Jongno 3-ga Seoul Korean BBQ weekend line mistake: Tapgol Gongwon

An outdoor quick-frozen pork belly favorite near Jongno 3-ga Station

Is there anyone who doesn't know this place...? Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch, hot on Instagram, is a quick-frozen pork belly restaurant right next to Tapgol Park near Jongno 3-ga Station — and even with a weekend opening run, it took a jaw-dropping 1 hour 30 minute wait to get in.

Weekend waiting at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga: skip the line, register on TableIng

Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch opens at 5pm. So I showed up at 4:50pm, and sure enough people were already lined up, so I rushed to join the line. Sigh...^^

I asked the people ahead of me if just standing in line was enough, and they said they'd just lined up too... but it turns out that's not how it works! Hahahaha, neither of us knew, lol. After waiting about 10 minutes, the people in front of us told us we needed to register a number through TableIng, so I rushed off to sign up. Don't just line up — register on TableIng at the front of the store!!!! We weren't the only ones who didn't know.

Daily 17:00–01:00 (next day)

I registered on TableIng for this quick-frozen pork belly favorite near Jongno 3-ga Station at 4:59pm. There were already about 35 teams ahead of us, haha. Impressive, even for an opening run.

After watching people file in, we decided that since things had turned out this way, we might as well go have a first round somewhere else and come back — so we went drinking around Jongno 3-ga lol. We'd waited 1 hour 30 minutes, and when we got the call to come in, we ran over mid-drink lol.

Seated at 6:35pm at a back table facing the stone wall

Arrived at 6:35pm at Tapgol, this hot outdoor BBQ spot in Jongno 3-ga!!! By my photos, the front of the restaurant was so packed it looked stressful just to eat there, but we got lucky and sat in the back. Lucky girl strikes again...

There's a basket in the middle of the table, and if you open it you'll find cups, soju glasses, spoons, and chopsticks haha. I'd already read someone else's post so I knew they were in there — if I hadn't, I probably would've called a staff member lol.

Side dishes were already set up before we even sat down haha. Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch is such a hot spot with nonstop customers that as soon as people leave, the table gets cleared and reset immediately. Fast, so fast.

What we ordered from the Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga menu

Since we'd already had a first round, we kept it light — two servings of frozen pork belly, soju, and cola. We ordered steamed egg but got brisket doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) instead lol. We just ate it, and honestly it was even better.

Bracken, kimchi, and bean sprouts grilled on the pan are so good — I've been going to outdoor BBQ spots a lot lately and eating a ton of pork belly, its perfect partner, and even after eating it several days in a row it still tastes amazing.

(Digesting round one with some cola.) Do you see that stone wall!!!!!! The atmosphere is insane. We really nailed the seat.

Quick-frozen pork belly ₩18,000 per person (photo above shows 2 servings)

Tapgol, this quick-frozen pork belly favorite near Jongno 3-ga Station, serves generous, delicious portions, which is why so many people wait to visit it as a Jongno 3-ga favorite. Above all, the outdoor BBQ atmosphere is just so good.

I want to come here every day.... I really mean it....

Apparently Jongno 3-ga was ranked No. 1 coolest neighborhood in the world by Time Out lol. National pride aside, if I were a foreigner visiting Jongno 3-ga, I don't think I'd want to go home lol. Your eyes just light up~ Once you have frozen pork belly and soju at an outdoor BBQ here, you won't be able to leave.

Lettuce and sides at the self-serve bar

I got lucky and ended up at a table right in front of the self-serve bar. So lucky. Lettuce doesn't come with the basic side dishes, but you can grab it from the self-serve bar~~~

A wrap is essential when eating meat. Tapgol Gongwon serves salted squid (jeotgal) as a basic side dish, and surprisingly it pairs really well with the frozen pork belly!!!

I'll be sad once the cold snap hits.... but it's still hot during the day, so let's hit up outdoor BBQ a bit more!!!!

Yep, this is the taste.

Brisket doenjang stew instead of steamed egg

We ordered steamed egg but got brisket doenjang stew by mistake haha. The broth was delicious and loaded with brisket, so it turned out even better!!!! At first when the stew arrived we just assumed it was a basic side dish and ate it, but then we noticed other tables didn't have it — and it took us a while to realize the steamed egg had been mixed up with the stew, haha.

I love eating meat with wasabi, but if you put in too much, it really stings your nose.

Every time I visit, I get why Jongno 3-ga is the No. 1 hottest neighborhood in the world haha. Even I would vote it No. 1.

There's no one who dislikes frozen pork belly, right? Amazing frozen pork belly eaten right by Tapgol Park in Jongno 3-ga!!! Go enjoy it before it gets even colder!!!!

With such a great atmosphere and delicious frozen pork belly, the soju just tastes even better at this quick-frozen pork belly favorite near Jongno 3-ga Station, Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch!!!!! I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for an outdoor BBQ spot in Jongno 3-ga!!!!