Gangneung Korean BBQ with thick pork cuts: Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang

While looking for a great samgyeopsal (pork belly) spot in Gangneung, I went to Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang (한마음정육식당), Gangneung Gyodong Branch, for dinner with my husband.

Here, meat is trimmed in-house after going through two aging processes over 144 hours at a low temperature of 2°C.

They say the restaurant varies the depth of aging by cut—including pork belly, five-layer pork belly, pork neck, and pork jowl—to bring out each one's texture and flavor.

There is also a separate kids' zone, so it looked like a decent option for family meals with children or group gatherings.

We came around 5 p.m. for dinner and had the half-pig platter with a glass of soju, haha.

Where can I park?

Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang, Gangneung Gyodong Branch, is on the first floor of the building. If you drive, there is a parking lot behind the building, and parking is also possible along the road in front of the restaurant.

When going out for meat in Gyodong, I always check parking first, so it was good to know there is parking behind the building. Shall we head inside?

Is it okay to visit with children?

Once inside, each table had roomy partitioned seating,

and each table was fitted with its own grill and ventilation system. More than anything, the separate kids' zone caught my eye.

With a slide and play equipment, children can play while their parents eat, which is worth considering when looking for a family dining spot.

What is on the menu?

The pork selection includes aged pork belly, five-layer pork belly, pork neck, gabrisal (pork loin), and pork jowl,

as well as half-pig and whole-pig platters for trying several cuts together. Since there were two of us, we ordered the ₩40,000 half-pig platter.

If you run short on side dishes, you can help yourself at the self-service bar. There were lettuce, peppers, and other accompaniments, so we could take as much as we needed.

The geotjeori (freshly seasoned kimchi) that came as a basic side had a sweet-and-tangy dressing, making it nice to have between bites of meat.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) also came with the meal, and we could get more if we ran out. With steamed egg included too, the table was quite full even before we started grilling.

What does the half-pig platter look like?

Several cuts of pork arrived together on a large platter. You can tell even from the photos: this was not thinly sliced meat; every piece was fairly thick.

Each cut had a different ratio of lean meat to fat, which made choosing what to eat fun too.

As we grilled it slowly, golden grill marks began to form on the surface. Because the meat was thick, it had a real chew with every bite, while the inside stayed juicy.

When I look for a samgyeopsal restaurant in Gangneung, I also pay attention to the thickness of the meat, and this was not thin at all, so it had a great bite.

I tried the meat with geotjeori after having it on its own. The tangy sweetness of the geotjeori joined the rich flavor of the pork and refreshed my palate.

Wrapping a big bite of meat and side dishes in lettuce, then having a glass of soju alongside it, made for the perfect dinner, haha.

Bubbling doenjang jjigae is something you simply cannot leave out when eating meat, right? We could keep it warm as we ate, and the steamed egg was wonderfully soft.

The jjolmyeon (spicy chewy noodles) was both spicy and sweet. The vegetables and noodles were well mixed into the sauce and tasted good on their own, but

we tried them with a piece of well-grilled pork. The tangy, spicy sauce gave us a different way to enjoy the meat from simply eating pork bite after bite.

My overall take on the half-pig platter and kids' zone

My husband and I went for dinner and had a generous meal, from the half-pig platter to jjolmyeon, doenjang jjigae, and steamed egg. What I remember most was how thick and juicy the meat was.

If you are looking for a samgyeopsal restaurant in Gangneung and want to try several pork cuts at once, or

if you are looking for a meat restaurant with a kids' zone where you can go with children, take a look at the setup at Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang, Gangneung Gyodong Branch, too.

Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang, Gangneung Gyodong Branch: information

• Address: 40-1 Sollol-ro 5beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon State, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 16:00–22:00
• Last order: 21:00
• Parking: Parking lot behind the building available
• Facilities: Kids' zone (playroom)