Munjeong Station Korean BBQ: Hanwoo 1++ brisket & pork belly at Minari

In this post I'm introducing Minari Naengsam (미나리 냉삼), a great restaurant near Munjeong Station. When you need to get your energy back, meat is the first thing that comes to mind, right? Not long ago I found an absolutely amazing BBQ place in Munjeong-dong!

The minari (water dropwort, a fragrant Korean herb) is all-you-can-eat and so fresh, and the combination with the meat is crazy! The raw meat quality was perfect too. From the flavor to the service to the side dishes, nothing was lacking at this Munjeong Station gem. Here's my honest review in detail!

Where is Minari Naengsam and what are its hours?

Minari Naengsam is at 114 Beopwon-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Building C, Units 127 and 128, in the M State building. It's just 127m from Exit 4 of Munjeong Station on Line 8, about a 2-minute walk.

It's open Monday to Saturday, 16:00–24:00 (last order 23:30), and closed every Sunday. Please check before you go, since Sunday is a regular day off!

Minari Naengsam menu and prices

Here are the main meat dishes at Minari Naengsam.

• Minari Flower Naengsam (thin-sliced pork belly): ₩14,900
• Minari Fresh Pork Belly Roast (160g): ₩15,900
• Minari Hanwoo 1++ Brisket (120g): ₩18,900
• Minari Pork Jowl: ₩13,900

For our mains we ordered the fresh pork belly roast and the brisket, and we added steamed egg, rice and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) on the side!

What side dishes come with the basic table setting?

It's a generous basic setup, with everything you need for BBQ.

The basic setting is packed with essential side dishes that go perfectly with the meat.

• Spicy-sweet green onion salad (pa-chae): the seasoning wasn't overdone and really got my appetite going
• Fresh lettuce: clean and crisp, without a single wilted leaf
• Well-fermented green onion kimchi: sharp yet deep in flavor, it cut right through the richness of the meat!
• A variety of special sauces: salt, ssamjang (seasoned bean paste), special soy sauce, plus wasabi and whole garlic, so you can enjoy the meat just the way you like it.

You can feel that every little side dish was cared for, so my expectations were sky-high even before the meat came out!

The signature: unlimited minari refills

The biggest strength and charm of Minari Naengsam is its "all-you-can-eat fresh minari"! At many other minari pork belly places, they give you only a small amount and charge for extra, but here they pile on top-quality, clean minari right from the start and keep refilling it generously!

• Minari quality: the stems weren't too thick or tough, and the subtle aroma with that crunchy bite was a work of art!
• Grill setup: they pile minari and nicely sour whole-cabbage kimchi on one side of the grill, and the smell of them sizzling in the savory fat from the meat is seriously insane

If you love minari, that alone is reason enough to recommend this Munjeong-dong BBQ place!

Main meats: Hanwoo brisket and fresh pork belly roast

The main meats were freshness itself! We ordered the Hanwoo (Korean beef) brisket and the fresh pork belly roast.

The color of the meat is something else, isn't it..?

Minari Hanwoo 1++ brisket (120g / ₩18,900)

The moment the brisket arrived, with bright red meat and marbling spread evenly like threads, I was wowed by how it looked. True to top-grade Hanwoo 1++, the quality was outstanding.

It cooks quickly with a "sizzle" as soon as it hits the grill. Wrap a well-grilled piece around some slightly wilted minari and dip it in the special sauce... and the savory juices and the fragrant minari burst in your mouth and just melt away!

Minari fresh pork belly roast (160g / ₩15,900)

This is fresh, not frozen, pork belly, with a good thickness and a fantastic ratio of meat to fat.

The fresh pork belly grilled golden on the grill is crispy outside and juicy inside. There's no porky smell at all, and the savory flavor really shines.

Make a wrap with grilled kimchi, green onion kimchi and grilled minari, and you'll keep eating without ever getting tired of it..!

Three sides: rice, steamed egg and doenjang stew

A BBQ meal feels incomplete without something to round it out, right! We ordered rice, steamed egg and hearty doenjang jjigae, and even the sides were well made.

Freshly cooked hot rice: perfect with the savory brisket or the stew. The portion was bigger than at other BBQ places, too!

Fluffy "bomb" steamed egg: a soft steamed egg served with sesame seeds and chili flakes sprinkled on top. Take a big spoonful and it neatly resets your palate.

Rich, hearty doenjang jjigae: the bubbling stew has a deep, savory yet spicy broth that's the real deal. It's packed with tofu and other ingredients, and mixed into hot rice it washed away the greasiness of the meat. I polished off a whole bowl of rice!

Verdict: is Minari Naengsam worth it near Munjeong Station?

• Unbeatable all-you-can-eat minari: you can enjoy fresh minari to your heart's content, so great value and satisfaction!
• Top-grade meat quality: from the Hanwoo 1++ brisket to the fresh pork belly, the freshness is first-rate!
• Perfect sides and banchan: from the basic dishes like green onion salad and green onion kimchi to the stew and steamed egg, everything tasted homemade and great!

If you're looking for a truly delicious BBQ place around Munjeong-dong, or want to enjoy fragrant minari pork belly to your heart's content, I wholeheartedly recommend [Minari Naengsam]! I plan to drop by often whenever I have business at Munjeong Station!!