Aewol black pork jowl and skirt meat dinner, Jeju: Nopo Dwaeji Aewol

You've got to eat black pork at least once on a Jeju trip, right?! Haha. While looking for a black pork restaurant for dinner during this Aewol trip, I found Nopo Dwaeji Aewol!! Great location near Gwakji Beach, and it's known as a Jeju black pork specialty spot, so I went in with high expectations!!! Perfect for dinner after playing at Gwakji Beach during the day. If you're looking for a black pork restaurant near Aewol or Gwakji Beach, stick around till the end! I'll give you the honest scoop, from the vibe to the taste of the meat!!

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Nopo Dwaeji Aewol sits on Gwakji 9-gil in Aewol-eup, near Gwakji Beach. I arrived around dusk in the evening, and the big lit-up 'Nopo Dwaeji' sign caught my eye from far away haha.

Interior atmosphere and seating

Walking in, the interior was clean, mixing wood tones with stainless steel!!

There was plenty of seating room, so it was comfortable to sit and eat with my group!

Nopo Dwaeji Aewol's menu and prices

• Black pork geun-gogi (thick-cut) (BEST): 600g – ₩72,000
• Neck meat add-on: 400g – ₩48,000
• Pork belly add-on: 400g – ₩48,000
• Jeju galmaegisal (skirt meat) (BEST): 200g – ₩24,000
• Hangjeongsal (pork jowl) (BEST): 200g – ₩26,000

Once seated, I checked out the menu first haha. True to a Jeju black pork specialty spot, it was mostly built around thick-cut meat!?

There's an event going on too, so make sure to check it out~!!

Side dish setup — melt jeot, soybean powder, dongchimi

After ordering, the side dishes and wrap vegetables were set out first!! The lineup was surprisingly solid! There was ssamjang, wasabi, stir-fried anchovies, spicy radish salad, and dressed lettuce, all set up~!!

What especially stood out was the dongchimi (watery radish kimchi), melt jeot (fermented anchovy sauce), and soybean powder!!! Apparently grilling black pork and dipping it lightly in soybean powder really brings out the nutty flavor!? The dongchimi broth was refreshing too, perfect as a palate cleanser between bites of meat!! The basic setup alone was so solid that my expectations were already sky-high before the meat even arrived haha.

On one side there was a self-serve bar set up. It was great being able to grab as much wrap vegetables and side dishes as you wanted!

Hangjeongsal vs. galmaegisal, the flavor difference by cut

I ordered hangjeongsal and galmaegisal!!! They came out piled thick on a brass tray, and just looking at how fresh it was made my mouth water haha.

The one on the left with the pretty white marbling is hangjeongsal, and the reddish one on the right is galmaegisal!!!

Hangjeongsal has fat woven densely throughout, promising a soft, chewy texture, while galmaegisal has less fat and a chewiness that makes it great for a leaner, cleaner bite~!!!

The thick-cut meat browning on the outside while staying moist inside... doesn't it just look incredible!??

Taking a bite of the golden-browned black pork lightly dipped in melt jeot, the hangjeongsal was chewy while the galmaegisal was clean and light — each cut clearly had its own charm!!

A bite with wasabi too~!!

The heat wasn't too strong either, so it cooked evenly and just right.

Final course — crab doenjang jjigae

It felt like a shame to only eat meat, so we ordered a rice dish to go with it too~!! It came out in a stone pot, still boiling away haha.

The broth was rich and savory, perfect with rice!!! With the umami from the crab added in, it gave a hearty finish after all that meat!?

How was black pork dinner near Gwakji Beach?

So that's my satisfying meal at Nopo Dwaeji Aewol, with hangjeongsal, galmaegisal, and doenjang jjigae all in one visit!

A place with a solid setup — unlimited wrap vegetables at the self-serve bar and Jeju-style touches like melt jeot and soybean powder!! Since it's near Gwakji Beach, it's in a great spot to come for dinner after a day at the beach!! If you're looking for a black pork restaurant in Aewol, Jeju, I'd recommend it haha.