Jayang-dong Korean BBQ with charcoal brazier pork belly: Ssamchae

I was craving pork belly, so I finally went back to a Jayang-dong favorite, Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal (쌈채솥뚜껑삼겹살)!

As the name suggests, this place is mainly known for iron-lid grilled pork belly (솥뚜껑삼겹살). Personally, when I eat pork belly, I prefer pairing it with fresh vegetables rather than just eating meat nonstop, so I'd had my eye on this place for a while.

Where is Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal and when is it open?

Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal

Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal is within walking distance from Guui Station Exit 4.

It's open daily from 12pm to 12am, and closed every Monday.

The interior is really spacious with 4-person tables. There's storage space under the chairs for coats and bags so they don't soak up the meat smell.

Iron-lid and charcoal set menu prices at Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal

The iron-lid set menu is ₩57,000 for a half or ₩84,000 for a full, and the charcoal set is ₩61,000 for a half or ₩92,000 for a full. This is Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal, a Jayang-dong Korean BBQ favorite.

Unlimited wrap greens and grilling vegetables

The biggest draw here is unlimited wrap greens! From basics like lettuce to several kinds of fresh vegetables, you can grab as much as you want, and there's also unlimited grilling vegetables to cook alongside the meat.

Usually ordering extra wrap greens with meat feels like it adds up, but here you can just help yourself as much as you like, haha! For someone like me who wraps a big lettuce bundle for every bite of meat, this place is exactly my type!

Pork belly for two, swapped from the iron lid to the charcoal brazier

This time I thought about ordering the signature iron-lid pork belly, but decided to switch it up and order charcoal-grilled pork belly instead.

What we ordered was

• Charcoal-grilled pork belly for 2
• Doenjang stew (soybean paste stew)
• Steamed egg
• 2 glasses of ₩1,900 draft beer

That's what we ordered!

Watching the pork belly turn golden brown on the charcoal grill made my mouth water just looking at it, hahaha. The pork belly was thick enough to have a good chew, and the crispy edges were nutty and full of juice — delicious.

Piling on a generous amount of wrap greens, adding a piece of meat, plus garlic and side dishes — pork belly really is all about the wrap.

I also grilled the vegetables alongside the meat, and as they cooked in the rendered pork fat, they turned out to be a surprisingly nice treat. Eating vegetables in between bites of meat cut through the richness, so I kept reaching for more.

₩1,900 draft beer at this Jayang-dong Korean BBQ

Best of all, the draft beer was only ₩1,900, so pairing a glass with pork belly felt totally guilt-free. At that price, how could you not order a drink with your meat, hahaha.

Cheese-topped steamed egg and a hearty doenjang stew

At Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal, a Jayang-dong Korean BBQ spot, I'd definitely recommend trying the steamed egg (계란찜) side dish too! I expected a plain steamed egg, but it came piled with cheese on top, making it even richer and softer.

With the cheese melted into the piping hot steamed egg, it was much richer and nuttier than a regular steamed egg. Eating a bite of pork belly followed by a spoonful of steamed egg turned out to be a great combo.

The doenjang stew also came loaded with more ingredients than I expected — plenty of tofu, plus zucchini, mushrooms, and more, so it wasn't just a broth to sip but one where you get to pick through hearty chunks.

It arrived bubbling hot, so having a spoonful of warm broth between bites of meat was comforting, and it made me want to eat it with rice too, haha.

Who will enjoy this Jayang-dong pork belly restaurant?

Personally, I love Korean BBQ places that offer generous side dishes, and with steamed egg and doenjang stew included, this turned into a pretty filling meal.

What I liked just as much as the food was how kind the staff were! Every time I've visited, the staff have treated us so warmly that it made the whole meal more pleasant. That's part of why I keep coming back whenever I get the chance, haha.

If you're looking for a pork belly restaurant in Jayang-dong, this unlimited wrap-greens Korean BBQ spot — with plenty of fresh vegetables to wrap and grill, not just meat — should suit you well. Iron-lid pork belly is the signature dish, but I'd also recommend trying the charcoal-grilled version like we did!

Loading up on fresh wrap greens for the pork belly, grilling vegetables on the side, and finishing with cheese steamed egg and a hearty doenjang stew made for a very satisfying meal.