Suncheon Korean BBQ with staff-grilled pork: Goban Sikdang

Goban Sikdang Suncheon Jorye Branch was somewhere I’d wanted to try every time I passed the Samsung Digital Plaza across from it in Jorye-dong! With the weather turning cooler, I went for a little energy boost 🤗

Goban Sikdang Suncheon Jorye Branch hours and what we ordered

It opens at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Last orders are at 10 p.m., and it closes at 11 p.m.

✔️ Signature Assorted Platter, 600g: ₩59,000 ✔️ Myeongin Myeongran Rice: ₩5,000

A spacious parking area right in front

These days, you find a restaurant everyone says is good, then discover there’s nowhere suitable to park. So often, you end up circling the block a few times or parking at a public lot far away and walking over. Here, though, there’s a seriously spacious parking area right in front of the restaurant, so anyone arriving by car can come in without a bit of parking stress. Since driving around is part of my everyday life, I wanted to give it a perfect score before even walking in.

A roomy interior for work dinners and family meals

Once inside, I loved how pleasant the space was and how generously the tables were spaced. It is large enough to accommodate groups, so I thought it would be perfect for work dinners, dates, get-togethers with friends, or family meals.

Overall, it was clean and had an atmosphere that made conversation easy—such a satisfying first impression!

The Signature Assorted Platter and Myeongin Myeongran Rice

Looking through the menu, there was everything from individual cuts of meat to a wide variety of finishing dishes. We ordered the signature option that lets you enjoy a bit of everything: the Signature Assorted Platter (600g). For reference, the set has 300g of aged fresh pork belly and 300g of aged fresh pork neck, which is just the right amount to happily fill two people up. We also added the popular Myeongin Myeongran Rice (₩5,000) as a side.

A basic spread with no gaps on the table

No sooner had we finished ordering than a neat basic spread arrived, and my eyes went wide at the number of banchan (Korean side dishes) and sauces.

Along with staples like salt, wasabi, and ssamjang (savory dipping paste), the table was completely filled with special pollock roe garlic sauce, green onion kimchi, pickled onions, aged kimchi, myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic leaves), and young-radish kimchi.

What especially caught my eye was the crunchy bomdong geotjeori, freshly dressed spring cabbage salad. Goban Sikdang does not automatically set out wrapping greens such as lettuce or perilla leaves, but one bite of this geotjeori and I immediately understood why. The seasoning clung to it so perfectly that, wrapped with meat, it was one of those dangerously moreish things you could eat forever! Of course, if you absolutely want wrapping greens or garlic, just ask a staff member and they will kindly bring them over.

There is also the nice included option of either steamed egg or mini doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew). We were craving a hot, comforting broth, so we chose the doenjang-jjigae, and wow—it had a depth of flavor beyond what you would expect from a free item. Apparently, they make it with doenjang carefully aged in an onggi (traditional earthenware) jar from Jirisan. The bubbling stew was generously filled with tofu, mushrooms, and more, and its rich, savory aroma spread through my mouth and really built up my appetite before the meat.

Aged pork grilled by staff from start to finish

At last, the stars of the day arrived: aged fresh pork belly and pork neck‼️ The moment I saw the meat on the plate, I thought, “Wow, those cuts are seriously thick!” Even just looking at the bright red color and the golden balance of fat and lean meat, I was sure this would be delicious.

And Goban Sikdang Suncheon Jorye Branch’s strongest appeal—and its biggest advantage! Skilled staff grill all the meat themselves from beginning to end. At a typical barbecue place, someone has to hold the tongs and scissors, breathe in smoke while flipping meat, barely get to eat, and keep breaking up the flow of conversation. Here, you do not have to pay even one bit of attention to the grill. The friendly staff carefully check the grill temperature and cook not only the meat but also the mushrooms, gosari (bracken fern), and garlic scapes to golden perfection at exactly the right time.

We could simply hold our chopsticks, relax and chat, then pick up the perfectly cooked meat and eat. It was so easy.

Pork belly with wasabi and pollock roe garlic sauce

They first cut the golden-brown pork belly into bite-sized pieces and piled it neatly to one side. The nutty lean meat and rich fat burst together in my mouth, and every chew filled up with juices—pure bliss.

Each table has a little guide to delicious meat combinations, so it was fun trying them one by one~~~

The combination that completely won me over was a little punchy wasabi followed by a dip in the special pollock roe garlic sauce! The salty, nutty sauce met the juices of the thick pork belly and took the flavor to the max.

And when you put some of the grilled bracken fern on the meat too—ahhh~~~~

Tender pork neck and Myeongin Myeongran Rice

While we enthusiastically enjoyed the pork belly, the thick pork neck finished cooking perfectly into easy-to-eat pieces too. Pork neck is thicker than pork belly, so it took a little longer, but the wait was absolutely worth it.

Pork neck can easily be dry, but perhaps because it was aged so well, it was packed with juice and unbelievably tender... hehe.

This Myeongin Myeongran Rice was so nutty, too.

It was delicious on its own, and delicious with a piece of meat on top. Rather than plain rice... I recommend having your meat with this Myeongin Myeongran Rice 👍🏻

From the visit itself being easy thanks to the large dedicated parking area, to the thick aged meat perfectly grilled by kind staff, to the generous array of sides filling the table! If you want to comfortably enjoy proper pork belly or pork neck in Jorye-dong, Goban Sikdang Suncheon Jorye Branch will be a choice you will not regret. I am definitely planning to come back soon with all my meat-loving friends!