Whole skirt steak and pork belly BBQ near Jayang Station: Donstar

These days a lot of people head down to the Hangang River, and Ttukseom Resort near Jayang Station is especially popular since Line 7 drops you right there — better transit access than most other river spots. There are also plenty of good restaurants nearby, for delivery or for eating in.

After enjoying the river and working up an appetite, I went to Donstar Charcoal Grill, known as a go-to spot near Jayang Station for group dinners.

50 meters from Jayang Station, easy to find after a river walk

Donstar Charcoal Grill is only about a 50-meter walk from Jayang Station, which makes it easy to swing by after a stroll or a workout at the Hangang riverside park.

Location of Donstar Charcoal Grill, a pork belly restaurant near Jayang Station

An in-house meat-aging fridge

Walk into Donstar Charcoal Grill and you immediately see a meat-aging fridge — not tucked away in the kitchen, but right in the dining area. Having the aging fridge out where customers can see it felt like a sign of real confidence in the meat.

The interior was kept clean and the ventilation ducts were well set up, so even though it's a meat-grilling restaurant, it didn't get smoky at all — which I appreciated.

Table setting that comes with garlic saeujeot

As soon as we sat down, the table setting arrived, with side dishes that paired nicely with the meat.

One thing that stood out at Donstar Charcoal Grill is that both garlic saeujeot and plain saeujeot come out, which make the meat taste even better.

Whole skirt steak and pre-seared pork belly

The meat we ordered arrived soon — whole skirt steak (galmaegisal) and pork belly (samgyeopsal). Skirt steak is usually served pre-cut, but here it comes whole, which is a signature touch. The deep red, fresh-looking meat made it obvious even by eye that the quality of the raw cut was excellent.

The pork belly comes pre-seared, which means it cooks through even faster.

A separate burner for the free doenjang-jjigae

Interestingly, Donstar Charcoal Grill has a second burner right on the table. Doenjang-jjigae comes as a free side, so there's no need to order it separately — you just enjoy it alongside the meat.

While the meat was cooking, the doenjang-jjigae worked as a side dish all on its own. At most places you'd have to order it separately, so getting it free here was a nice touch.

Staff do the grilling over charcoal

With a sizzle, the whole skirt steak and pork belly went on the grill. Because the skirt steak is grilled whole, the juices stay locked inside instead of escaping, so it comes out crisp outside and tender inside. Staff grilled the meat themselves, so we didn't have to worry about it at all — we could just chat with everyone and wait for it to cook, which made the meal even better.

Trimming the connective tissue on skirt steak properly is key, and this one had clearly been cleaned up well — it looked like it would grill nicely without any extra work.

Before long, the whole skirt steak and pork belly had turned a golden brown.

So how did the pork belly and whole skirt steak taste?

The pork belly was crisp outside and juicy inside, and one bite delivered that deep, subtle charcoal-fire flavor unique to this style of grilling. I started out just dipping it in saeujeot, and honestly, with meat this good, that alone was delicious.

The whole skirt steak had a completely different texture and aroma from the pork belly, and it was delicious paired with the two sauces. Well-aged skirt steak had no gamey smell at all, just a rich flavor — and since it's not the kind of whole-cut skirt steak you get to try everywhere, the taste left an even bigger impression.

Good for a group get-together or work dinner?

Maybe because the raw meat quality was so good, everything we tried was delicious. Since you don't have to worry about grilling and can just enjoy the meat, Donstar Charcoal Grill is a solid choice for a group gathering or a work dinner.