Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ, pork belly in naengmyeon and a self-bar: Cham

I'm totally hooked on hot-spot hopping around Jongno 3-ga lately! When you think of Jongno 3-ga, it's easy to picture only the pojangmacha (street tent bar) alley or old-school vibes, but I found a place that goes head-on with meat quality. It's Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점). It's an all-time great meat spot for filling up with friends over a drink, so I'm bringing you the review right away.

Where is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch, and what are the hours?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is at 1 Donhwamun-ro 5-ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, on the ground floor of the CGV Picadilly 1958 building. It's a 1-minute walk from Exit 2-1 or Exit 3 of Jongno 3-ga Station.

• Hours: Mon–Sat opens at 12:00 and closes at 23:30
• Sunday: opens at 12:00 and closes at 22:30
• Catch Table reservations available
• No parking

Atmosphere and wait times at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

Because it's on the ground floor of the CGV Picadilly 1958 building, it felt incredibly fresh and comfortable from the moment I walked in. The restroom is inside the restaurant too, which made me super happy! Inside, the tables are spaced widely, and I instantly understood why it's so popular for gatherings and company dinners. There's a wait in the evening, so check the Catch Table waitlist before you go!

What we ordered at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch, and the prices

We ordered 2 servings of black pork belly (₩19,000 × 2), Jirisan kudzu cold noodles (mul naengmyeon, ₩7,000) and steamed egg (₩5,000), which came to ₩50,000 in total.

• Black pork belly ₩19,000 × 2
• Jirisan kudzu cold noodles ₩7,000
• Steamed egg ₩5,000
• Total ₩50,000

The moment we finished studying the menu, we ordered 2 servings of Jirisan black pork belly along with the Jirisan kudzu cold noodles and the steamed egg! Most people order naengmyeon (cold noodles) as a closing dish, but I couldn't give up that combo of wrapping well-cooked belly right into cool noodles!

Side dishes and the Allat Kit self-serve bar

The basic setup and the dishes we ordered arrive on the table one after another, and the side dish lineup is neat and no-fuss from the start.

If you run short, use the self-bar! The Allat Kit self-bar!

Boseong black pork belly: do the staff grill it for you?

Yes. At Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch, staff are assigned to each table and grill the black pork belly for you until the end. The meat was a visual shock from the moment it was served.

The pinkish-red color of the black pork belly and the pork belly was so vivid, and the ratio of fat to lean was a golden balance. I could see why it has earned the title of a top Jongno 3-ga pork belly spot, recognized by so many office workers and foodies. The staff are grilling masters who take responsibility to the end, so there's no worry about burning the meat; you just chat comfortably and wait. Super easy

Steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) while the pork cooks

The steamed egg (₩5,000) came out first while the meat was cooking and worked as an appetizer to calm our hunger. It arrives in an earthenware pot filled to bursting, fluffy, super soft and moist, and it felt like it melted the second it hit my mouth! The seasoning was just right too, the perfect appetizer to soothe an empty stomach.

Thin potato slices grilled alongside the pork

Thinly sliced potatoes come out too. They soak up the meat fat on the grill and turn crispy, and wrapping the meat in them is a lot of fun. This combo is sneakily addictive, I couldn't stop!

After grilling it golden on both sides, the staff cut the meat into bite-size pieces and line it up so neatly that the look was art, and I had no choice but to pick up my camera.

How does Cham Dwaejitgan's black pork belly taste?

The black pork belly has the skin still attached, so every bite is extremely chewy. The clean taste of the lean meat, the rich nuttiness of the fat and the springy texture of the skin come together in a perfect three-beat harmony. If you care about texture when you chew, this will absolutely knock you out.

The fat isn't overly greasy; it's a refined nuttiness that goes down clean and light, so you keep eating without getting sick of it. Have a piece with grilled kimchi and fragrant minari (water dropwort) and it feels like you're standing in Jirisan and the Boseong gardens

Wrapping pork belly in Jirisan kudzu cold noodles (naengmyeon)

I ordered the Jirisan kudzu cold noodles (₩7,000) together with the meat from the start, and used them for wrapping the belly once it was fully grilled. The noodles that had been waiting since we ordered finally had their time to shine!

The broth has floating ice crystals, the noodles are made from kudzu so they stay chewy, and neat radish garnish sits on top. Just looking at it cools you down to the chest. I added a little vinegar and mustard and gulped the broth first, and it was so cold it made my head ring, with a tangy-sweet flavor that was amazing.

Roll a piece of chewy belly, fresh off the grill (?), around the noodles and send it straight into your mouth... ahh,,,, that spicy, nutty, cool combo makes you exclaim on its own. The naengmyeon broth wipes away the meat's richness so cleanly that you keep eating without getting tired of it. I praised myself for ordering them together five million times!

Who is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch best for?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch nailed all three: ridiculously good access at 1 minute from the subway station, a comfortable space in the CGV Picadilly building with no restroom stress, and above all the unmatched flavor of Boseong pork, said to be raised on green tea and turmeric and elevated with rice-husk smoking.

• People looking for a date or a clean gathering spot near Jongno
• People who want to taste authentic premium pork that is juicy with no gamey smell
• People who want to enjoy unusual rice-husk-smoked meat in a comfortable grilled-for-you system

If you're looking for the meat spot of your life near Jongno 3-ga, don't hesitate and run to Cham Dwaejitgan, a top Jongno 3-ga pork belly spot. Oh, and don't forget the cold noodles and steamed egg combo!