Solo Korean BBQ in Ansan: curry jjageuli pork neck set at Jiglab

The age of eating alone

How do you get to Jiglab from Jungang Station in Ansan?

Jiglab (지글랩) is a 7-minute walk from Jungang Station, at Unit 3152, 1st floor, Building 3, 907 Jungang-daero, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, South Korea.

I went to a place near Jungang Station in Ansan where you can comfortably have grilled meat all by yourself! I visited around 3 p.m., and customers kept coming in. It was a bit past mealtime, so I figured this place must be popular, haha.

Solo seating and how Jiglab works

Jiglab grills the meat you order in the kitchen and brings it out as a full set, so you can start eating in about 10 minutes. That's the big thing here! No grilling it yourself and no worrying about smelling like smoke, so it's easy but still filling.

The partitioned seats mean you don't feel awkward coming alone, and if two of you come, you can ask staff to remove the partition and eat together comfortably, I think.

You can hang your bag on the back of the seat, and every booth has a phone stand, which was handy during the meal!

What are Jiglab's menu and prices?

I ordered the jjageuli pork neck set (짜글이목살한상) for ₩17,900! Top-grade Korean pork (Hanwoo's pork cousin, "HanDon") starts from ₩11,900, with the inflated pricing taken out 😎 Good value too 👍👍

I picked a set that lets you enjoy grilled meat and jjageuli (a thick, spicy-savory stew) together. The meat comes pre-grilled, and you set it on the brazier to keep it warm.

I also liked that you can refill side dishes at the self-serve corner. There's plenty of garlic in particular, so garlic lovers will be even happier. Eating the meat with grilled garlic makes it even better!

How does Jiglab's pot-grilled pork neck taste?

What I liked most about Jiglab: you don't have to grill the meat yourself!

The pork neck is grilled in a clay pot, and even watching it cook was impressive. The flames were roaring up in the pot and I got hungry, haha. The grilled pork then sits on the brazier, so it stayed warm the whole meal.

The pork neck felt like all the grease had been drained out, which I liked. It wasn't fatty or heavy, so it was clean-tasting.

It keeps that nutty meaty flavor without being greasy, so it was easy to finish without feeling weighed down.

The meat isn't pre-salted, so you get the natural taste of the pork by default, and you can dip it in salt if you like.

Grill garlic on the brazier with your pork neck

As soon as the pork neck arrives, I personally recommend grabbing garlic from the self-serve corner and grilling it on the brazier! Maybe it's because I like garlic, but eating grilled garlic with the meat was really delicious.

And the onion served on the side! Since the meat arrives already cooked, you have time to grill onion and garlic, which is convenient. If you like garlic, definitely try it. 😎

Personally, wrapping it in pickled radish (ssambu) is the best, and the fattiest piece was about what you see in the photo? It's a clean-tasting pork neck.

The rolled omelet, soup and jjageuli in the jjageuli pork neck set

I enjoyed the rolled omelet (gyeranmari) that came with the set too. It was soft and moist, nice to have between bites of meat. The soft egg texture has a different charm from the pork, haha.

Take a sip of the soup that comes with it too. It has a different charm from the jjageuli, you know, haha.

What does Jiglab's jjageuli taste like?

Jiglab's jjageuli had a slight curry scent. It doesn't hit you with strong curry, just a subtle hint that reminded me of curry rice.

It's generously filled with cubed vegetables and meat, which made it fun to eat. The hearty chunks go well with rice, and it's a different flavor from the grilled meat. Taking a bite of jjageuli between pieces of pork made the whole set feel even more filling.

The biggest plus was that you don't grill the meat yourself and the set comes out quickly after ordering, so it's an easy meal. It's easy to visit on a day you want meat alone, and it should suit people who worry about smelling like smoke or find grilling a hassle.

The short version

Jiglab, near Jungang Station in Ansan, is a place where you can comfortably eat meat alone. The pot-grilled pork neck was lean and clean-tasting, and nice to eat warm on the brazier. Its strength is that you don't have to grill anything and it's simple to enjoy! With grilled garlic and jjageuli on the side, it made a filling meal.