Dangha-dong Korean BBQ with an old friend: Jeju ribs, Dwitgolmok

I was meeting an old friend after a long time, so we headed to Dwitgolmok Ddotgalbi (뒷골목 돗갈비) near Wanjeong Station in Geomdan, Incheon. I've been here several times. It's a long-running, neighborhood-hangout kind of BBQ place. The Jeju pork is aged 72 hours in an aging fridge and grilled over charcoal by experienced staff, so you can just relax and enjoy the meat. That's why it's known as a local favorite.

Dwitgolmok Ddotgalbi hours, location and parking

Dwitgolmok Ddotgalbi Geomdan Main Branch is at 11 Cheongma-ro 167beonan-gil, Unit 101, Geomdan-gu, Incheon, and it's open daily from 16:00 to 22:00. Last order is at 21:45.

It's listed as offering group seating, reservations, Wi-Fi, separate men's and women's restrooms, baby chairs and parking.

The restaurant sits about 150 m from Wanjeong Station, in the middle of the eatery street. For parking, use the nearby public parking lot.

What's the atmosphere like inside?

As soon as you walk in, you see a huge meat aging fridge straight ahead, with the tables arranged behind it. There are about 10 round, retro, street-stall-style tables, a perfect vibe for a casual drink.

Sure enough, it was busy even on a weeknight. You might have to wait on weekends.

It's pleasantly noisy, and the retro round tables are great for chatting comfortably over a glass of soju. Looking around, lots of people seemed to be neighbors or coworkers out for a drink after work~ And you see the pork aging fridge, where the meat ages carefully for 72 hours, the moment you walk in, so you can tell they're serious about their meat.

Menu, prices and what we ordered

The menu is simple: ddotgalbi (bone-in pork belly) and special collar, both ₩16,000 per serving. You can order on the tablet at the table, and the middle tables without a tablet have a printed menu.

My friend and I ordered like this.

• Ddotgalbi, 1 serving: ₩16,000
• Special collar, 1 serving: ₩16,000
• Mul naengmyeon (cold noodles): ₩6,000
• Golmok doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew): ₩8,000

Sauces and side dishes

The table gets set right after you order. The sauces are meljeot (salted fermented anchovy sauce), ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste) and a special garlic sauce. Personally, the garlic sauce is my favorite.

Pickled garlic stems, salt and wasabi come out too.

Scallion salad, rinsed aged kimchi and myeongi namul (wild garlic-style pickled greens): the sides come in a nice variety.

What cut is the ddotgalbi, and how is it grilled?

The ddotgalbi here is bone-in pork belly, and an experienced staff member grills it directly over the charcoal, bone and all, until golden brown. It looks well aged and good quality, doesn't it?

Now we just wait for it to cook nicely.

Everything is in place for a harmonious mukbang (eating show) feast, with chewy, juicy Jeju pork flavor shining through~

It's grilled to a lovely golden brown. Once the rinsed aged kimchi goes on top, it looks even better.

Skilled staff grilling and charcoal-scented ddotgalbi! Time to dig in.

How is the golmok doenjang jjigae?

The golmok doenjang jjigae (₩8,000) has seafood like abalone in it, and it tastes like a cool, savory countryside soybean paste stew. It came out while we waited for the meat.

Doenjang stew at a BBQ place is always great, isn't it? The seafood makes it even more refreshing and savory, and I really enjoyed it.

Ddotgalbi with garlic sauce, finished with cold noodles

The ddotgalbi is best with the special garlic sauce. Since it's the meat next to the bone, it's chewy and holds its juices well, so I happily munched away~

I tried it with the different sides too.

After a cool bowl of mul naengmyeon, you leave patting your full belly. Overall the value is good, which I think is why it's so busy. Dangha-dong has quite a few good eateries, but I suspect this is exactly why people name Dwitgolmok Ddotgalbi first when it comes to BBQ. Thanks for the meal~