Pohang grill house family dinner: crab doenjang jjigae at Neolpanji

Every trip really does end best with food. Pohang is a place I visit often — it's close to where I live, and with that wide-open sea view, I go often whether it's for swimming or fishing. This time the restaurant we went to was friendly as a baseline, but the savory makchang (grilled beef intestine) and juicy, dripping samgyeopsal (pork belly) made for a really satisfying dinner. Here's my honest review of Neolpanji, a BBQ restaurant near Yeongildae in Pohang.

Neolpanji Pohang Yeongildae Branch: hours and how to find it

• 🕒 Mon–Fri, Sun: 17:00–24:00
• 🕒 Sat: 17:00–01:00 (next day)
• 🏠 Address: 210 Samho-ro, 1st floor, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

Outside the restaurant

It's located directly across from Yeongildae, and the retro, hip signboard really stands out.

After eating at Neolpanji, just a one-minute walk down a side path takes you to this view. The sea at Yeongildae fading into the evening was beautiful. I'd definitely recommend a walk by the water after your meal here!

Neolpanji's open-window seats that feel like eating outdoors

This open-window, patio-like seating is something you can only enjoy in this season — the windows are wide open, so less meat smell clings to your clothes, and you get a bonus feeling of eating outdoors.

It's not a huge BBQ place, but it has quite a few tables and a cozy interior. With both round and square tables, there's fun in picking your spot. Overall, the inside gives off a comfortable feeling.

It's run by young male owners, and they're extremely friendly. The interior has character and the layout is clean.

Neolpanji menu and prices: 10,900 won per serving

We ordered grilled makchang, aged pork belly, a small doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and rice. All the meat menu items are ₩10,900 per serving, and we ordered a mix totaling six servings.

The receipt review event benefit is pretty generous — you get either mukbap (buckwheat jelly) or sulbap (rice with makgeolli). Definitely worth claiming, right?

Side dishes and wrap vegetables at Neolpanji

Here's the side dish spread: sauces for dipping the meat, pickled onions, dried radish strips, bracken fern and bean sprouts to grill alongside the meat, baek-kimchi (white kimchi), rice cake, and green onion.

The fresh lettuce wraps, sliced green onion salad, and vegetables were all vividly green and fresh.

They also give you makjang (spicy dipping sauce) and peppers for dipping the makchang — add as much as you like to cut the richness and get a touch of spice.

When the meat arrives, a staff member puts it on the grill first and explains how to eat it. They also add plenty of vegetables to grill alongside, along with myeolljeot (fermented anchovy sauce). The plump, pre-cooked makchang gives off a savory smell with zero unpleasant odor. And look at the color and freshness of the aged pork belly — it looks absolutely delicious.

Doenjang jjigae with a whole blue crab in it

The doenjang jjigae comes with one whole crab inside. It's not flavored with seasoning — just one spoonful of the broth and you can taste the crab's natural umami. It's also packed with fresh tofu, potato, onion, and other vegetables.

How do the pre-grilled makchang and aged pork belly taste?

The pre-cooked makchang cooks quickly. I like it grilled nice and crisp like this. It's not chewy at all — soft and savory. This place really knows how to do makchang. I put a piece on a lettuce leaf with some pickled onion — one wrap! Total happiness, all the day's fatigue just melts away.

The thick pork belly sizzled away on the grill too. Since it was quite thick, they sliced it a bit thinner for us.

The kids actually ate more of the pork belly than the makchang — it's juicy and tender, and even the skin part isn't tough.

The owner showed us a trick: dip it in the special sauce and coat it in soybean powder — apparently that's the best way to eat it. I tried it too, dipping generously in the sauce for a bite. Compared to eating it plain, the flavor really comes alive and the juiciness comes through even more.

Is Neolpanji worth a family dinner in Pohang?

In an area like Yeongildae, lined with restaurants and heavy competition as befits a bustling neighborhood, this is a genuinely tasty and friendly spot. The side dishes were all clean and neat, nothing you'd want to skip, and the meat itself was high quality and delicious — the kind of place that makes you want to come back on your next trip. I'd recommend it for a date, a family dinner out, or as a stop on your travel itinerary. That was Neolpanji, a Pohang restaurant near Yeongildae.