Seoul Korean BBQ in Daechi-dong: three aged pork cuts, Daechiok

It's vacation season, so some of you must be looking for places to eat near the Daechi-dong hagwon (private academy) district, right? For those curious about good spots near Eunma Apartment, I went and checked one out first haha.

Daechiok, famous as a pork belly restaurant in Daechi-dong! My family of three visited on a weekday afternoon and waited about 5 minutes. Even on a weekday afternoon it was packed, which confirmed this really is THE lunch spot in Daechi-dong.

Daechiok's location and parking

Daechiok is on the ground floor at 64 Samseong-ro 72-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. For parking, you can use the Daechi 2-dong Community Center (₩3,600 per hour)!

What kind of place is Daechiok?

Daechiok is a Korean restaurant in Daechi-dong where you can enjoy aged Korean pork alongside Daechi-dong-style kimchi jjigae.

True to a Daechi-dong hagwon-district favorite, the crowd ranges from parents at lunch to office dinner groups in the evening. If there's already a wait on a weekday afternoon, that's proof this is a popular spot near Eunma Apartment, haha.

When we visited, Daechiok's dining room was nearly full. When it comes to pork belly restaurants near Eunma Apartment, Daechiok seems to be the word-of-mouth pick haha.

Storefront

Daechiok's exterior is neatly kept from the outside. The bright color tone makes it stand out and even brightens up the surrounding area!

There's even an event for orders of frozen pork belly! Don't forget if you're having it haha.

Interior and self-serve bar

Daechiok's interior is also kept clean, so it's a good place to visit with family, and the tables are spaced generously enough to eat comfortably whether alone or in a group. There's even a baby chair in the room, so bringing a young child is no problem.

A neatly organized meat fridge! The self-serve bar has whatever vegetables and sauces you want, and even yakult!! Plenty of ramyeon noodles for soup! Kimchi stew wouldn't be the same without them haha. Seaweed too, hahaha. They have everything haha.

Daechiok's menu and what we ordered

With aged Korean pork, steamed dishes, and Daechi-dong-style kimchi jjigae all on the menu, you can pick from lunch dishes as well as meat.

• Aged Korean pork belly (150g) ₩16,000
• Aged Korean pork neck (120g) ₩18,000
• Aged Korean pork skirt (150g) ₩18,000
• Hot pot aged-kimchi jjigae ₩8,000
• Rice, 2 bowls ₩2,000
• Total ₩62,000!

The meat looked so fresh and appetizing from the color alone.

Side dishes

The side dishes were generous — wild chive greens (myeongi-namul), scallion salad, kimchi, pickles, and braised mushrooms in soy sauce. Staff grilled the kimchi, bean sprouts, and bracken fern on the grill for us, and the colors were just so pretty..!

There were also plenty of sauces — salt, garlic, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), and salted seafood sauce! The side dish plates were clean and everything looked fresh. With lettuce and perilla leaves from the self-serve bar, we were ready to eat haha.

How were the pork belly, neck, and skirt cuts?

At Daechiok, once you put the neck, belly, and skirt cuts on the grill, staff grill them for you haha. As they grilled away, they added kimchi, bracken fern, water dropwort, and bean sprouts to the grill too — and the visual was no joke.

I had a bite of the aged pork belly first, and it was genuinely delicious.

Maybe because it's aged meat, there was no gamey smell at all, and a subtle sweetness came through the more I chewed. I could immediately see why it's known as a pork belly spot in Daechi-dong.

The aged pork neck had that chewy texture the name promises, and the fat was just the right amount so it wasn't greasy — I kept reaching for more.

The aged pork skirt had a firm, chewy bite that was really satisfying.

My daughter, who loves chewy textures, gave a big thumbs-up saying it was so good haha. Honestly, dipping it in plain salt is the best way to eat it, right? Haha.

Eating it without any sauce was delicious too,

but it also paired great with lettuce wraps and the various side dishes.

Especially the kimchi, bracken fern, scallion kimchi, and mushrooms grilled together with the meat — absolutely amazing ෆ

You have to try wrapping it in wild chive greens too haha. Having tried all three cuts, I'd say this is a pork belly spot worth naming in Daechi-dong haha.

Hot pot aged-kimchi jjigae

Daechiok's hot pot aged-kimchi jjigae is ₩8,000, and it was spicy but the broth wasn't harsh, with just the right seasoning. Taking a spoonful in between bites of meat cleared the palate nicely.

A lot of people seem to come here at lunch specifically for the Daechi-dong-style kimchi jjigae,

and my mom said that day that the kimchi jjigae broth was the best part.

Who we'd recommend Daechiok to

• Anyone looking for a pork belly restaurant in Daechi-dong
• Anyone wanting a hearty Korean meal in Daechi-dong
• Anyone looking for a restaurant near Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong
• Anyone looking for a family gathering spot near the Daechi-dong hagwon district
• Anyone looking for aged-kimchi stew, Daechi-dong style kimchi jjigae

Wrapping up

Daechiok, visited with my family!

We enjoyed all three cuts — aged pork belly, neck, and skirt — and with the hot pot kimchi jjigae on the side, it made for a filling meal.

If you're looking for a pork belly restaurant in Daechi-dong, this is a place worth remembering, whether for a family gathering or as a spot near Eunma Apartment. Next time I'll try the kimchi jeongol (kimchi hot pot) with my daughter at lunch and write it up!