Hapjeong Korean BBQ, 540g pork belly with sesame oil dip: Ijjok

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal was so good the first time I tried it that I had to come back. The meat quality is great, but it's really that sesame oil aroma that keeps popping into my head out of nowhere.

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal opening hours and closing days

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is located at 20 Dokmak-ro 3-gil, B1, Mapo-gu, Seoul, near Hapjeong Station in Seodaemun-dong. On weekdays it opens at 11:30 with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00.

⏰️ Hours

• Mon–Fri 11:30–23:00 / break 15:00–17:00 / last order 22:00
• Sat 17:00–23:00 / last order 22:00
• Closed every Sunday
• Closed Sept 25 for Chuseok

Honestly I don't know exactly what makes Dodram female pork special, but from experience, it's genuinely tender and clean-tasting, not greasy at all.

What the basement dining room is like

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is a small space, but the tables are set pretty far apart. It's on the basement level, and there were traces of celebrity visits on the walls.

Apparently lots of celebrities have come through here. Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is really having a moment~~~

The place is small, but the tables have plenty of space between them, so it's perfect for a cozy chat with friends.

Menu and what we ordered: three servings of pork belly

This time at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal we ordered 3 servings of pork belly. Last time we had the 2–3 person set, but the pork belly was so good that this time I ordered 3 servings without a second thought!!

Beyond the food, I really appreciated the signs saying they have fabric deodorizer, phone charging, and hair ties available. You always feel a bit awkward about being an 'electricity thief' at other places, haha.

The chopsticks come individually wrapped too, which I liked. The bathroom was also really clean — this place clearly cares about hygiene.

Side dishes and the scallion salad

The side dishes came out. The scallion salad (pajeori) at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal was the plain, unseasoned style.

The pajeori has no fancy tricks — just a small amount of chili flakes and sesame oil — so it's light and pairs really well with the meat. Pajeori tossed in heavy sauce is just sweet and kills the flavor of the meat, ugh.

Here, they set up a splatter guard so oil doesn't fly everywhere, and the owner grills the meat for you personally (though that might be harder when they're busy). But how can a splatter guard and burner be this clean at a samgyeopsal place...? Wow.

540g of pork belly for three: marbling and grilling

The 3 servings of pork belly at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal come to 540g. It's the textbook samgyeopsal ratio of lean meat to fat — perfect.

The marbling is amazing. I think I genuinely love this kind of pork belly. I was too impatient to wait, so I told the owner I'd grill it myself. I'm just an impatient person, haha;;😅

I packed the grill as full as possible and waited for it to cook fast, haha.

The grill conducts heat really well, so the meat cooks faster than I expected, haha.

Doesn't even the oil catch tray look spotless?

Kimchi grilled in pork belly fat is an unbeatable combo, haha🤤

This is basically a soju-and-samgyeopsal situation, no question.

The kimchi is all grilled now, and the meat is ready too.

I like my meat a bit crispy, so I grilled it until golden brown. At other places, grilling it golden brown usually makes it tough and chewy fast, but here it showed off the Dodram pork's tenderness all the way through, like it was proud of it.

Why the sesame oil dipping sauce steals the show

What I thought about again at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal was the sesame oil dipping sauce. This thing is seriously a marvel.

If this turns out to just be regular sesame oil, I'll give up my title as a sesame oil expert. It's genuinely so good... please... (I need to ask the owner next time.)

Meat alone 🤤

With a bit of pajeori 👍

Meat and kimchi 😭 The way the savory oil-grilled kimchi blends with just the right tang is honestly almost funny to try to describe. It's ridiculously good.

Meat, pajeori, kimchi,,,😇

Wrapped in lettuce 🫶

Meat, mushroom, kimchi 🙉

My own personal fries

I genuinely want to eat this again.

I feel like I could eat two bowls of rice with just this place's meat and sesame oil sauce alone...

Final verdict on Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal

This is my number one favorite samgyeopsal place. Pork belly is tasty pretty much everywhere, but honestly, most places you forget the moment you turn around, right? This is a place I actually keep thinking about whenever I'm hungry...

If word keeps spreading, I think this could become a famous restaurant in Hapjeong, haha.