Seoul Korean BBQ better than Jeju: black pork 600g in Sinnonhyeon

Today I'm reviewing a restaurant I went to last Saturday evening — after a good workout and a good meal of meat, haha.

The place I visited is on the same subway line as my gym — line 9, Sinnonhyeon Station — a Sinnonhyeon Korean BBQ spot everyone raves about: Deo Bareun Jeongyuk Sikdang (더바른정육식당). Apparently they're originally famous for hanwoo (Korean beef)..! But as someone from the countryside, hanwoo is something you eat on ~important occasions~ ✨ So instead of hanwoo, we went with black pork. And..? The black pork here... it's better than what I've had in Jeju! Here's my review of black pork that beat the black pork I ate in Jeju itself, let's go take a look.

Where is Deo Bareun Jeongyuk Sikdang Sinnonhyeon, and when is it open?

Deo Bareun Jeongyuk Sikdang Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Station Main Branch is located at 482 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, ground floor, a one-minute walk from Exit 3 of Sinnonhyeon Station.

• 📍 Address: 482 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, ground floor
• ⏰ Hours: Mon·Tue·Wed 11:00–23:00 (break 14:30–16:30 / last order 22:30) — Thu, Fri, Sat are currently during Chuseok holiday so I can't confirm exact hours ㅠㅠ
• 📅 Regular day off: every Sunday
• 🌕 Chuseok holiday hours: Sep 24 (Thu) 12:00–22:00, Sep 25 (Fri) closed, Sep 26 (Sat) closed
• ✨ Amenities: reservations · group bookings available · takeout · separate men's/women's restrooms · Wi-Fi

Is there parking at the Sinnonhyeon branch?

Naver showed parking info like this! If you park in front of the restaurant it's free, and if that lot fills up, it's ₩5,000 per 2 hours. There weren't that many spots in front though.

It looked like about 4 cars could park in front of the restaurant.

Whoa — I'd heard this was a great spot for group dinners, and when we arrived around 8pm, there were tons of people waiting out front! Had to push through, haha.

So many Blue Ribbon stickers plastered on the front! I've been burned by Blue Ribbon a lot lately so honestly I don't trust it much anymore... but this place, I gotta admit, earns it!

Inside Deo Bareun Jeongyuk Sikdang: booking a private room

The entrance to Deo Bareun Jeongyuk Sikdang is pretty small so I didn't expect it to be this big, but it's actually a proper large restaurant. Time for a little Red Ribbon flex ❤️ they've held it steadily since 2024.

Since it's a butcher-shop style restaurant, there's a whole display case where you can pick out cuts of meat! Everything looked fresh.

And in the middle there were rows of group tables seating around 8 people each, so this really does seem like a go-to spot for group dinners and gatherings. We had booked ahead through Naver Reservation, so we were shown to a private room.

What we ordered at this Gangnam Korean BBQ

I thought I'd taken a photo of the menu but forgot, haha. So this is pulled from Naver Place — it's identical to the actual menu. We ordered Jeju geun-gogi (black pork, 600g), hanwoo buchu suljab, bibim Hamheung naengmyeon for dessert, and an extra bowl of rice!

Since we'd reserved ahead, the table was already fully set when we arrived!

The banchan side dishes that come with the black pork

Baek-kimchi (white kimchi) and pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi) — both delicious.

And myeong-i namul (mountain garlic leaf pickle), salad, and pickled radish.

Lettuce tossed with spicy gochugaru (chili flakes) — that was my favorite side to wrap with!

And then the charcoal made its entrance..! Colored just right, like something out of a cartoon — it looked like the burn level was really well controlled. That kind of steady heat is exactly what you need for a crisp-outside, juicy-inside result, right?? It looked perfect for that.

And since we ordered black pork, its trusty partner myeoljeot (fermented anchovy sauce) came out too. Honestly, eating black pork without myeoljeot feels a bit sad ㅜ. We also ordered an extra bowl of rice to go with everything! My companion Yuju eats quite a lot... someone who eats 600 grams of rice in one meal... ㅠ

Jeju geun-gogi: which cuts come in the 600g of black pork?

Here comes the 600g of black pork...! At Deo Bareun Jeongyuk Sikdang, the 600g black pork comes as an assorted plate — pork belly and neck meat are standard, and depending on the day you also get either gabrisal (shoulder blade meat) or pork jowl, whichever cut is better that day. We got pork belly, neck meat, and jowl — jackpot!

The great thing about Deo Bareun Jeongyuk Sikdang is that they grill everything for you ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I can't live without a place that grills the meat for you... it seemed like every table had its own dedicated server.

But seriously, doesn't the color just look amazing? It's been a while since raw, ungrilled meat looked this good. That bright reddish-pink color — it's good. The scoring — also good, good.

After one flip? Even better color comes out~~

Anyone else here who has trouble talking while watching someone grill their meat right next to them? I really can't seem to talk properly when someone's grilling meat for me, haha. That thick neck meat got sliced so cleanly, I wanted to say I was jealous of those scissors, but I held it in, haha.

Meanwhile Yuju set up my plate — ssamjang (dipping sauce), salt, lettuce. Quietly just getting things ready to eat, that vibe...

But wait, hold on — I definitely came here recently after eating samgyeopsal (pork belly) until I was stuffed and swore off pork for a while, haha, but coming here changed my mind again. It felt totally different from the samgyeopsal I had that time? Even the way it's grilled, down to the details, is different.

The waiting... the patience... honestly Yuju and I had a bit of an argument that day, but I got so absorbed in the meat that I kind of forgot about it, haha.

But really, the server seemed to be seriously skilled at grilling meat. The color, the size — nothing was off.

Grilled garlic and the wire-rack grill setup

Haha, is there anyone else who loves grilled garlic?! If you mention it, they add a bit of oil and put it on the grill pan for you. Of course, if you ask, they'll also bring raw garlic separately!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle... this is the textbook version of grilled garlic! And it's domestic garlic here — none of it is shriveled.

Once the meat's roughly cooked, they place a small wire rack inside the grill pan and set it there! So the meat doesn't burn. The very first piece that's done gets put on your plate, and the rest go on the rack like that.

How we ate it: salt, baek-kimchi and seasoned lettuce

I think the first piece has to be with just salt, as a matter of principle. It's like a way to enjoy the meat's own natural flavor.

Second, we ate it wrapped with baek-kimchi — haha, it's a little disappointing that it's not grilled kimchi, but it still satisfies the craving.

Baek-kimchi, seasoned lettuce, geotjeori (fresh kimchi), pork belly, and ssamjang all in one bite. Is there anyone else besides me who thinks 'excess sodium intake = excess happiness intake'? Haha.

Hanwoo buchu sulbap and bibim Hamheung naengmyeon to finish

Doenjang suljab (fermented soybean rice soup)!!! But not just any doenjang suljab — this one's hanwoo buchu suljab (Korean beef and chive version). Is it just packed with chives?

Nope,,,, the moment the ladle went in, I was shocked. Onion, zucchini, and more come up along with the rice, and the portion is huge. There's a decent amount of hanwoo in there too, so the broth is quite rich. The rice was also cooked to just the right texture.

The grilled mushrooms too,,, cooked so evenly~ exactly the level of doneness I love ㅠ

A tasting portion of bibim Hamheung naengmyeon (spicy cold buckwheat noodles). Even though it's the mixed (non-broth) version, there was still a decent amount of broth, which I liked.

Nice touch — they brought naengmyeon scissors, mustard, and vinegar in a fresh bowl!

Honestly, we only ordered this for Yuju, but even as a tasting portion it was pretty generous, so I ended up getting some too, haha. I've had trouble eating much lately due to gastritis, but it was so good it went down easily.

Final verdict: is this Sinnonhyeon black pork worth a return trip?

It was a very satisfying Saturday evening — good workout, good meat. I always thought black pork tastes best in Jeju, but personally, Deo Bareun Jeongyuk Sikdang's black pork was better than the black pork I've had in Jeju!

The meat was fresh and looked great even before cooking, but most of all, having a staff member grill it for us meant we got to eat it in exactly the right state without any hassle. The pork belly, neck meat, and jowl were all delicious, and there was a good variety of sides — baek-kimchi, seasoned lettuce, myeoljeot — so it was fun mixing and matching different combinations.

The restaurant is spacious with lots of group tables, so it seems like a good spot for company dinners or gatherings, and being able to eat in a private room by reserving ahead was a nice bonus! If you're looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant near Sinnonhyeon that grills the meat for you, this is a place I'd recommend 🥩 Would I go back?!