Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ at 9pm, staff-grilled for two: Meongseokjip

Where is Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch?

Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch (멍석집) is an outdoor-style pork BBQ place. Leave Jongno 3-ga Station by Exit 3 or Exit 6 and head into the alley behind Mega Coffee. The alley is packed with outdoor BBQ joints, and Meongseokjip is just a little way around the bend.

This is the sign, so look out for it and you'll find the place.

Outdoor seats or indoor seats: where to sit?

The outdoor seats at Meongseokjip are in a corridor-like space outside. Head inside and there's a bigger seating area. Couples and friends tend to sit outdoors, while the indoor section gets a lot of big groups.

Self-serve banchan refills

On the left side of the indoor seating there's a self-serve bar where you can grab your own banchan (side dishes). It was cool and fully stocked, so I could keep going back without feeling awkward about it.

Both the left and right sides of the bar are loaded with the same banchan, haha. Put kimchi, scallion kimchi and bean sprouts on the grill and you're a true Korean!

Is the restroom clean at an outdoor BBQ place?

Outdoor BBQ places often have dirty restrooms, but Meongseokjip has been fully remodeled and I loved that. It seems to be cleaned constantly, because the inside was spotless.

Aged pork belly for two and steamed egg: how much?

At Meongseokjip we ordered 2 portions of aged pork belly and steamed egg. Aged pork belly is ₩18,000 per portion and the steamed egg is ₩5,000. And finally, the pork belly arrives! They grill it for you, haha.

• Aged pork belly (per portion): ₩18,000
• Steamed egg: ₩5,000

Once you sit down, they set out the banchan too. If you run short, you can go refill at the self-serve bar, which was great. I especially found Meongseokjip's kimchi and bean sprouts nicely seasoned and tasty. My friend said the scallion kimchi was the best, haha.

Maybe because it's so busy and the turnover is high, the meat was fresh too.

Will staff grill your meat if you go at 9pm?

At Meongseokjip the staff grill the meat for you like this. We ordered 2 portions of pork belly, and maybe because we came late, around 9-10pm, a staff member grilled it for us. That meant we could relax and enjoy the meal without worrying about the cooking, and the meat was at its best, which made me happy.

The old-school outdoor atmosphere plus friendly service made it an even nicer meal. The pork belly was juicy and rich, perfect with a drink.

If you want it cooked longer, just don't take it off the heat and let it go a bit more. We like ours well done, so we cooked it a bit longer~

The pork lined up in neat rows 🩵

And of course you can't skip the soju at an outdoor BBQ place, haha. The way to finish pork belly is kimchi fried rice! Don't miss the fried rice, haha.

How was the seasoning on the bomb steamed egg?

The bomb steamed egg (gyeran-jjim, ₩5,000) at Meongseokjip was seasoned just right. It arrived as the pork belly was almost done. Can you see how it looks?! Whoa. It came out piled up really high, though it sank a bit while I was taking photos, haha. Plenty of places can't get the seasoning of steamed egg right, but here it was perfect.

Dunk it in the ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste). The pork belly was so tender, the best.

Meongseokjip's indoor seats near closing time

As closing time got close, everyone cleared out, and I took these photos of the indoor area of Meongseokjip. The inside is open to the sky too, so it doesn't feel stuffy, and it's actually roomier than the outdoor seats, which I like. The outdoor seats had three fans running each and were cool, but next time I think I'd sit in the open-sky indoor seats I haven't tried, haha.

How do you get the grilling service at Meongseokjip?

I hear Meongseokjip provides grilling service when you order a mixed set. On the day I visited I got the grill-for-you service too, so I could eat more comfortably, and I think ordering the mixed set would be a more reliable way to get it and make for an even more satisfying meal.

The weather's so nice these days, and I think going now, before it gets hotter, would be the best!