Yullyang-dong samgyeopsal with shiitake wasabi sauce: Anmin Yullyang

Cheongju Yullyang-dong pork belly restaurant, Cheongju Yullyang-dong meat house for company dinners, Yullyang 2-district meat and drinks spot in Cheongju — [ Anmin Yullyang ]

Today I'm writing about my visit to [ Anmin Yullyang ] in Yullyang-dong, Cheongju! Let's get started!

Where is Anmin Yullyang? Hours and parking

Anmin Yullyang is at 25-2 Yullyang-ro 201beon-gil, 1st floor, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. Hours are 12:00–23:00 with a break time from 15:00–16:30, and parking is available on the street nearby.

The exterior alone makes you wonder if this is really a BBQ restaurant — it's so upscale!

Inside Anmin Yullyang: atmosphere and the private room

Walk inside and Anmin Yullyang gets even fancier! It felt like every piece of the interior was carefully thought out. Even random shots come out looking elegant and pretty! The lighting is soft too, so it photographs really well! They seem to be quite detail-oriented, haha.

There's bamboo planted here and there! I couldn't tell if it was real or not, haha. It's probably real, right?

Further inside there's also a private room space. It seems to run on a reservation basis, so I'd recommend inquiring about the room after booking.

What we ordered at Anmin Yullyang and what it cost

What we ordered was

• Whole pork banbari set (450g) ₩41,000
• Rice ₩1,000
• Mashitte soy ramen ₩6,000
• Ilpum steamed egg ₩3,000

That's what we ordered.

Even the basic table setting was laid out so neatly. It put me in a good mood before I'd even taken a bite! I was the 5,177th customer, haha :)

The four sauces: pine-flower salt, cumin, curry bean powder, shiitake wasabi

This was one of the things I loved most about Anmin Yullyang: the variety of dipping sauces and side dishes to pair with the meat. I usually eat a lot wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang (thick soybean paste), but... hmm, here I barely reached for the lettuce or ssamjang? There were so many ways to eat it that I never touched the ssamjang once, haha.

The owner explains everything as you eat, but I figured I'd summarize it here so you can enjoy it even more once you read it and hear it again, haha.

The white powder is pine flower salt (송화염)! Unlike regular salt, the saltiness is a bit softer and there's a subtle umami flavor! Dipping the meat in it really brought the flavor to life!!!

There's also curry bean powder, and it was amazing dipped on the pork skin, haha.

I tried cumin (쯔란) for the first time, and it went so well with the pork belly that I kept dipping into it. There were also other sauces like hairtail fermented sauce, fish sauce, and cheese fondue!

My personal top pick is the shiitake wasabi sauce <<<< this one. This was so good. Just try it. I can't put the flavor into words... you just have to try it!!!! It went so well with the meat!!! There's a little kick of spice too, so you never get tired of it and keep going back for more, haha. That's it for the sauce rundown... I got a little excited there, haha.

Staff grill it for you: that first bite of pork neck

At Anmin Yullyang, the owner or staff grill the meat for you! Clearly being a pro makes a difference, because it came out perfectly grilled! I learned at Anmin Yullyang for the first time that the quality of the meat matters, but who grills it makes a real difference too! Honestly, my boyfriend and I usually avoided places where staff grill for you — it felt a bit awkward, kind of sorry to make them do it? So we tended to steer clear, but a true expert grilling really does make it taste better.

Their grilling skills were so impressive I filmed a video, haha. Isn't the meat incredibly thick?

Once it's cooked, they move it to a small grill plate! Such a thoughtful touch — even the fully cooked meat stays warm on a small plate! So we ate it warm the whole time without it ever getting cold, haha.

Wow~~ the visuals were amazing. Once they finish grilling, they explain how to eat it for the best flavor! The first bite they gave us was pork neck, dipped in pine flower salt! I still can't forget that first bite. It was so tender I wondered if it was really pork neck, and it paired insanely well with the pine flower salt. Every pork neck I'd eaten before this wasn't really pork neck; lol. It was straight off the grill and piping hot, but it was so delicious I didn't even notice the heat, lol.

Side dishes and my favorite combination

There were all kinds of side dishes — green onion kimchi, pickles, cabbage salad, yuzu ginger, garlic pickle, and more —

It was fun mixing and matching the sauces with the side dishes~~ There was ssamjang too, but it took a back seat this time, lol. I eat it often enough at home~~ so this particular day, ssamjang got benched, lol.

My favorite combo, haha — shiitake wasabi + meat! Even with nothing else on top, just this on the meat alone is delicious!

Steamed egg and Mashitte soy ramen

The steamed egg and soy ramen also came out together! The steamed egg had just the right saltiness and was delicious~~! The soy ramen broth was really rich too, haha. Having soy ramen instead of cold noodles gave the meal a whole different feel!!

Who is Anmin Yullyang best for?

Anyway, [ Anmin Yullyang ] impressed me in so many ways! Even after we finished eating, I kept telling my boyfriend how delicious it was. There are so many BBQ restaurants in Cheongju, but this one is hands down number one~~ Please, please visit. It's seriously (and I mean seriously) delicious.

The pork belly was great too, but the pork neck was truly outstanding for me. Next time I'm just getting pork neck...!!!!!!!! The staff were all incredibly kind too~~~ The interior is upscale, the restaurant is on the quieter side, and the other guests were well-mannered too! I think it'd be a really fitting place for a family meeting before a wedding, a business meeting, or any other important occasion! If you're looking for a great restaurant in Yullyang-dong, Cheongju, definitely visit [ Anmin Yullyang ]! Highly recommend it :)