Pork belly and gondre rice in Nam-gu, Busan: Donnamu Jip

This is Donnamu Jip (돈나무집), a pork belly barbecue restaurant in Daeyeon-dong, Busan. It is in the lively area near Kyungsung University, where you can try a variety of dishes centered on high-quality Jirisan pork belly. It is also just a three-minute walk from Exit 1 of Kyungsung University–Pukyong National University Station, so it is easy to get to!

The pork is quality meat from Jirisan, and the rice and kimchi are Korean-grown too, making everything even more delicious! Donnamu Jip near Kyungsung University takes pride in an unchanging flavor made with honest ingredients.

Inside the restaurant and seating

I arrived at around 5 p.m., practically right at opening, but one group was already happily sizzling their meat away. There is room for around seven parties at four-person tables, and its cozy atmosphere makes it a nice place to return to for grilled meat near Kyungsung University! The seats are the lidded metal-stool style; open the lid and you can store bags, belongings, and clothes inside, which is such a great use of space.

What did we order?

Take a look at Donnamu Jip's menu too. Today, I chose the 360 g platter, gondre rice, country-style doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and country-style bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles). I ended up ordering almost everything, and the excellent quality and natural flavors made this feel like the kind of place I would want to become a regular at. Gondre rice takes about 15–20 minutes, so order it when you are about halfway through the meat to keep the meal flowing smoothly.

Check the country-of-origin board too. The signature pork is from Jirisan, while the rice and kimchi are also Korean-grown.

Pork belly table setting and grilling combinations

The basic table setting arrived. There were lettuce and perilla leaves for wrapping the meat, along with bang-a herb, plus plenty of kimchi for grilling, sliced seasoned scallions, ssamjang, salted shrimp, garlic, and chili peppers!

A full platter of Jirisan pork belly arrived. It came neatly pre-cut, so it was easy to grill and eat right away, yum yum. Its pale pink color alone had my mouth watering like crazy, haha.

Vegetables to grill alongside it came too. When the potatoes, garlic scapes, and mushrooms cook in the pork fat, they become lighter yet even more savory—so good.

Just let everything sizzle away on the grill like this. The basic quality of the meat was so good that watching it cook already felt like a guarantee of deliciousness. Make sure to grill the potatoes and all the vegetables nicely too!

Put a piece of well-cooked pork belly on lettuce and wrap it up properly with grilled mushrooms, garlic, salted shrimp, and all sorts of other bits! Wrapping it with bang-a herb brings out an even deeper flavor and aroma, and that is another special treat. I rather like bang-a myself, but it is an ingredient people either love or hate, so you can ask to leave it out in advance.

How did the bibim guksu go with the meat?

I ordered the bibim guksu too. It was loaded with seasoning and had wonderfully chewy noodles, just the thing to wake up the appetite. Cut it once with scissors, then mix it thoroughly with chopsticks so the seasoning coats everything well~

It is delicious even on its own, but bibim noodles are definitely 200% more tasty wrapped up with meat like this. Whether at home or dining out, this combination is an absolute must—so, so good!!

Gondre rice and bang-a country-style doenjang jjigae

The gondre rice arrived too, and adding perilla oil then giving it a quick mix transforms it into something even more fantastic. It was wonderfully sticky and generously portioned enough for two people, and it made the best combination with stir-fried kimchi and the bang-a doenjang jjigae.

I served myself some gondre rice into a small bowl and got ready to dig in.

With just roasted seaweed and the house soy sauce, you could easily finish a whole bowl of rice.

Put gondre rice on seaweed, add the soy sauce, and wrap it up like this—it is seriously satisfying!

I also ordered the bang-a country-style doenjang jjigae. The bang-a made it even nuttier, with a deeper aroma, and it was so tasty.

It was full of fresh ingredients including tofu, sujebi dough flakes, bang-a, potatoes, and onions, and mixing it with rice is when it really shines.

The gondre rice was great mixed into the doenjang jjigae or eaten with stir-fried kimchi; either way, it disappeared straight into my stomach in no time.

They were running a review event, and I spotted a new drink, so I chose that. It was Green Plum Sparkling Zero, which had a clean finish and gave me a little sugar boost at the end, making it perfect for cleansing the palate.

Location and hours

The address is 53-1 Yongso-ro 7beon-gil, Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu, Busan, South Korea, and the restaurant is open daily from 17:00 to 23:00.