Seokgye Station Korean BBQ with doenjang jjigae six years on: Hanam

It had been a really long time since I'd been to Hanam Doeji Jip. Thinking back, the last time was when I was pregnant with my son, so it's been almost six years. I'd sort of forgotten about it for a while, but seeing Hanam Doeji Jip again brought back memories of how good it used to be, so this time I visited the Seokgye branch with my family.

When I think of Hanam Doeji Jip, the first thing that comes to mind is pork belly wrapped in myeongi-namul (wild garlic leaf)! Ever since I first tried that combination, I've loved it, and after so long away, I was curious whether it would still taste the same.

Here's my record of eating Hanam Doeji Jip's pork belly again after all this time — this visit with my kid in tow.

Where is Hanam Doeji Jip Seokgye branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Hanam Doeji Jip Seokgye branch is located at 17 Seokgye-ro 9-gil, 1st floor, Nowon-gu, Seoul, about 421m from Exit 1 of Seokgye Station. Hours are 16:00-23:00 on weekdays and 12:00-23:00 on weekends, with a weekend break time from 15:00-16:30 and last order at 22:00.

We visited on a weekday evening and got seated without any wait. Parking is available next to the restaurant, and staff kindly guide you to the spot if you ask when you arrive. The place was bigger than I expected, and baby chairs were available, so it's worth knowing if you're visiting with a young child.

Tableside grilling makes a family dinner easy

At Hanam Doeji Jip Seokgye branch, staff grill everything from the meat to the kimchi for you, which made eating with my son so much easier. This time we ordered two servings of pork belly and one serving of pork jowl.

These days, when picking a BBQ restaurant with my kid, there's one thing I check first: does it have a play area, or do they grill the meat for you!

The meat came pre-seared so it was ready to eat quickly, and the staff cut it into bite-sized pieces and grilled each piece for us. It felt especially considerate when they noticed my son was with us and asked, "Should I grill his piece a bit crispier?"

Pork belly with pickled wild garlic leaf, the Hanam Doeji Jip signature

The basic side dishes were myeongi-namul, bean sprouts, kimchi, and dressed lettuce salad, and the kimchi gets grilled on the pan too. And of course, for me it's myeongi-namul plus pork belly!

Wrapping the well-grilled pork belly in myeongi-namul tasted exactly like I remembered. Still delicious even after all this time. My husband said his favorite combo was dipping it in myeoljeot (fermented anchovy) sauce.

That said, while there was dressed lettuce salad, there was no plain lettuce for wrapping, which was a bit disappointing for me since I usually love wrapping my meat in lettuce.

Doenjang jjigae and naengmyeon: can a child eat them too?

Along with the meat, we also ordered doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and naengmyeon (cold noodles). I was told the spice level for the stew couldn't be adjusted, so I figured it would be too spicy for my son, but it turned out to be milder than expected. It had big chunks of tofu, so I fished those out for him and he ate them happily.

And surprisingly, the thing that impressed me most that day was the doenjang jjigae!

"Was Hanam Doeji Jip's doenjang jjigae always this good?" — my husband finished a whole bowl of rice with it.

Finishing off the meat with a refreshing bowl of naengmyeon rounded things out nicely too. Our son, who's usually a picky eater, ended up eating a bit of everything that day — meat, rice, naengmyeon, and even the tofu from the doenjang jjigae. Menu choice: success!

Check the current promotions before you go

There are events you can use, like Naver reservations or store review promotions, so it's worth checking before you visit or order. After we finished eating, they gave my son some jelly too. It's a small gesture, but that kind of thoughtfulness really stands out when you're visiting with a kid.

Final verdict on Hanam Doeji Jip Seokgye branch

The pork belly and myeongi-namul combo was still delicious after six years, and visiting with my son, having staff grill everything for us made a real difference in comfort.

Beyond the meat, the surprisingly good doenjang jjigae and naengmyeon meant all three of us ate well — a Seokgye Station restaurant that felt even more welcome for being revisited after so long. A great family meal out.