Day drinking at Hongdae Korean BBQ: staff-grilled pork ribs, Chopilsal

On a day I craved a daytime drink, I left the meat to someone else and just relaxed. Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch.

Today's story is about Chopilsal Pork Grill (초필살돼지구이), a meat restaurant near Hongik Univ. Station where they grill everything for you, so all you have to do is eat.

It was a heavily overcast day just before the rain, with that muggy, damp feeling in the air. On afternoons like this you just want to tuck yourself into some quiet spot and knock back a cold beer, haha. Right then my older friend texted that she was craving meat, so I scurried over to Chopilsal at Hongik Univ. Station.

What kind of place is Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch?

Chopilsal Pork Grill started in Busan and spread to many areas by word of mouth. It's especially known for staff grilling the meat for you from start to finish, so you can eat in comfort! The Hongdae branch also serves charcoal-grilled pork with a range of side dishes, and it's a steady favorite for dates, get-togethers with friends and company dinners.

What about location, hours and parking?

Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch is within easy walking distance of Hongik Univ. Station, so public transport gets you there fine. The huge, bright pink sign, which somehow reminds me of a flower pig, is visible from far away, haha. There's a Catch Table (waiting app) kiosk in front of the clean-looking storefront. We came at a quiet daytime hour, so we got in right away with no wait.

• Hours: Mon–Thu 12:00–midnight / Fri–Sun 12:00–2:00 a.m.
• Last order: one hour before closing
• Corkage (paid), groups welcome, no parking

Interior atmosphere

Step inside and a spacious, pleasant room greets you. The tables are well spaced, so it was nice for a relaxed meal. The red-brick interior and wood-toned tables go together well, giving a clean yet stylish feel.

Customer reviews and celebrity autographs are stuck on the walls, so you can feel how popular it is. Thinking about sipping a beer while watching the quiet weekday afternoon through the big windows, I was like, oh my, I'm so excited~!

What are the menu and prices?

The first order must be at least 3 servings, and the meat menu is fairly short: pork skin, five-layer pork belly, dwitgogi (pork scraps) and pork ribs. But you know the rule, right? A place with a simple menu is the real deal. We came for pork ribs, but the meal menu is good value too: zucchini doenjang (soybean paste) stew for ₩7,000 and kimchi stew with pork for ₩9,000. Naengmyeon (cold noodles) usually tops ₩10,000 these days, but here it's just ₩8,000.

A review event is running too. And Chopilsal's pork skin is famous, lol.

Since we ordered pork ribs, the staff swapped the grill plate. It looked like a cast-iron grill, haha. It showed the marks of age, and it looked like anything cooked on it would taste good.

What side dishes and sauces come out?

The basic sides at Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch are minced garlic, myeongnan-jeot (salted pollock roe), an unusual-looking ssamjang (dipping paste), pa-jeolim (pickled scallion), washed aged kimchi and three kinds of jangajji (pickles). Right after we ordered, the table was set in no time, and the sides were no joke. Lots of dishes that go well with meat showed up.

Above all, I really coveted these small plates, haha. They'd be perfect for eating meat. The sauces were soybean powder, spicy sauce, and ponzu, plus wasabi salt. Nice touch!

How were the staff-grilled pork ribs?

Okay, the sides are set, so let's crack open the beer first~ Did you know beer in the daytime tastes even better? On a gloomy day like this, the drinks go down smoothly, lol.

While I was happily gulping beer, the demurely presented pork ribs arrived. They were thick, with neat scoring, so they were clearly going to be delicious, haha. The marinade coated the meat evenly, and the fat-to-meat ratio looked good.

The biggest strength of Chopilsal Pork Grill is that the staff grill it for you from start to finish. Pork ribs are surprisingly hard to grill well, right? Here you don't need to think about timing. Just keep tipping your beer glass, and they put the meat on your plate at its best.

There's no worry about burning or undercooking, and they even cut it into bite-size pieces, so I could focus purely on eating. For a relaxed daytime drink, there's no place like it, haha.

The finale: simmering the leftover marinade

The ending is the best part. Once the pork ribs are cooked through, the staff pour in the leftover marinade and simmer it down, okay? Then they add finely chopped chili and garlic to boost the flavor even more~~! They explained things throughout the grilling and even warned us in advance that it could get smoky. The owner was really kind.

What about the side dish, double cheese steamed egg?

The double cheese steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) I ordered as a side had mozzarella and cheddar, so it was twice as rich and savory. It grabbed everyone's eyes the moment it arrived, and that vivid yellow look alone was just game over. Look at how much cheese spilled out over the earthenware pot. You can tell it's delicious just by looking, haha.

I scooped up a spoonful of the steaming egg and the cheese stretched out. The look is just too violent ;ㅁ;

How did the fully grilled pork ribs taste?

The finished pork ribs weren't just glossy, they actually sparkled under the lights! Eaten with scallion salad or with garlic-stem pickles, the sweet-salty flavor worked well either way. I couldn't put my chopsticks down. With every bite, a sip of beer came naturally. Pork ribs really are the ultimate drinking snack~!!

Since they added chopped garlic and chili, I expected a little spice, but there was no heat at all. I tasted the sweet-salty marinade first, then the juices rose up moist. The marinade isn't overly sweet, so the meat's own flavor came through. I happily wolfed it down, mixing it with various side dishes. The seasoned radish (musaengchae) was especially great~! It had a crunchy texture that was fun to chew.

Ventilation is good, so the place didn't smell much of meat, but there was Febreze on the way out, so I sprayed myself once before leaving. Love that kind of thoughtfulness~ haha.

One-line review of Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch

A pork spot where they grill everything for you, so all you have to do is enjoy.

Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch clearly has great service. Thanks to the grilling service, I had no time to be busy cooking and could focus on talking and eating. The sweet-salty pork ribs had an unobtrusive marinade and plenty of moist juices, and got better the more I ate. The mood also suited a relaxed daytime drink. The only downside: I was too full to have the fried rice, haha. Next time I'll definitely try the dwitgogi too. If you want easy, tasty meat in Hongdae, it's worth a visit.