Self-serve banchan bar at a Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ: Chowon Restaurant

Lately the evenings have turned cool with a gentle breeze, and it's been one of those stretches where going straight home just feels like a waste. On nights like this, you basically need meat and a shot of soju at an outdoor tent table to feel properly recharged! So the second I clocked out, I made plans with friends and headed straight to Chowon Restaurant, which has been blowing up on Instagram and blogs around Jongno 3-ga lately.

Where is Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch, and when is it open?

Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is at 30 Jongno 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in the outdoor tent alley behind Tapgol Park. It's a quick walk from Jongno 3-ga Station, and it's open daily from noon to 10pm.

The Jongno 3-ga tent street usually gets packed once night falls, but since the restaurant is right in the alley, it wasn't hard to find. We got there just after 7pm after leaving work right on time, and the tent atmosphere was already in full swing.

Outdoor tent tables at Chowon Restaurant: is there a wait?

Heads up: on weekends or during evening peak hours, the outdoor tent seats at Chowon are popular enough that a wait can happen, so I'd recommend getting there a bit early. The moment we arrived we grabbed a spot at one of the outdoor tables, and the lively, homey buzz of the place had us in a good mood before we'd even ordered the meat.

Watching people pass by, feeling the open-air breeze while grilling meat — that tent atmosphere alone made the trip worth it.

Free refills at the self-serve banchan bar

For the basic banchan (side dishes), Chowon has a separate self-serve bar where you grab as much as you like yourself.

Honestly, at a lot of BBQ places it feels awkward to keep asking staff for banchan refills, but here you can go back to the self-serve bar for green onion salad, garlic, ssamjang and more as many times as you want without any awkwardness — genuinely convenient. The bar was kept very clean too, and every single banchan was seasoned just right to go with the meat.

What comes in the 53,000 won pork belly set

After going back and forth over the menu, we went with the pork belly set, the signature dish everyone apparently orders most. It costs ₩53,000, and the portion was seriously generous — 270g of frozen pork belly plus 270g of beef short rib belly, about 540g total, just the right amount for two or three people to enjoy as drinking food.

Given how expensive Seoul has gotten, getting this much meat for this price right in the middle of the Jongno tent street feels like excellent value.

Grilling frozen pork belly and beef brisket belly

Once we laid the beef short rib belly and frozen pork belly on the heated grill, it started sizzling and cooking fast. The beef short rib belly is thin so it cooks quickly — I tried a piece first dipped lightly in sesame oil sauce, and the moment it hit my mouth, savory fat spread through and the tender texture was fantastic.

The pork belly, grilled until nicely crisp and wrapped up with green onion kimchi, garlic and chili, had zero dryness — the savoriness was incredible!

At some cheaper pork belly places you sometimes get a gamey smell or way too much rendered fat that turns greasy, but Chowon's meat had absolutely no gamey smell — clean and savory, the kind you can't stop eating.

Is the 8,000 won beef brisket doenjang jjigae worth adding?

After going hard on the meat, we started craving something hot and rich in broth, so we ordered the beef brisket doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew, ₩8,000) as a side.

This doenjang jjigae was a genuine plot twist. Along with tofu and vegetables, the stew was loaded with brisket, so the broth flavor was incredibly deep and rich. The savory soybean paste base with just the right amount of brisket fat melted in — the moment we tried a spoonful, we all shouted that the broth was insane!

After all that fatty meat, one sip of this brisket doenjang jjigae broth washed away the greasiness completely and settled my stomach — perfect as a side dish and somehow like a hangover cure at the same time!

If you visit, definitely add the beef brisket doenjang jjigae!

Mixing soju-beer with soju and Terra

With a combo this perfect between the meat and the stew, drinks were non-negotiable, so we ordered soju and Terra and mixed up a refreshing soju-beer. With the breeze drifting through the outdoor air, the lively vibe, and the meat and stew both on point, the drinks went down way too smoothly that night.

Downing a cold glass of soju-beer and then popping in a perfectly grilled piece of pork belly — the whole day's fatigue just melted away.

Who should eat at Chowon Restaurant in Jongno 3-ga?

Overall, between the food, the convenience of the banchan bar, the service, and above all that distinct tent-street atmosphere, there was nothing lacking about this visit.

• Anyone near Jongno who wants pork belly and soju-beer with real outdoor tent vibes after work
• Couples looking for a date with a different kind of atmosphere
• Friend groups planning a drinking night out

Before it gets any colder, I'd really recommend grabbing an outdoor tent table and trying the pork belly set with the beef brisket doenjang jjigae combo. I'm already thinking about rounding up my friends again for a repeat visit soon!