Nohyeong-dong black pork restaurant, 1kg from 3pm: Pork80 Jeju

One-line review of Pork80 Jeju Airport Branch

Native Jeju black pork Nanchuk Matdon, plus mel jorim and grilled scallions — happiness wasn't far away, it was right here in Jeju,,,

Pork80 Jeju Airport Branch location and opening hours

• Address: 37-1 Noyeon-ro, 1st floor, Jeju-si, Jeju, South Korea (Nohyeong-dong 914-1)
• Hours: Daily 11:30–23:30

Why Pork80 for black pork right after landing?

Trip to Jeju with Jini >_< The moment you land at the airport, you have to eat black pork — that's a traveler's destiny. While debating which black pork restaurant near Jeju Airport to try, I picked Pork80 Jeju Airport Branch, a place I'd heard even Choi Ja had visited. It was so good we ended up eating 1kg between the two of us and downing four bottles of soju starting at 3pm — here's the honest review. This is Pork80, where you can taste native Jeju black pork called Nanchuk Matdon.

Pork80 Jeju Airport Branch sits in Nohyeong-dong near the airport, and you can get there by bus in 10-15 minutes after landing — accessibility is great.

No wonder the interior feels like a cool mix of old and new. The owner seems young too.

Ordering 600g of Nanchuk Matdon and the horned turban seafood stew

Pork80's signature dish is Nanchuk Matdon, native Jeju black pork. We started with one plate, 600g, priced at ₩7,200. We figured 600g would be enough for two of us,,, little did we know we'd end up eating 1kg between us,,,

For a side, we also ordered the horned turban seafood stew. Price: ₩10,000.

There's a good variety of sake too...! Oh but of course we ordered Hallasan 21% ^^ The thick-cut black pork tastes even better because the owner grills it himself.

The owner brought us a hair tie and a bib — so sweet. Jini using the gap to sneak out and buy a hangover cure — so sweet too.

Side dishes at Pork80: seasoned raw crab, corn salad and fresh kimchi

Whoa, it's rare to get raw crab as a side dish at a Jeju meat restaurant — jackpot. For dipping the meat, there's matcha salt and something else — ssamjang maybe? There's also my favorite corn salad, and the kimchi is the fresh-mixed style I love too. Plus shredded scallions, pickled onion, pickled perilla leaves, and radish kimchi. Really solid side dishes. Everything is curated to bring out the flavor of the meat perfectly. The thick-cut black pork tastes even better because the owner grills it himself.

Aaah the meat has arrived. Look at that gorgeous color and the perfect ratio of fat to lean meat. And the scallions look so fresh too.

The mel jorim (fermented anchovy braise) that comes standard, and the seafood stew we ordered.

How was the horned turban seafood stew?

The stew is generously loaded with horned turban shells, abalone, and other seafood. As a former Jeju resident, I haven't often seen it served this generously. Better than most seafood stew places. The broth is clean and spicy-hot, great for a spoonful between bites of meat. Eating it with soju really settles your stomach ^^ Right when the meat starts feeling heavy, a sip of the stew broth resets everything,,

Thick-cut black pork grilled by the owner himself

The owner grilled the meat for us personally. The flavor of meat really depends on who grills it and how, so having him do it and grill it well meant we just had to sit back and enjoy — jackpot.

Ah, it's ready — cheers, cheers. One bite of the side dish, ah — wait, this meat is actually delicious? A single piece of well-grilled black pork and you can really taste the juiciness and flavor. Depending on how you eat it, this thing has so many faces — a real chameleon.

How to eat Nanchuk Matdon: matcha salt, wasabi, mel jorim, grilled scallions

First, just a simple dip in matcha salt to enjoy the meat's natural flavor. Then a touch of wasabi to enjoy the harmony of fat and wasabi. Then a bit of the chili from the pickled perilla leaves. Then dipping the meat deep in the mel jorim. We also grilled scallions alongside the meat, and that was a kick too. Eating lightly grilled scallions with the meat is already good, but add the mel jorim and the combination is truly great. Especially dipping the meat deep in mel jorim, then eating it together with one anchovy and scallion — argh, why didn't we order rice. The salty, savory anchovy paired with the black pork brings out even more flavor in the meat, and the scallion adds texture on top. Jini fell completely for this combo hahahahaha

The mushrooms were unbelievably juicy too,,, everything was perfect.

1kg of black pork and four bottles of soju from 3pm

Haha honestly I was full but,,, Jini couldn't hide the excitement of being in Jeju,,, so we ordered another 400g, ₩48,000.

Oni: ,,,can you really eat it all? Let's just add one more serving / Jini: I can eat it all

OK,,,,hahahahahahahahahahaha but it went in anyway. Landing in Jeju and going straight for 1kg of black pork and four bottles of soju starting at 3pm. What couple even eats like this hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Honestly we held back this much because it was going to be a long night,,,^^ (turns out they went to a fifth round that night,,) Even the music playing at the restaurant was so much our generation's music. Oppa, I already want to go to Starbucks — dropping that line too much. Arriving in Jeju straight into good meat, upbeat music, and a mood boost.

Final verdict on Pork80 Jeju Airport Branch

Pork80 Jeju Airport Branch was a place to properly taste native Jeju black pork, Nanchuk Matdon. The owner grilling it himself meant we could eat comfortably, and the combination of dipping the meat in the standard mel jorim was impressive. Adding grilled scallions on top meant we could keep eating the meat in different ways without ever getting tired of it. The horned turban seafood stew was cool and spicy, perfect for eating between bites of meat and sips of soju. Landing in Jeju and diving straight into 1kg of black pork and four bottles of soju from 3pm made for a satisfying, proper first meal of the trip.