Aewol Korean BBQ with crab doenjang jjigae lunch set: Nopo Dwaeji

Where is Nopo Dwaeji Aewol, and what are the hours?

Nopo Dwaeji Aewol is a black pork restaurant at 5-1 Gwakji 9-gil, Aewol-eup, Jeju City, open daily from 11am to 11pm with last order at 10pm. There's a large parking lot on site.

Black pork is one of the dishes you can't skip on a Jeju trip, right? This time I wanted a solid lunch of grilled meat near Gwakji Beach in Aewol, so here's my visit to Nopo Dwaeji Aewol!

One of the perks of this black pork restaurant near Gwakji Beach in Aewol, Jeju, was definitely the location. It's close to Gwakji Beach, which draws a lot of visitors, so it's a great spot to swing by for a meal after a swim. The parking lot is also huge, so parking was easy.

What the restaurant looks like inside

The interior of Nopo Dwaeji Aewol isn't done up in an overly flashy or trendy modern style — it feels more like a comfortable spot to enjoy meat and a drink. If you like the vibe of a local Jeju barbecue joint while traveling, this atmosphere will probably suit you well.

What comes in the 4-person lunch set: 800g of thick-cut pork

This time instead of ordering à la carte, I went with Nopo Dwaeji Aewol's 4-person lunch set. The 4-person set comes with 800g of aged black pork loin, one stew, and four bowls of rice. Since the main meat includes both samgyeopsal (pork belly) and mokssal (pork neck), it was much better than sticking to just one cut.

Banchan side dishes and the self-serve bar

Once your order is placed, the basic side dishes that pair well with the meat get set up. At a barbecue restaurant, the sides really matter as much as the meat itself. Alternating between meat and banchan or sauces instead of eating meat alone cut down on the greasiness and let me enjoy a bunch of different flavors.

Whatever banchan runs low, you can freely refill at the self-serve bar! The lettuce wraps, cheongyang chili peppers, and garlic were all fresh, which was nice.

The crab doenjang jjigae included in the set

Here's the crab miso stew (kkotge doenjang jjigae) that comes with the 4-person set. Paired with the rich meat, warm broth, and rice, it kept me full and satisfied to the last bite.

Rather than an MSG-driven savoriness, the doenjang stew had a homemade-paste kind of earthiness, and thanks to the crab, the broth had a refreshing depth that was excellent.

168-hour aged black pork, grilled by the staff

As you'd expect from a black pork specialist, Nopo Dwaeji Aewol near Gwakji Beach in Aewol, Jeju, reportedly ages its meat for 168 hours. There's even a huge aging chamber tucked in a corner of the restaurant.

Once the meat hit the hot grill, a savory smell started spreading right away. Watching it cook on the grill really got my appetite going.

Thick-cut black pork can be tricky to time — knowing when to flip it with tongs or judging how done it is. Since the staff grill the meat for you here, I could eat comfortably without constantly fussing over the grill myself, which was great.

They cut it into just the right size and cooked it through evenly, so I could eat it right when it was at its best. :)

How did the pork belly and shoulder taste?

A piece of black pork with a golden-browned surface and juices still alive inside. It was sliced thick, so I could really feel the chew when I bit in.

The outside was grilled to a nutty crispness while the inside stayed moist rather than dry, and the more I chewed, the more that distinctive pork richness came through.

Maybe because it's aged meat, the texture overall was tender and the flavor felt deep and concentrated.

Dipping in meljeot, salt and wasabi

When eating Jeju black pork, the combo you can't skip is melt jeot (fermented anchovy sauce), right? Haha. Dipping a well-cooked piece lightly into melt jeot adds a salty, deep umami that's just killer.

This time I also tried it with just salt — with a small pinch of salt, the meat's nutty flavor and juiciness came through even more. The saltiness brought out the meat's umami, so I kept reaching for more.

This time I also put a piece of meat on a lettuce wrap along with pickled chili and wasabi. Switching to a wrap now and then after eating plain meat cut the greasiness, so I could keep eating without getting tired of it right to the end. 😚