Hongdae pork BBQ with anchovy dipping sauce and chili: Chopilsal

My sister and I were trying to figure out where to go for good pork belly in Hongdae, so we ended up at Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch. I didn't know this, but Chopilsal is apparently super famous in Busan. My sister had eaten there in Busan and loved it, so she was thrilled a branch opened in Seoul.

Where is Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch, and what are its hours?

📍 It's about 273 meters from Exit 1 of Hongik University Station, an easy walk. Head toward L7 Hotel and you'll find it past Mega Coffee.

⏰ Hours are Mon–Thu 12:00–24:00, Fri–Sat 12:00–2:00am, and Sun 12:00–2:00am. Last order is 23:00 Mon–Thu and 01:00 Fri–Sun. The closest parking is Doros Parking Tower, they said. Reservations and group bookings are both possible, so it looked like a good spot for gatherings too.

They're also famous for ogyeopsal here, but apparently the pork skin is especially good. They say this is the original location, so I went in with high expectations.

A 5:30pm Sunday visit: how long until the wait started?

The weather's been so nice lately that they had the doors open instead of running the AC, which gave it a bit of an outdoor-grill feel and a great atmosphere. The table spacing was comfortable too, good for sitting with friends and enjoying the meat. It was the perfect vibe for good meat and a drink.

We got there around 5:30pm on a Sunday, a bit early, but by the time we finished and left around 6:30pm, the place was packed and there was even a waiting line. If you're planning to go to Chopilsal, I'd recommend reserving ahead or avoiding peak hours to eat comfortably.

There's a sign about being the original location, so they seem quite proud of it. I trusted it and dug in.

Chopilsal Pork Grill's menu and what we ordered

Chopilsal Pork Grill mainly serves various cuts of pork. There's everything from ogyeopsal to dwitgogi to pork skin, and it was nice to order several cuts together and pick based on preference. That day I ordered salted ogyeopsal + dwitgogi + pork skin 🤍

The weather was so cool and pleasant, plus that outdoor-grill feel ~ it was the perfect day for meat.

Side dishes and the four dipping sauces

The side dishes came out with a surprising variety — chili peppers, garlic, kimchi, perilla leaves, and even myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves). Everything tasted like it was made in-house, and it was all delicious. Really savory, the kind that gets your appetite going.

There were four types of sauces: soybean powder, gochujang, a special house sauce, and salt with wasabi. I dipped the meat in a bit of everything, but meat really does taste best with melitjeot (fermented anchovy sauce), and dipping the pork skin in soybean powder plus the special sauce was so good.

We also mixed up the scallion salad that came with it and ate it alongside the meat. I love these scallion-type side dishes, so we didn't leave a single one uneaten haha.

Simmering melitjeot with two cheongyang chilies

The ogyeopsal and dwitgogi we ordered arrived. The moment I saw the meat, I thought the quality looked really good. It was very fresh.

Then the melitjeot came out, and I love melitjeot. Any restaurant that serves melitjeot has real substance. My sister said it's delicious if you slice cheongyang chili into it and simmer it, so we put in both chilies. It was definitely spicier and sharper, with even more savory depth. Picking out those chili pieces soaked in melitjeot while eating the meat cut through any greasiness perfectly.

Salted ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly)

We started by grilling the salted ogyeopsal we'd ordered first. True to ogyeopsal form, the lean meat and fat were well balanced, so a nutty aroma rose up as soon as it hit the grill.

The outside grilled up golden-brown, and one bite in, the juices were rich and moist. But the texture was really what got me — chewy and nutty, the kind of bite you keep going back for. It was seasoned with salt, so it was delicious even without any extra sauce. If you like the pure nutty flavor of the meat itself, I'd recommend the salted ogyeopsal.

Dwitgogi (pork neck cuts)

Next up, dwitgogi (pork neck)! It has a completely different texture from ogyeopsal, so ordering both together made the meal more fun. It was chewy with a good bite, giving that real sense of eating meat. Where the salted ogyeopsal felt soft and nutty, the dwitgogi was a bit more chewy and clean-tasting.

Grilled pork skin, without the greasiness

Last was the pork skin we ordered. It comes pre-grilled and then gets cut on our heated grill plate. The outside was crisp and well cooked, the inside chewy and soft, and dipping it in the special sauce made it even better.

I usually don't eat pork skin much at BBQ places because it tends to be too greasy. But here, maybe because it really is the original, it had none of that greasiness — just great texture and nutty flavor. Really delicious.

Is Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch worth a visit?

If you're looking for a place to eat meat with friends in Hongdae, or trying to figure out dinner near Hongik University Station, give Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch a try. Especially recommended if you want to eat multiple cuts of pork beyond just samgyeopsal in Hongdae 🐷🔥