Korean BBQ near Hongdae with jjagyechi and scallion kimchi: Mapo Gui

It was a rainy weekday evening and I really wanted meat after work, so I went to this Hongdae favorite for pork belly, Mapo Gui Madang Seogyo Direct Branch.

Mapo Gui Madang Seogyo Direct Branch

How far is it from Hongik University Station?

I found this place while looking for pork belly in Hongdae. It's not exactly close to Hongik University Station (Line 2) — it's set back a bit from the main street. Still, the walk isn't difficult, and honestly it's kind of nice to get a little distance from the chaos of Hongdae and eat somewhere calmer.

Mapo Gui Madang, the essence of Jeolla-style scallion kimchi (파김치) and old-fashioned pork belly. This place makes scallion kimchi its signature, so I was already a little excited before even walking in, haha.

What about parking?

This is also a good spot if you're driving. There's a spacious parking area at the restaurant. But there's a barrier at the entrance, so you can't just drive in — you need to get the parking barrier remote from the restaurant first, haha. If you're planning to drive, it's worth knowing this ahead of time.

Size, seating, and is it good for group dinners?

I visited on a weekday evening and there were quite a few people already eating, plus some groups came in as I was there. The tables are mostly four-person, and there looked to be about 13 to 15 of them. The restaurant is pretty spacious, so it's a good option for visiting with several people. Hongdae company dinners tend to mean crowded places, but here the tables felt generous enough that a group meal wouldn't feel cramped. Worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a Hongdae spot for a group dinner.

Menu and prices

Mapo Gui Madang, this Hongdae pork belly favorite, has a pretty wide menu. There's frozen pork belly, thick-cut pork belly, raw pork neck, and even whole pork intestines, plus spicy stir-fried octopus. Frozen pork belly is ₩9,900 for 200g, and thick-cut pork belly and raw pork neck are ₩13,900 each for 200g. The side menu is more varied than I expected too — fried rice ₩5,000, inari ₩3,000, bracken fern ₩3,000, jjagyechi ₩5,000, and scallion or bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles) at ₩9,000 each. There's even butter soy sauce rice, so you end up debating what to pair with your meat.

Mapo Gui Madang uses Canadian pork, and I'd heard that Canadian pork is soft and savory enough that even Costco stocks a lot of it. Trying it myself, it really was delicious!!

We ordered two servings of thick-cut pork belly plus pork neck

We started off ordering with real conviction, haha. Two servings of thick-cut pork belly and one serving of pork neck first, plus we added bracken fern and water dropwort on the side.

At Mapo Gui Madang, the meat is pre-seared over Chiaksan charcoal, then grilled on a natural stone plate. The pre-seared meat comes out and gets placed on the grill, and watching it sizzle away seriously got my appetite going.

The thick-cut pork belly lived up to its name — nice and thick, looking really appetizing. I tried a golden-brown piece and it was softer and more savory than I expected.

A ssamjang even a non-ssamjang person kept dipping into

I usually barely touch ssamjang (dipping sauce) when I eat pork belly — I'm more of a kimchi-with-meat person. But I dipped a piece in here anyway. And it was way better than I expected!! 👀 They apparently make their own ssamjang, and it's not just salty — it's savory with real depth of flavor. If you're like me and don't usually bother with ssamjang, give this one a try. That day, I kept dipping in it with every single bite ^_^

How was the Jeolla-style scallion kimchi?

And the thing that stuck with me the most — the Jeolla-style scallion kimchi (파김치)!! They call it the essence of scallion kimchi and pork belly, and apparently they make the kimchi and everything else in-house. The scallion kimchi had a sharp, savory kick that went really well with the pork belly. Wrapping a piece of pork belly in the scallion kimchi cut through the richness while keeping the kimchi's flavor alive, and I kept reaching for more. Beyond the scallion kimchi, the other kimchi side dishes were also good overall. Kimchi quality matters a lot at a barbecue place, and here even the kimchi impressed me.

Adding two servings of frozen pork belly — how different is it from thick-cut?

While we were still eating the thick-cut pork belly and pork neck, the menu caught my eye again with the frozen pork belly (냉삼). After some deliberation, we added two more servings of frozen pork belly!

A different flavor from the thick-cut pork belly, but the frozen pork belly was also delicious... the edges crisped up slightly and it was really good.

Finishing with jjagyechi and scallion kimchi

When we ordered the frozen pork belly, we also added jjagyechi. It's a rich jjajang ramyeon (black bean noodles) topped with egg and cheese. At first I wondered if I should even eat it since I was already full... but it would've been such a shame to skip it. My strong recommendation is the combo of scallion kimchi + jjagyechi. Honestly, the table next to us was eating fried rice, and I seriously debated whether to order it too. But having already had thick-cut pork belly, pork neck, and frozen pork belly, I saved it for next time. I made sure to leave saying I'd be back.