Free 23-item self-bar at a Daejeon Wolpyeong-dong pork BBQ, Kkodeul

Today the grill never got a break

Looking for thin-sliced pork BBQ in Wolpyeong-dong, I found Kkodeul Daepae

I went out for daepae (thin-sliced pork) and came back having grabbed my chopsticks nonstop just to keep up with how fast the meat cooked! I've been craving cold-sliced pork lately, and while searching for a Wolpyeong-dong pork BBQ place, the name itself made me curious about Kkodeul Daepae Daejeon Wolpyeong Branch, so I paid a visit. The place has that comfortable, classic BBQ-joint vibe — good for a casual dinner with a friend or a meal with a drink on the side.

Types of daepae and rice/noodle menu

As a place specializing in daepae made with 100% domestic Korean pork, Kkodeul Daepae had a pretty wide selection. There's the classic samgyeop daepae, the namesake kkodeul daepae, ogyeop daepae and naengsam daepae, and more special options like kkotsamgyeop daepae and kkotmokssal daepae. The meal menu was surprisingly solid too — great for finishing off with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) or naengmyeon (cold noodles) after the grilling, and there were also options like kkodeul ramyeon, bibim noodles, doenjang sulbap, and jjapaguri, so there was something for every taste.

23-item self-bar, free right now?

Another highlight of this Wolpyeong-dong pork BBQ spot is the self-bar! There were a whopping 23 fresh ingredients ready to go, so I could grab whatever vegetables or extras I liked to go with the meat. The menu lists the self-bar fee as ₩3,000, but it seemed like it's currently free to use.

Three types of daepae, six servings, ordered at 500g

We ordered kkodeul daepae (2 servings), samgyeop daepae (2 servings), and kkotsamgyeop daepae (2 servings). Since the first order starts at 500g, we ended up picking a bit of everything — that's already six servings of meat right off the bat, pretty filling from the start!

Right after ordering the meat, I headed straight to the self-bar, and with 23 ingredients to choose from, my plate kept growing as I added one thing after another. Between the vegetables and side ingredients, I grabbed everything I wanted, and before I knew it the table was more full of self-bar items than actual meat 🖤

Piled onto the grill: grilling the daepae

Samgyeop daepae, then kkodeul daepae, then kkotsamgyeop daepae, all poured on one after another 🐷 That's the real way to eat daepae — pour it straight onto the grill! The three menus each had a slightly different texture, so it looked appetizing at a glance, and thanks to the domestic Korean pork, the savory flavor of the meat itself really came through. The thin slices cooked fast and turned golden brown right after hitting the grill, and each bite was clean yet savory — daepae really is best grilled fast and eaten piping hot 🤍

On top of that, I added sundae (Korean blood sausage), sausage, gimmari (fried seaweed rolls), mushrooms, crab sticks, and dumplings from the self-bar onto the grill too. The meat alone was already delicious, but grilling it all together made the pan look properly packed. Honestly this alone would've been enough to fill me up. Definitely got my money's worth out of the self-bar 🤣

Samgyeop vs. kkodeul vs. kkotsamgyeop: flavor and texture differences

The three looked different from the start, so they grilled up differently too — and eating them, the flavor and texture were all different as well.

• Samgyeop daepae – clean, savory flavor
• Kkodeul daepae – chewy and springy texture, just like the name suggests
• Kkotsamgyeop daepae – distinct grain, gets more savory the more you chew

Even though they're all daepae, the differences were noticeable, which made it fun to try one after another.

Grabbing a piece of sundae between bites of meat, grilling the sausage till golden, and crisping up the gimmari and dumplings — the food just kept coming, no end in sight!

Finishing with fried rice and naengmyeon

Even after thoroughly working through the meat and self-bar spread, you can't skip the finishing course, right? They made fried rice using the leftover meat and bits on the grill, then wrapped it all up cleanly with a cool bowl of naengmyeon!

In short

If you like daepae, this Wolpyeong-dong pork BBQ spot is worth a visit at least once. There's fun in eating it thin and crispy, and fun in the chewy texture too, so if regular cold-sliced pork has started to feel a bit boring, go for it! Above all, with the self-bar currently free to use, the joy of picking and choosing was definitely there.