Jongno Seoul Korean BBQ for juicy pork: Meongseokjip

Now that the evening weather has gotten cooler, you randomly start craving meat at an outdoor patio, right? :) Around Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong especially, there are so many Korean BBQ spots with that open-air patio vibe once evening comes—but one place always seemed particularly packed.

The place I visited this time was Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch, super popular for outdoor-style dining in Ikseon-dong! Honestly, when I think of a patio Korean BBQ place, I sometimes expect to enjoy the atmosphere while giving up a little on the meat quality, you know? But this place had genuinely great meat—such a delicious surprise!! The juices were totally there, and the staff were kind too, so I could see why the weekday wait was no joke. 👍❤

Meongseokjip between Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong: the weekday wait

Meongseokjip is between Jongno 3-ga Station and Ikseon-dong, so it is fairly easy to find :) It was right inside Ikseon-dong’s outdoor-style Korean BBQ alley!

But if you visit, I recommend being prepared to wait a bit! Because!! I went at around 6 p.m. on a weekday... and I was shocked because this was the one place absolutely buzzing with people.

Of course, a wait was unavoidable, and I had to wait about 47 minutes. It was like this even on a weekday, so I thought weekends here must be truly intense.

Meongseokjip waiting tip

There is a machine by the entrance to register for the wait, and the important thing is to put your name down quickly as soon as you arrive, before the crowd builds up. You can choose an outdoor or indoor seat here, and I simply checked “no preference”! That meant I got seated faster than I expected.

For reference, Meongseokjip’s indoor area does not feel closed off like a typical Korean BBQ restaurant. Visit in this season and you can really get that outdoor-dining feeling ❤

An Ikseon-dong Korean BBQ restaurant where indoors still feels outdoorsy

Meongseokjip has indoor tables within a hanok-style space, but it is open enough that it was lovely to eat while still taking in the outside atmosphere ❤ You can see the blue sky and feel the breeze, so I did not think it was necessary to insist on an outdoor seat. Personally, I found the inner space much more comfortable than the outdoor tables along the alley.

At a busy outdoor patio, the tables can naturally be close together, and the smoke from grilling meat and people moving around can get a little hectic. The seats inside felt like they kept the outdoor-patio mood while making the meal more comfortable? If you want both the patio atmosphere and a relaxed meal, I think the indoor seats would be plenty satisfying too.

Ordering the Meongseok Set and its thick-cut meat

This was the menu at Meongseokjip, the outdoor-style Korean BBQ restaurant in Ikseon-dong. The prices were similar to the other places in the patio alley! We ordered the Meongseok Set: two servings of aged pork belly plus one serving of flower pork neck!

The dish came with pork belly and pork neck, and the meat was much thicker than I expected, beautifully pink, and looked such good quality that I got excited :)

We grilled the thick pork belly first, and wow—the part that really surprised me after one bite!! When I visit a patio Korean BBQ place, I tend to care more about the atmosphere, so I do not usually have huge expectations for the meat itself. Even at other outdoor BBQ places in Jongno, I had not often thought the meat was amazingly delicious. But Meongseokjip’s meat was different!!

As soon as I had that first bite, I immediately thought, this place is the real deal for meat!! 👍❤ We cooked it golden-brown on the grill, and the juices burst out! It was full of rich, savory flavor and honestly so good that the drinks went down way too easily.

After the pork belly, we grilled the pork neck right away, and it was also moist and easy to enjoy without any dryness. The pork belly had that savory, fatty charm, while the pork neck was leaner and let the flavor of the meat itself come through. Alternating between the two definitely kept it from getting too rich, and I was glad we ordered the set ❤ The portion was generous enough to make us completely full! If you are looking for a Jongno patio Korean BBQ spot, you can absolutely expect great meat too.

Steamed egg and moist kimchi fried rice

The steamed egg we ordered as a side. We got one to eat with the meat, but it was much tastier than expected, so I kept reaching for it.

It was soft and fluffy steamed egg, and a bite of meat followed by a spoonful of egg was quite the combination. Putting the steamed egg on the meat grill and cooking it a little gave it a new flavor too ❤ Personally, I recommend ordering the steamed egg at Meongseokjip!

And then the fried rice we ordered while eating the meat! The kimchi fried rice came already fully stir-fried on foil like this :) It was not the dry, crumbly kind of fried rice—it had a moist texture, so even though I was full, I kept eating it ❤ Truly the kind where you say, “Should I just try one spoonful?” and then keep going. It was so good that we finished it in no time 😍

I was also very satisfied with the side dishes. We could get unlimited green onion kimchi, kimchi, bean sprouts, and garlic from the self-service bar, and I really enjoyed them ❤ At places like this, when there are lots of people, you can feel bad constantly calling the staff. It was nice to simply pick up whatever we needed comfortably from the self-service bar.

A clean indoor restroom is another plus

And one huge plus! The restroom was really clean :) With an outdoor-style Korean BBQ place, it is easy to assume the atmosphere will be great but the restroom will be far away or the facilities will be a little disappointing... but I was happy with everything at Meongseokjip. The restroom was inside, and it was a very clean, modern one, which I loved 😍😍

Why it makes a great Ikseon-dong date-night dinner stop

Meongseokjip was located in Ikseon-dong’s meat alley. It looked perfect for a route where you visit cafés or look around Ikseon-dong, then come to Meongseokjip for meat for dinner 👍 Ikseon-dong has lots of pretty cafés and hanok alleys, so it is popular for dates. Rather than only hopping from café to café, having meat in an outdoor-patio atmosphere for dinner made the day feel quite complete 😍

Just remember, the wait is no joke, so go early and put your name down in advance!

Why Meongseokjip in Jongno is so popular

After visiting myself, I could understand why there is a wait even on weekdays. The outdoor-patio atmosphere was so nice, and the indoor space was open enough that there was no need to feel disappointed if you could not get an outdoor table :) And most of all, the surprising part was the meat. Meongseokjip’s meat quality was genuinely great!! Both the pork belly and pork neck were full of juices, which I loved 😍 In the end, this was a place I went for the atmosphere and left satisfied with the food too.

It is popular enough to have a wait even on weekdays, so if you are looking for an outdoor-style Korean BBQ restaurant in Ikseon-dong, I recommend getting there early and registering for the wait ahead of time ❤ The meat flavor is guaranteed, so enjoy a patio Korean BBQ meal while taking in the cool autumn breeze.