Munjeong M State Korean BBQ and minari fried rice: Minari Naengsam

Today I want to introduce Minari Naengsam, a pretty flower-shaped naengsam (frozen thin-sliced pork belly) restaurant near Munjeong Station in Munjeong M State. The pork belly here is rolled from Grade 1+ domestic sow pork, flash-frozen, then sliced thin so the cross-section blooms like a flower.

And get this — the minari, brought in fresh from Garak Market every single day, is all-you-can-eat!! Apparently it takes a full hour just to clean the minari once it arrives. Giving all that carefully prepared minari out unlimited really shows the level of care that goes into this place.

Where is Minari Naengsam? 3 minutes from Munjeong Station, 1st floor of Munjeong M State

This is the exterior of Minari Naengsam. It's a 3-minute walk from Munjeong Station, tucked in the middle of the first floor inside the Munjeong M State building. I figured it would be hard to find with so many good restaurants around Munjeong Station, but once I got close, the smell of delicious naengsam pulled me right in. Go left past Geumbyeol Beer and it's right there.

Minari Naengsam hours and free parking at Munjeong M State

Hours are Monday to Saturday 15:00–24:00, closed every Sunday. Parking is available at the Munjeong M State underground lot, with 2.5 hours free. There's a spacious parking area on B2 of the underground lot.

At Minari Naengsam, the minari is unlimited refill, and the flower naengsam is ₩14,900 while regular naengsam is ₩13,900. The prices are great value, so I could eat comfortably without worrying too much.

Inside Minari Naengsam: an office dinner and date spot near Munjeong Station

This is the inside of Minari Naengsam. I visited on a weekday evening, and it seemed like a spot a lot of people come to for office dinners near Munjeong Station or for dates. From how they slice the meat to every single side vegetable, everything is prepared with real care, so it makes sense that they have a lot of repeat customers.

The banchan: Maldon salt and a scallion salad sauce eight years in the making

These are the basic side dishes at Minari Naengsam. I was so happy because it was full of banchan I personally love. Well-seasoned scallion salad, perilla-seed gochujang, mustard leaf kimchi, scallion kimchi, Maldon salt, Dr. Pepper pepper — it was all perfect. Even the salt wasn't just basic table salt but Maldon salt, and the scallion sauce is apparently one they've refined for over 8 years. On top of that, the sesame oil is pressed straight from domestic sesame seeds at a local mill, and dipping the meat in it is incredibly nutty and rich.

Minari Naengsam menu and prices: what we ordered

Here's the Minari Naengsam menu board. There are five kinds of meat: minari flower naengsam, fresh pork belly roast, 1++ Korean beef chadolbagi, naengsam, and pork jowl (bbolhangjeongsal). There were also side dishes to eat alongside the meat, like country-style cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew), fried rice, and tteokbokki.

• Minari flower naengsam ₩14,900 x3
• Minari fried rice ₩4,900

Today we ordered '2 servings of minari flower naengsam and minari fried rice,' and the naengsam was so good we ended up adding one more serving. The fried rice here is genuinely delicious too, so definitely give it a try!!

Minari flower naengsam, 14,900 won: pork belly cut that blooms like a flower

The '2 servings of minari flower naengsam' we ordered arrived. It looks nothing like the usual long, strip-shaped naengsam, right?! Apparently, rolling Grade 1+ domestic sow pork and flash-freezing it before slicing thin results in that flower-blooming shape. The shape of the meat was fascinating, and honestly the meat itself was just really good quality — not cheap stuff, the juices were clearly still alive in it. Serving it up rustically in a pot was kind of adorable too.

The flower naengsam cooks almost instantly once it hits the grill — a great place to enjoy naengsam quickly and deliciously. The minari and kimchi, both brought in daily from Garak Market, were placed on the grill even before the meat went on.

Wrapping the flower naengsam with minari and kimchi together creates a really special harmony in your mouth. The minari and kimchi cooked in the naengsam's fat were genuinely delicious too. The staff even sprinkled Dr. Pepper pepper, sitting on every table, flipping the meat front and back as they went. Adding that pepper aroma makes the naengsam taste even better.

The meat itself is delicious, but with side dishes this solid, it makes you want to come back again. The scallion salad is seriously incredible. Apparently they've been refining this sauce for over 8 years, and you could really tell how much heart the owner puts into the food.

It's not just the scallion salad that's good — the scallion kimchi and mustard leaf kimchi are delicious too. I've been obsessed with mustard leaf kimchi lately and even bought some for home, so seeing it at the restaurant made me unreasonably happy. With minari, grilled kimchi, mustard leaf kimchi, scallion kimchi, scallion salad, and more all lined up to eat alongside the naengsam, this place is delicious no matter how you eat it.

Minari fried rice, 4,900 won: finishing with a soft-boiled egg heart

We polished off all three servings of flower naengsam and then ordered fried rice too. The owner put the fried rice and egg right on the grill for us. The egg was cooked soft, exactly how I like it haha — and because they were in such a good mood, they shaped it into a heart. The minari fried rice was seasoned really well, and it even developed a crispy nurungji (scorched rice) layer at the bottom, so I ate it happily. I wanted more fried rice but was too full — a little disappointing. Next time I'm going back with a friend who loves minari.

If you're near Munjeong Station or Munjeong M State looking for a pretty, flower-shaped minari naengsam restaurant, I recommend Minari Naengsam!!