Gimpo Korean BBQ octopus set with a 5-year-old: Donpu The Grill

I had truly amazing pork belly in Gimpo. Jangi-dong's famous pork belly spot, Donpu The Grill!!! If you're thinking "pork belly is just pork belly, how good can it really be?" — nope, nope, nope. It's seriously, insanely delicious. I've been to a bunch of famous pork belly places, but this one... this might really be the strongest pork belly restaurant I know. People kept streaming in the whole time we were eating, and it would've been a disaster if we hadn't booked ahead ^^ Reservation is a must!! Let me get into the details~~

Parking and location at Donpu The Grill

Street public parking is available~ there's also a public parking lot near Donpu The Grill! One spot fits in front of the restaurant, but the public lot feels more comfortable ^^ Turns out street parking is free on Sundays~ so we parked for free!!

Reservations essential, great atmosphere for going with kids

We made a reservation before going... definitely make one... there are seriously so many people~ We got there a bit early, but at peak hours the wait was... haha

When we went inside it was really packed! And there were a lot of families with kids~ It's a great pork belly spot to bring your kids to!! You can order at the table with a tablet!

Menu and the set we ordered

• Donpu Family Set (830g including octopus) ₩79,900
• Donpu Octopus Set (690g including octopus) ₩63,900
• Donpu Signature Set (540g) ₩55,900
• Hanwoo Couple Set (500g) ₩48,900
• A la carte menu items are also available!

We ordered the Donpu Octopus Set for our octopus-loving kid! You can apparently order octopus separately too, but today so much octopus had gone out that they were running low, so it was only available in the set!!

If you run out of lettuce wraps and kimchi, just use the self-serve bar. Take as much as you want... I got hooked on the sauces though, so I mostly ate around those~~

The base spread and wasabi mayo sauce

They set out the base spread for us~ grilled kimchi and minari (water dropwort) to eat, plus a tasty sauce, cold boiled pork, ssamjang, garlic, and pickled radish.

With this sauce around... the meat just keeps disappearing haha. The sauce lineup is really good. Especially my favorite... wasabi mayo...... it's ridiculously good~~

The steamed egg was so bouncy and soft~ perfect side dish for the kid! The cold boiled pork was tasty too ><!! Such a great spread~~

The complimentary hot stone kimchi jjigae

And this comes free!! Hot stone kimchi jjigae? There's a bit of rice mixed in — it's a real hidden gem........ so delicious..... honestly there's nothing here that isn't delicious. I really wish my stomach could've held more, honestly. Just looking at the photo, you can imagine the taste. Exactly that taste...!! It's a masterpiece... chef...

We put kimchi and minari on the grill~~

Pre-grilled pork belly and the octopus our 5-year-old finished off

Out came the pre-grilled meat and octopus! My son absolutely loves octopus!! I barely got a mouse-bean-sized taste... and the kid ate the rest... there's a reason the octopus is so popular. I cut off a small piece, dipped it in wasabi mayo, and it was seriously... I almost ate it all myself haha. But our kid finished it all. Delicious enough for a 5-year-old to polish off solo.

A staff member grills the meat for you~

They grill it so well.. they do all the grilling, so I just have to eat. It made things so easy~

They gave us a piece with a little wasabi mayo and a touch of wasabi on top, and I ate it first..... genuinely, one bite in... the juices just burst out 🤯 I really wonder if this was solid, uncut belly... I'm forgetting every pork belly place I've ever waited in line for haha. Honestly delicious..... the meat is insane. Just bursting with juice.

The octopus portion is pretty generous. But our kid ate the whole thing by herself... ^^

Wrapped in kimchi... delicious on its own too... it's been a while since pork belly moved me like this...

Cold noodles and hot stone scorched rice

They also serve cold noodles~ with a light layer of ice. Cold and refreshing.. ugh.. I'm smitten.

And my other love, scorched rice, also comes out. It's served on a hot stone too... I can't even imagine how good it'll be.

It'd be a shame not to wrap some in lettuce, so we did that too.... now let's really dig in.

My husband and kid ate with real enthusiasm too. Our kid ate so well, total satisfaction all around. When the kid eats well, it feels like I aced my homework that day haha. I ate the meat along with the scorched rice too~~

We ate until we were completely stuffed~ There's a reason places with lots of customers have lots of customers..... the whole time we were eating, there was a line outside ^^ and it was packed inside ^^

Even now, there are still lots of people outside and a waiting line! Better to reserve ahead!! I visited today as part of a campaign, but I feel like I'll be back soon paying with my own money haha. Writing this post is making me want to eat it again. If something's delicious, I always go back!! This place is a definite repeat!! haha If you live around Gimpo or Incheon, you really have to stop by here. Highly, highly recommend!

Final verdict

• Looking for great pork belly in Jangi-dong? Highly recommend
• Want pork belly bursting with juice? Recommended
• Craving delicious meat? Come here
• The pork belly spot in Jangi-dong is Donpu The Grill..
• The strongest pork belly restaurant in Gimpo is Donpu The Grill
• No idea how well they dry-age their meat, but it's incredible
• So delicious.... 😍👍👍👍