Jongno Seoul Korean BBQ with staff-grilled pork: Cham Dwaejitgan

I was heading over to Jongno to hang out by Cheonggyecheon Stream, and I suddenly had the most serious pork craving, so off we went for some pork belly!

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch near Jongno 3-ga Station

They said the staff grill the meat for you here, which was perfect for us lazy people who cannot be bothered to grill our own meat! It is close to either Exit 2 or Exit 2-1 of Jongno 3-ga Station, so getting here by subway is pretty easy too~~ When you are making plans in Jongno, somewhere too far from the station is low-key such a hassle, but this place is near Jongno 3-ga Station, so it is honey mango.

The atmosphere and staff grilling service

When I think of a meat restaurant in Jongno, I picture something old with that longtime local-spot feeling, but this one was cleaner than I expected. The restaurant was nicely organized too, and it was a good place to chat with friends over grilled meat.

And the biggest plus I felt that day was that they grill the meat for you. Whenever you go to a Korean BBQ place, it turns into a game of who is going to grill, right,, One person has to keep holding the tongs and watch whether the meat is burning or not ㅠ But here, the staff grilled it, so we could just chat comfortably while we waited. Hehe (yum yum).

Minari and self-bar sides

Before the meat arrives, you get the basic side dishes, and once you order meat, ssam vegetables for wrapping and various other sides come with it. What especially caught my eye was the minari (water celery)! Since the idea is to grill the meat with minari, it was so good to pile on with pork belly. Eating only meat can get a little heavy, but having minari in between changes things up.

You can have it as a wrap, or go for the meat + minari combo, haha. And you can grab more vegetables from the self bar if you run short, so just top yourself up!! That kind of thing is low-key convenient lol.

The day we chose Boseong green pork belly

Finally, the meat arrived!

Meat is always most exciting the moment it comes out lol. At Cham Dwaejitgan, they sell lots of cuts, from Boseong green pork belly to Jirisan black pork five-layer belly, pork neck, pork jowl, and gabrisal (pork shoulder cap)!! That day, I picked pork belly because I wanted to really taste the meat itself.

The staff put the meat on the grill themselves and took care of cooking it too. We just sat there and watched lol. Some people may enjoy grilling meat at a Korean BBQ place, but personally I love it when someone else does it >< I can focus entirely on eating.

Watching the meat cook made me want to sneak a piece already lol. Meat really tastes best straight off the grill.

Try it with a little salt, with minari, alongside kimchi, or wrapped in ssam—just go with whatever combination you like haha.

A good range of meat cuts for groups

When you look for pork belly around Jongno 3-ga, there are seriously so many meat restaurants. It makes deciding where to go even harder.. But Cham Dwaejitgan has several types of meat, so it seemed good when one person likes pork belly, another likes pork neck, and another likes five-layer belly—everyone can choose what they want! They also have Jirisan black pork five-layer belly, and I really want to try that next time.

• Boseong green pork belly ₩16,000
• Flower pork neck ₩16,000
• Jirisan black pork five-layer belly ₩19,000
• Pork neck about ₩18,000

After the meat, they also have meal options such as naengmyeon (cold noodles), fried rice, and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), so you can add one if it feels sad to end with only meat haha.

We had steamed egg and butter bibimbap!! So ridiculously delicious with the meat—

Friday evening waits and a tip for group visits

It seems like it would be good for a work dinner or group gathering too. Personally, it is nice for two people coming for meat, but it feels even more suited to a group. It is close to Jongno 3-ga Station, so it is easy for everyone to meet up, and above all, because the staff grill the meat, one person does not have to spend the whole time cooking. At work dinners or get-togethers with friends, there is always one person who ends up grilling, but here the staff do it, so I think everyone can eat comfortably together hehe.

Heads-up! Since it is a meat restaurant, it can get a little crowded at peak times.... We went on a Friday evening too, and there were lots of Chinese visitors and a long wait, so we waited 40 minutes before getting in ㅠㅠ ++Definitely get on Catch Table++ If you want a quiet meal, it would be good to keep the timing in mind.

Personally, I came here to eat meat in Jongno and ended up having a more relaxed meal than expected. Being close to Jongno 3-ga Station was nice, and more than anything, having the staff grill the meat was the most convenient part! We could just talk and eat without constantly worrying about the grill. And beyond pork belly, they have different meat options including Boseong green pork and Jirisan black pork, so a group could order a few things and share. If I come back next time, I really, really want to try the Jirisan black pork five-layer belly and pork neck that I missed this time..