Seoul Korean BBQ in Jongno 3-ga, remodeled and full at 5pm: Chowon

What changed at Chowon in Jongno 3-ga after the remodel?

Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch (초원식당) is an outdoor-tent Korean BBQ place by Tapgol Park in Jongno 3-ga, and it was recently remodeled, so it's said to feel much cleaner than before. When you think of outdoor BBQ tents, Jongno is the first place that comes to mind, right? 🍻 The weather was so nice that I headed to Jongno 3-ga on the weekend to enjoy one 🤤

Even as a total outdoor-tent addict, I still prefer somewhere at least a little clean, and especially a place with an indoor restroom, haha. I heard Chowon got cleaner after its remodel, so I paid a visit! 📍 Chowon Restaurant, 30 Jongno 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (1st floor).

Can you get an outdoor seat at Chowon's 5pm weekend opening?

I arrived a little after the weekend opening time of 5pm, and the outdoor seats were already full. Jongno 3-ga really is the outdoor-BBQ capital... oh my gosh, it was almost completely packed ...... only one spot left, sob.

It had only just opened at 5, yet it was nearly full, so my companion kept asking if it really opened at 5, hahaha. Yes, it's 5!!!! 😂

Then, as the wait got longer, they set up more tables outside, haha. I wanted to sit outdoors too, so maybe I should have waited a bit longer 🥹 Still, putting the disappointment aside, we sat inside, haha.

Chowon menu and prices

According to the Chowon menu, frozen pork belly, frozen beef belly and makchang (grilled pork intestine) are ₩18,000, hanwoo striploin is ₩28,000, and kkosun brisket (thin-sliced beef brisket) is ₩20,000. For meals, there were steamed egg and fried rice at ₩5,000, brisket doenjang (soybean paste) stew at ₩8,000 and kimchi stew at ₩9,000.

• Frozen pork belly ₩18,000
• Frozen beef belly ₩18,000
• Makchang ₩18,000
• Hanwoo striploin ₩28,000
• Kkosun brisket ₩20,000
• Steamed egg ₩5,000
• Fried rice ₩5,000
• Brisket doenjang stew ₩8,000
• Kimchi stew ₩9,000

Chowon has frozen pork belly and beef belly, but also hanwoo striploin!! Pork belly and Korean beef at an outdoor tent? Who could resist that combo, haha.

What side dishes come with Korean BBQ at Chowon?

The side dish spread at Chowon came out as a full table of lettuce wraps, kimchi, bracken (gosari), bean sprouts, green onion kimchi, chili peppers and more, a pretty generous lineup. They're all things that go well with meat.

I loved that there were kimchi, bean sprouts and bracken you can grill right alongside the meat! I'm someone who absolutely has to grill kimchi with my meat, so I love this setup 😍 Grilling kimchi and bean sprouts in the meat fat is a treat in itself!!

Hanwoo striploin: one serving ordered, the 300g Flame Hanwoo Set served

What we ordered at Chowon was the hanwoo striploin and the kkosun brisket!! I had only meant to order one serving of the hanwoo striploin, but it turned out what arrived was the Flame Hanwoo Set, 300g.

I only found out when paying. No wonder the meat looked so generous and I felt pretty full while eating, haha. But honestly I think we ended up eating better for it! One serving would have felt like too little.

The striploin quality was sooo much better than I expected!! The hanwoo was in great condition.

They also bring sesame oil dip if you ask, so you can brush it on while grilling instead of butter or dip the meat in it! The sizzle of the meat on the grill was insane~~~ It melted in my mouth, I really enjoyed it!!

The juiciness was crazy... 🤤

I wrapped it up in lettuce too, sob. The hanwoo was so satisfying that we started the meal off on a great note.

Kkosun beef brisket with grilled kimchi

Chowon's kkosun brisket (₩20,000) is thin and cooks in no time. It was next on the grill~~

It's thin so it cooks super quickly, which is perfect for an impatient person like me, hahaha.

It had a nice chewy texture, and wrapped with kimchi and bean sprouts it was really good! It's tasty on its own, but with grilled kimchi it's a combo you keep reaching for, haha.

One more serving of frozen pork belly, even when full

After the hanwoo and brisket, we added one serving of Chowon's frozen pork belly (₩18,000). We were a little full, but we wanted to try the frozen pork belly too, haha.

The classic really is the rule, isn't it? It didn't give off much fat, and personally I thought the frozen pork belly was really good, haha.

Finishing with brisket doenjang stew

We finished the meal at Chowon with doenjang stew ^^ It was rich and savory like country-style doenjang, just right for a finale. I'm cutting carbs for a while so I skipped the fried rice, but I did regret it a little, haha.

Are the restrooms clean at this Jongno 3-ga outdoor Korean BBQ?

Chowon was remodeled, and it has separate men's and women's restrooms indoors. I loved having the restroom inside 👏

It's hard to find an outdoor BBQ place in Jongno 3-ga with a decent restroom, right? Maybe because the remodel was recent, the whole place felt tidy, which made me even happier 👍 If you want the outdoor-tent mood but worry about old facilities or restrooms, keep this in mind too, haha.