Beomeo-dong, Daegu pork belly BBQ worth a 15-minute wait: Matdongsam

What kind of BBQ restaurant is Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch?

Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch (맛동삼 범어본점) is a pork BBQ restaurant in Beomeo-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu. "Matdongsam" is short for "tasty neighborhood samgyeopsal (pork belly)" — I only learned that on my first visit, too. It's a converted private house turned restaurant. It looks like they kept the exterior as much as possible and only redid the interior, so it has a different charm from other places.

• Address: 15 Dongdaegu-ro 74an-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea, 1st floor, Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch
• It's across from Another Beomeo Apartments.

Matdongsam Beomeo hours, reservations and waiting

Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch is open daily from 17:00 to 23:00. Open every day, so you can visit whenever you like!

You can reserve through Naver Reservation. At peak hours you have to wait, and I got in after about 15 minutes. People say it's a hot spot for BBQ in Beomeo-dong, Daegu these days, and it really is. There's also a space set up for waiting.

The restroom at Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch is outside the building. Just so you know!

The converted-house interior and the annex

This is the inside of Matdongsam. Because it's a converted house, the table layout was unusual.

I put my name on the waiting list and waited about 15 minutes, which showed me how popular it is. Besides the main building there's an annex, and even that was completely full!

Matdongsam menu and prices

Matdongsam's signature is the Matdongsam Hanpan (a platter), 600g of meat at ₩52,000 after a ₩2,000 discount. You get pork belly, gabrisal and jjondeuksal all in one. For sides and meals there's grandma's doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), braised tofu, yeolmu bibim guksu (young radish kimchi noodles) and pork curry, so there's plenty of variety. And it's a menu that guests with babies will really appreciate: it's called baby rice, costs ₩2,000, and is a great value.

Give the Matdongsam instructions a read before you eat! Eating the way they tell you is always the tastiest!

At Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch, you order with the T-order tablet placed at every table.

Side dishes and draft beer

Matdongsam's basic table setting was prepared like this.

Potatoes and mushrooms are provided for grilling too. And even though it's a BBQ place, they sell draft beer! I ordered a light 300cc and had a nice cold drink.

Trying pork belly, jjondeuksal and gabrisal, one portion each

At Matdongsam we ordered one portion each of pork belly, jjondeuksal and gabrisal.

The meat quality is pretty impressive, right? I think this quality is why so many people visit Matdongsam as their go-to BBQ place in Beomeo-dong, Daegu.

Time to grill it up and enjoy.

The grill is preheated, so the meat cooks quickly.

Wow! Once some fat has rendered, I grill kimchi and seasoned bean sprouts right on the grill too. Grilling them together is the best part, of course.

First bite of the special pork belly: with salt

For the first bite, I lightly dipped it in salt. One bite and you can tell right away that Matdongsam's special pork belly uses high-quality meat with a chewier texture than other places.

We also ordered doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and had it with bowls of rice. Pure heaven.

Jjondeuksal with herring roe jeotgal

Matdongsam's jjondeuksal is even more savory when you put a little herring roe jeotgal (salted fermented seafood) on top.

Is Matdongsam Beomeo Main Branch worth the wait?

I visited Matdongsam in Suseong, a BBQ spot in Beomeo-dong, Daegu, for the first time, and the pork belly quality was really good, so I was satisfied. The jjondeuksal was wonderfully chewy and delicious, and the garlic sauce and herring roe jeotgal served alongside were so appealing. Opening in a converted ordinary house also gave it lots of personality. I can see why people wait to eat here.