! Sammi-jip actually has a separated space — that's huge! For anyone looking for a Cheongna restaurant to bring a baby to, this part seems pretty important.

Side dishes and sauces served at Sammi-jip

The basic banchan (side dishes) at Sammi-jip were lettuce for wraps and dongchimi (watery radish kimchi), and the dongchimi in particular stuck with me. It had thin ice floating in it, so it was refreshingly cold from the first bite.

And the dipping sauce for the meat is packed with savory umami flavor!!!

Honestly, at some pork belly restaurants only the meat is good and the side dishes are just okay, but here even the banchan and sauces were all delicious, so I kept feeling satisfied the whole meal.

And all the banchan were kept spotlessly clean and refillable at the self-serve bar.

What two families ordered at Sammi-jip, and the prices

What we ordered at Sammi-jip was the Sammi kimchi platter 700g + doenjang jjigae for ₩73,000, plus one extra serving each of pork neck and pork jowl at ₩18,000 each, minari pancake for ₩10,000, and soju and... draft beer!!

• Sammi kimchi platter 700g + doenjang jjigae ₩73,000
• Pork neck, 1 extra serving ₩18,000
• Pork jowl, 1 extra serving ₩18,000
• Minari pancake ₩10,000
• Soju, draft beer

Three cuts of pork, pre-grilled in the Sammi-jip kitchen

The pre-grilled meat was the biggest reason I chose Sammi-jip! As you can see in the photos below, the staff kept working hard grilling in the kitchen.

The meat came out already grilled, and we were told to eat it in the order of pork neck, pork jowl, then pork belly. All three cuts were cooked so the juices stayed nice and moist, and the chewy pork neck, savory pork jowl, and can't-go-wrong pork belly were all satisfying.

My mouth is watering again just looking at these photos while writing this post... haha. In the middle of the grill were kimchi, minari (water dropwort), bean sprouts, scallions, mushrooms, and onions, and every single one of them was delicious too.

The kimchi grilled together with the meat was especially delicious. Even outside the restaurant they kept emphasizing their kimchi, so I was curious just how good it could be — and after actually tasting it, I understood why they made such a big deal of it.

The doenjang jjigae also had generous ingredients, and it had shiitake mushrooms in it, which I found especially tasty.

The minari pancake we added was also delicious. When you're eating meat, it's nice to have a pancake-type dish on the side that you keep reaching for. The minari fragrance was great and it paired well with the meat.

Order more pork and Sammi-jip resets the vegetables too

Then we wanted more meat, so we added one more serving each of pork neck and pork jowl — and they re-set the kimchi, minari, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and onions all over again! It was like a whole new spread was set up from scratch, haha. Are we starting over?!

Draft beer with pork belly at Sammi-jip

Best of all, this was our first meat outing since giving birth, and being able to have draft beer at Sammi-jip made it so much better. Draft beer at a pork belly restaurant?? Not many places seem to sell it, so we were so happy about it that we ordered right away. The soju and beer were so cold that we joked among ourselves, "isn't this basically ice beer?" The dads held off on drinking for the babies' sake, so today was a day for us moms — who worked hard giving birth — to enjoy ourselves! It was delicious, haha.

Parking and the best time to visit Sammi-jip with a baby

Parking at Sammi-jip is available for 5 cars in front of the restaurant, and hours are 10:30–22:30 (last order at 21:30). When we visited around 7pm there was still space to park out front, but by the time we left around 9pm, the parking spots were all full.

• Address: 18 Cheongna-canal-ro 233beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon
• Parking: 5 spots in front of the restaurant
• Hours: 10:30–22:30 (last order 21:30)

If you're visiting with a baby under one year old, I'd recommend going earlier, around 4–5pm. When we first arrived there weren't many customers and no smoke, so it was pleasant, but as the crowd grew and the place filled up after 8pm, smoke gradually started building up inside! It's probably not too bad unless the place is completely full, but if that bothers you, an earlier visit should be fine.

For babies past their first birthday, the wide seating and separated spaces make this a great pick regardless of time, whether for a family meal or a gathering of several families. If you're planning your first meat outing after having a baby like us, Sammi-jip was a pretty good choice. I especially liked that the meat comes pre-grilled so there's less time spent grilling yourself, and the wide seats meant we could set up the baby chair comfortably and eat while soothing the baby. With around 12 seats separated by partitions, it's also a great pick for group gatherings of 10 or more!!

Most of all, we chose this as our first meat restaurant since giving birth, and after the delicious meat and cold draft beer, it really felt like "we finally had a proper meal out." If you're looking for a good Cheongna pork belly restaurant for a family or group gathering, Sammi-jip is one I'd definitely consider again.