Pork BBQ dinner for couples in Seomyeon, Busan: egg yolk sauce, Don J

Busan trip dinner: heading to Don J Busan Seomyeon for pork BBQ

What should we eat for dinner on our Busan trip? After some thought, we went for meat and headed to Don J Busan Seomyeon (돈제이 부산서면점) in Seomyeon. It's within walking distance of Seomyeon Station, which made dinner easy, and it was introduced as a place to enjoy pork in a retro setting.

When you travel, daytime meals tend to be quick little bites, but once evening comes I always crave a hearty feast of meat on a hot grill.

Don J Busan Seomyeon location, hours and parking

Don J Busan Seomyeon is at 52 Gaya-daero 784beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, 1st floor, 308 m from Exit 7 of Seomyeon Station. It's open 17:00–01:00, last order is at 23:50, and there is no parking.

• Address: 52 Gaya-daero 784beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, 1st floor
• Hours: 17:00–01:00 (last order 23:50)
• Parking: not available
• 308 m from Exit 7 of Seomyeon Station

A flaming pig sign in a Seomyeon alley

Walking through the Seomyeon alleys, the flaming pig illustration of Don J caught my eye first. The entrance already felt different from an ordinary BBQ place, and with big photos of seasoned deodeok (bellflower root), Cheongdo Hanjae minari (water dropwort) and highland kimchi stuck up out front, it was hard to just walk past.

Yellow tables and round trays: retro vibes

Inside Don J Busan Seomyeon, the yellow tables, round trays and wall decor all gave off old-school charm. It's a different kind of fun from the neat, newly styled BBQ places you see these days.

It was dinnertime and customers were filling the seats one by one. The mood is comfortable for anyone in Seomyeon looking for a BBQ place that doubles as a pub, to grill meat and have a drink.

Don J pork neck belly for ₩38,000: what do you get?

What to eat? After a short think, we ordered the pork neck belly (목삼겹살) for ₩38,000 at Don J Busan Seomyeon. It comes on a big plate with thick-cut meat, king oyster mushrooms and chives, and the thickness of the meat was impressive right away.

It looked like you could enjoy both the rich fat of pork belly and the meaty flavor of neck, so I was excited even before it hit the grill.

The side dishes arrived piled on a huge aluminum tray. Shredded scallion salad, kimchi, bean sprouts, bracken, garlic, sauces and more. There were so many that changing up the combination with every bite was part of the fun.

Thick pork neck belly grilled by the staff

A staff member put the thick pork neck belly on the grill and cooked it golden for us. The sizzling sound and the smell of the meat made me even hungrier.

Once the outside was nicely browned and cut into bite-size pieces, I tried a piece, and the savory flavor kept building the more I chewed.

The fatty parts were soft and the lean meat wasn't dry, so my husband ate it happily too.

The best sauce combo for pork neck belly

The best combination at Don J Busan Seomyeon was dipping the pork neck belly in egg yolk mixed with shredded Cheongyang chili pickles (청양고추장아찌채). Don J offers a variety of sauces, and the yolk and Cheongyang chili pickle combo was the best of them.

We also ate it with just a light dip in salt, topped with scallion salad, and with kimchi and bean sprouts, trying all sorts of ways.

If you're looking for pork belly near Seomyeon Station and like thick cuts of meat, Don J's pork neck belly is a decent choice.

After the meat: kimchi stew and yeolmu bibimbap

It felt a shame to stop at just meat, so we also ordered kimchi stew and yeolmu (young summer radish) bibimbap with meat at Don J Busan Seomyeon.

The kimchi stew bubbled away at the table, so it stayed hot to the end. The red broth was topped with plenty of scallions, and a spoonful between bites of meat left my mouth feeling fresh.

But what really grabbed my attention was the yeolmu bibimbap. In a big aluminum bowl came young radish, bean sprouts, seaweed flakes, lettuce, meat and a fried egg on top. Very generous.

After mixing it up, the meat and radish were evenly spread through the rice, and the crunchy radish with the savory meat kept my spoon going back for more.

Pork neck belly, a spoonful of kimchi stew, then a bite of yeolmu bibimbap again... we kept scraping the bowls while saying we were full. When you look for naengsam (thin-sliced chilled pork) or pork belly places in Bujeon-dong, the meal dishes matter as much as the meat, and Don J has sides to eat alongside, so it made for a filling dinner.

Ice cream service after the meal

Don J Busan Seomyeon offers ice cream as a service after meals. As we were paying and about to leave, there was ice cream, so my husband and I each picked one and finished the night cool and refreshed. I don't know why an ice cream tastes so good after meat, haha.

Busan trip dinner in Seomyeon: Don J Busan Seomyeon verdict

That was our Busan trip dinner at Don J Busan Seomyeon. In a retro setting we grilled thick pork neck belly and filled up on kimchi stew and yeolmu bibimbap too. In the end we couldn't finish all the meat and left a little. Thinking about it now, what a wa-ste.

If you're looking for a BBQ place or pub for dinner in Seomyeon, Busan, Don J Busan Seomyeon is worth a try for enjoying meat and meal dishes together. With cool ice cream afterward, our Seomyeon dinner as a couple ended on a happy note.