Uijeongbu pork BBQ restaurant open in the morning: Geuttaegeujip

After dropping the kids off at kindergarten, my husband and I headed out early for some bonding time — this is my real review of the pork belly feast at Geuttaegeujip (그때그집), a hidden gem in Uijeongbu's new town.

It's a 24-hour Korean pork specialty spot that's kept its lights on for 20 years straight, and the combo of fresh pork belly and pork neck grilled golden on a cauldron lid with chewy, spicy soft tofu stew with dumplings was easily the best meat meal I've had in a while.

It was the perfect spot for a get-together with fellow parents — let me share the real flavor of Geuttaegeujip, a 24-hour pork belly spot in Uijeongbu's new town.

Which Uijeongbu BBQ restaurants open in the morning?

Geuttaegeujip is a 24-hour Korean pork restaurant in Uijeongbu's new town where you can grill pork belly even in the morning. That's exactly the time slot for a couple whose only free window is the gap between drop-off and pickup.

On a rare day when my husband and I wanted a little parenting-teamwork celebration, our only free time was the window between dropping the two kids off at kindergarten and picking them up at lunch, haha.

But that morning I was suddenly, insanely craving thick, savory fresh pork belly!

I searched diligently, but finding a BBQ place open that early turned out to be surprisingly hard, ugh.

And then I finally found it — Geuttaegeujip, a 24-hour pork belly spot in Uijeongbu's new town whose lights haven't gone out in a full 20 years!!

Every parent in the world who wants to heal with delicious pork belly right after drop-off should gather here, haha.

Geuttaegeujip: a 20-year group-dinner regular in the Uijeongbu Station food alley

Geuttaegeujip sits in the Uijeongbu Station food alley, a genuine local hangout where regulars who were twenty-somethings back in the day now return hand-in-hand with their own kids.

With no time restrictions — open 24 hours, every single day — it was truly an oasis for morning-shift parents like us who dash over right after drop-off.

They insist on quality authentic Korean pork only, and even the raw meat sitting in the aging fridge looked excellent.

Fresh pork belly and pork jowl grilled on a cauldron lid

At Geuttaegeujip we ordered fresh pork belly (1 serving), pork neck (1 serving), and soft tofu stew with dumplings as a side. They lay the meat on a large cauldron lid and grill kimchi and mushrooms together at the bottom where the fat drips down.

As our first round, we confidently ordered fresh pork belly plus pork neck, with soft tofu stew with dumplings on the side.

They piled the big, heavy cauldron lid high with authentic Korean pork belly and pork neck,

and started grilling kimchi and mushrooms together at the bottom, right where the fat drips down.

The sizzling sound and the savory meaty aroma spreading through the place had me losing my mind by early afternoon, haha.

I'd heard that even with just a meal order, you get more than 7 daily-changing side dishes — and every single one clearly had real homemade care in it!

I wrapped a lettuce leaf around the pork belly, with its perfect fat-to-meat ratio,

and the moment it hit my mouth — wow... hands down the best pork belly I've had in a long time!

Crispy outside, juices bursting inside.

The pork neck was unbelievably chewy and tender too. It was so good that in the end

we immediately added another serving of pork belly and cleaned the plate, haha.

Why order the soft tofu sujebi with your pork

The soft tofu stew with dumplings at Geuttaegeujip is a side dish you have to order alongside the meat. Soft tofu with chewy dumplings in a spicy, sharp broth resets your palate after all that fat.

After grilling meat for a while, the soft tofu stew with dumplings that appeared midway through was truly a masterstroke.

Soft tofu with chewy dumplings inside, and a spicy, sharp broth that completely refreshed my greasy palate!

It's the kind of dish that makes you want to dump a bowl of rice right in — I highly recommend ordering it alongside your meat.

Geuttaegeujip as a morning meal out for couples after school drop-off

That precious morning after drop-off, just the two of us healing over delicious pork belly and achieving perfect teamwork!

Even now, writing this, I keep thinking about that flavor turning golden on the cauldron lid, and it's honestly torture, ugh.

I'm pretty sure once the drop-off battles calm down a bit, I'll have to go back again, haha. Next time I want to round up a few fellow parents and hit this spot as our post-drop-off free-woman get-together place!

Whenever you visit, you can count on fresh, satisfying Korean pork belly at Geuttaegeujip, the 24-hour pork belly spot in Uijeongbu's new town,

and I'm recommending it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a morning or lunchtime meat outing, or just a solid 24-hour restaurant!