Bucheon Korean BBQ at 6pm with an extra minari order: Cham Dwaejitgan

A big Korean BBQ restaurant near Sinjung-dong Station in Bucheon where you can get pork belly, ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly), pork neck, and even specialty cuts like garibisal and hangjeongsal (pork jowl) — Cham Dwaejitgan. I go often because the fresh pork, rich in juice and full of flavor, is grilled for you by skilled staff so you can just relax and eat. Most recently I went back for fragrant minari pork belly and a glass of soju.

Where is Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong, and is there parking?

Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch is located at 68 Jungdong-ro 262beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, and is open 24 hours. Free parking is available.

This Bucheon BBQ restaurant is about a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of Sinjung-dong Station on Line 7. Since it's a fairly large place, it's easy to find just a short walk into the restaurant alley between the McDonald's and KFC on the side toward Bucheon City Hall. Parking is available for about 4-5 cars behind the store.

Inside the 120-seat restaurant: how busy is 6pm on a weekday?

Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch has a spacious 120-seat interior. It's clean and comfortable, making it an easy place to eat BBQ. There's plenty of well-organized group seating, so it works for family meals as well as gatherings and company dinners. I visited around 6pm on a weekday — it was quiet when I walked in, but not long after, it filled up with customers coming for Cham Dwaejitgan's pork.

Cham Dwaejitgan grills over charcoal and rice husk, so the pork belly and pork neck come with a deep charcoal aroma plus the nutty, smoky scent of the rice husk — the flavor of the meat is really good. Once you taste it, you can clearly tell it's smokier than regular charcoal-grilled pork belly.

Menu prices and the basic table setting

Ordering is quick — done in a flash via the tablet at the table.

For grilling, you can order 1+ grade Jiri-san black pork ogyeopsal and pork neck, Boseong Nokdon pork belly and pork neck, and specialty cuts like hangjeongsal (pork jowl) and garibisal. Side dishes include kimchi jjigae, doenjang jjigae, steamed egg, naengmyeon (cold noodles), margarine, and fried rice.

We ordered two servings of pork belly and doenjang jjigae as a side. The basic setting comes with minari, bean sprouts, kimchi, lettuce wraps, pickled chili strips, scallion salad, and salad.

The staff put the minari, bean sprouts, and kimchi straight onto the grill for you.

Salt, mushroom wasabi, fresh wasabi, spicy sauce, ssamjang (dipping sauce), and garlic are also served individually — the sauces are varied, and the mushroom wasabi in particular is a total highlight.

Nothing goes better with savory pork belly than soju mixed with beer.

Extra side dishes and sauces are available at the self-serve bar near the kitchen if you want more — I grabbed some cheongyang chili peppers from there.

Boseong Nokdon pork belly (160g), 16,000 won for two servings

Two servings of Boseong Nokdon pork belly at Cham Dwaejitgan, a pork belly restaurant in Bucheon Sinjung-dong.

Each piece is one serving, and it's quite thick. Grilled sides of shishito peppers, mushrooms, and sliced potato come along with it.

A skilled staff member grills the meat for you from start to finish. All you have to do is sip your soju-beer and wait with the basic side dishes — so easy.

The pork belly isn't overly fatty or all lean — the ratio of lean meat to fat is great.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), 6,000 won

We ordered doenjang jjigae to have alongside the pork belly. It came in a big earthenware pot with a generous amount, and it was savory with just a bit of spice — a great balance to eat alongside the meat.

How does pork belly grilled over rice-husk charcoal taste?

The meat's all grilled, the stew's out, and the glasses are full — time to eat.

Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside — the Boseong Nokdon pork belly at this Sinjung-dong Station BBQ restaurant is well grilled.

The first bite, just with salt. As soon as it's in your mouth, you get a faint whiff of charcoal and rice husk along with all that juiciness — so good. The flavor is great on its own, and the smoky aroma coming off the meat is just wonderful.

Together with fragrant minari and umami-rich mushroom wasabi — with just these two accompaniments alone, you can keep eating without feeling heavy or getting tired of it.

And every so often, a spoonful of that tasty doenjang jjigae, yum.

Grilled sliced potato wrapped around the pork doubles the savory flavor.

Adding one more serving of pork belly and a plate of minari

It was so good that we ordered one more serving of pork belly plus extra minari. Minari and sliced potato are both available as add-on orders.

I really packed away the minari that day haha — pork belly and minari together, one after another.

We enjoyed it plenty wrapped in lettuce too, and drank a fair amount along with it. When the meat's this good, the drinks just keep coming.

Is Cham Dwaejitgan worth a weeknight dinner in Bucheon?

Cham Dwaejitgan, a pork belly restaurant in Bucheon Sinjung-dong, grills its pork over charcoal and rice husk for a savory, smoky flavor, and lets you enjoy it comfortably in a spacious, pleasant space with friendly staff who grill everything for you. If you want great pork belly and a glass of soju near Sinjung-dong Station, I'd recommend it.