Bongmyeong-dong pork BBQ in Cheongju: half belly, half neck at Sanjang

Cheongju Bongmyeong-dong pork belly restaurant [ Sanjang Samgyeop Main Branch ]

Today I went to eat my boyfriend's favorite food, pork belly, at [ Sanjang Samgyeop ] in Bongmyeong-dong, Cheongju! I went once before, not long after it opened, and this was my second visit! The first time, I was amazed by the visuals, and it was just as delicious this time :)

Where is Sanjang Samgyeop in Cheongju? Address, parking and hours

Sanjang Samgyeop Main Branch is on the 1st floor of 193 Baekbong-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, and it's open 16:00 – 02:00. For parking, you can use the lot next to Jongno Maekga (Bongmyeong-dong 2862), the shop right beside Sanjang Samgyeop, and if that's full, street parking on the main road is allowed after 6 pm.

We ended up parking in an alley near Bongmyeong-dong!

Even the exterior is finished in wood, so it looks like a barbecue restaurant tucked in the mountains! Maybe that's why it's called Sanjang ("mountain lodge") Samgyeop, haha!

Smoke-free dining room and how long the wait is

We visited Sanjang Samgyeop Main Branch on a weekday evening so there was no wait, but apparently if there is a wait, they give you a service item based on how long you waited! Such a nice touch.

I was a little surprised walking into the dining room! The barbecue places I know are usually full of smoke and loud like a bar, but here there was no smoke at all and it wasn't too noisy, which I loved :)

The interior is really cute! But not cramped at all! The tables are spaced generously so you don't hear other tables' conversations too loudly, and we could talk comfortably through the whole meal haha. Like the outside, the inside is done in wood too! The concept is on point!!! Taste matters, but I think a restaurant's concept matters too!

Aprons and napkins are placed close by at every table!

This utensil holder is so cute haha, I wanted to get one for my own home too!!!!

What two people ordered and what it cost

At Sanjang Samgyeop Main Branch we ordered the minari pork belly set (for 2) for ₩35,000 (one portion neck / one portion belly — you can choose the split), a bowl of rice for ₩1,000, Sanjang naengmyeon (cold noodles) for ₩6,000, self-serve fried rice for ₩2,500, and a zero-sugar cola for ₩2,000, for a total of ₩46,500. For a meal for one adult man and one adult woman, ₩46,500 is pretty cheap, right?

The side dishes are lettuce, perilla leaves, pickled radish, and green onion salad! They also give ssamjang, salt, and wasabi — most people dip meat in ssamjang, but I like eating it with wasabi haha.

The minari pork belly set (for 2) comes with 300g of Korean fresh pork belly (or neck) + minari + a whole roasted king oyster mushroom + Korean beef intestine jjaglee (stew)! Since the stew comes included in the set, you don't need to order a separate stew :)

Korean beef intestine jjaglee included with the set

Even though the beef intestine jjaglee is just a basic part of the minari pork belly set, the portion was as big as if we'd ordered it as a standalone dish! They said if you run low on broth or sauce, they'll refill it! So don't be shy about digging in — though we didn't end up asking for a refill. They gave us plenty from the start anyway?!

I was surprised there was quite a lot of intestine in it too! Simmer it for about 3 minutes and the intestine cooks quickly, so we ate the jjaglee with rice while waiting for the meat haha. I'm not sure if they use aged kimchi, but the kimchi was seriously delicious. Total rice-thief; I almost finished my whole bowl on it but held back since I still needed room for the meat haha;

Minari pork set for 2 (35,000 won): order half belly, half neck

While we were picking away at the jjaglee, the meat came out already grilled! Since the meat is grilled before it's served, it takes about 10 minutes. Just so you know!

Can you see the visuals? It's insane. Usually at a barbecue place the vegetables come on a separate plate, but here they put everything together on the grill plate, which I loved! There was a sauce on the grill plate too — looked like some kind of jeotgal (salted seafood)? I'm not sure exactly which kind... I should have asked, ugh. It was salty, right up my alley! I've been trying to get enough fiber lately with my diet, and I got all my fiber for the day at Sanjang Samgyeop haha.

With so many different vegetables you can eat it in so many combinations, so it never got boring and I just kept eating! Minari really does pair best with the meat haha. Meat + minari + kimchi, dipped in the jeotgal — absolutely delicious. You have to try it!!!!!!

Honestly, I don't usually eat pork neck much. I always felt it was kind of dry! So I mostly stick to pork belly, but the neck here is seriously so tender. It's also really thick, and the meat tasted like it had some seasoning already worked in — a bit salty in a good way! It was tasty even without any extra seasoning. I recommend ordering half neck, half belly!!!!!

Sanjang naengmyeon, cold noodles in broth for 6,000 won

The Sanjang naengmyeon (mul naengmyeon, cold noodle soup) is ₩6,000, and they bring it out partway through the meat course! Timing was on point. They don't give you separate vinegar or mustard, but honestly you don't need them — the broth seasoning is just right and it pairs so well with the meat!

You know how a sip of cold noodle broth refreshes you right when things start feeling greasy? You have to order the mul naengmyeon!!!!! I love eating meat with naengmyeon together, so whenever I go to a barbecue place I always order it. It's cheap and the portion is generous, so we slurped it right up.

They even served the cola with a cup of ice!! As a cola fanatic, I was genuinely touched. And why are the glasses here so pretty? I wanted to sneak one home haha..

Self-serve fried rice, 2,500 won: stir it into the jjaglee

Sanjang Samgyeop's self-serve fried rice is ₩2,500, and we ordered it just as we were almost done eating! We deliberately left about 3 pieces of meat and some vegetables!!! So we could mix them with the fried rice haha (a strategic eater). When you order the self-serve fried rice, they give you seasoning sauce, sesame oil, seaweed flakes, and a bowl of rice!

There was even an instruction sheet next to it explaining how to fry it! We first tried frying it on the grill plate the standard way, and then after a few bites we added a ladle of jjaglee too!

Do the jjaglee fried rice, seriously;; both ways are good but the jjaglee version is on another level.... It's genuinely so good!!!! If you're planning to have fried rice, make sure to save a few pieces of meat!!!!

I made a heart shape with it myself haha. Left it for about 5 minutes like this and it turned slightly crispy like nurungji (scorched rice), which was so good. I want to eat it again just writing about it;; Definitely save room for fried rice!! It's a must.

Instant coffee, arcade game and the 10% return-visit coupon

As we were about to leave after finishing, there was a mixed coffee machine so you could have coffee after the meal!

Is this some kind of coin-operated game?! I feel like it was really popular a long time ago, but anyway, there's an arcade game here too!!!!

And after paying and heading out, they gave us a 10% discount coupon for our next visit! (The bear on the coupon is ridiculously cute too.) I'm going to hold onto this and use it next time I visit!

Why staff-grilled pork suits dates and work dinners alike

We had such a satisfying meal at Sanjang Samgyeop today! The best part was honestly that the meat comes already grilled! When you're grilling it yourself, the flow of the meal keeps getting interrupted, and the most annoying part was always the oil splattering while grilling — getting on your chopsticks and everything was so uncomfortable — but since the meat here comes fully grilled, there was no battle with oil splatter at all, which I loved!

Is it just me who gets oil splattered on my phone too? Anyway, I used to always have to wipe my phone screen with a wet wipe after eating meat, but this time we could eat cleanly without any of that hassle!

I also think this would be great for a work dinner! No need for the usual awkward standoff over who's going to grill the meat haha!! Since it's clean with no oil splatter, it works great as a date spot too ~~ and for a meal with parents ~~~ too! Your clothes won't even smell like meat afterward, so you can wear something nice! Meow.

The portions were huge too, we ate until we were stuffed! And it's kind of amazing that eating until we were stuffed only cost ₩46,500 haha. The meat quality was great too~~~ and the side dishes and extras that came with it were all delicious! The staff and the owner were all so kind, and it was a perfect dinner!!!!

If you're looking for a great pork belly restaurant in Cheongju, I highly recommend [ Sanjang Samgyeop ] in Bongmyeong-dong, Cheongju :) You won't regret visiting!