Aewol black pork BBQ, cabbage kimchi and Jeju Wheat Ale: Nopo Dwaeji

We're in Jeju, so of course we have to eat black pork once a day, right!? We went sightseeing around Aewol and stopped at Nopo Dwaeji Aewol (노포돼지 애월), a black pork spot in the area!!

What are the exterior and parking like at Nopo Dwaeji Aewol?

The sign is huge and easy to spot from far away, and there's an enormous parking lot behind the restaurant. The exterior feels like walking into a really upscale pork place!?

You don't have to worry about parking at all here!! Totally recommend it!!

When does the weekday wait start at Nopo Dwaeji Aewol?

We visited around 5pm on a weekday and there was no wait. But when we finished eating and left around 6pm, a line had formed even though it was a weekday!!

Seating and the self-serve corner inside

Inside there are round tables and also square tables lined up in a row! And even baby chairs! It seems good for visiting as a family!

You can also see the area where the meat gets seared first from outside~ haha

There was a self-serve corner on one side too! It was neat and tidy, with lots of sides that go well with meat, like wraps and pickles!

Menu and opening hours at Nopo Dwaeji Aewol

We ordered 600g of black pork cuts (geun-gogi, thick-cut pork)! They say it's neck and belly made from top-selected meat aged for over 168 hours!

There's also a separate menu for weekday lunch, so keep that in mind~ (Hours are 11am to 10pm, so lunch or dinner both seem fine!)

Side dishes: cabbage salad instead of scallion salad

Unlike other places, the side here wasn't scallion salad (pa-chae) but geotjeori (fresh-tossed cabbage kimchi salad), and it went so well with the meat, and the seasoning on it was really tasty!! The dongchimi (radish water kimchi) was also perfect for the cool weather!

And these are the wraps I brought from the self-serve corner~ It was nice to be able to just go and grab them comfortably!

Do staff grill the 600g black pork for you?

The meat we ordered came as two cuts, neck and belly, and it was so thick it surprised me haha

I loved that a staff member grilled the meat for us so well!

Does Nopo Dwaeji Aewol have non-alcoholic beer?

Yes, they sell non-alcoholic beer. You can't have meat without a drink! I ordered the Jeju Wheat Ale, and my boyfriend, who had to drive, ordered the non-alcoholic beer!

Not many places sell non-alcoholic beer, so it was nice that they do~ haha Great meat plus a drink is the best, right?!

Once the meat was fully grilled, they moved it to the edge of the grill!! Here are the nicely grilled belly and neck!

Black pork belly: chewy skin and plenty of juice

The skin on the black pork belly was so deliciously chewy!! It's thick, so it was packed with juice!! I ate it plain, with wasabi, and wrapped in lettuce~ Really enjoyed it haha

Black pork neck: with cabbage salad and dipped in meljeot

Next, the neck! I usually prefer neck, so I enjoyed it a lot~ I had it with the cabbage salad and dipped it in meljeot (salted anchovy sauce)! It was thick with a nice chew, so I ate it happily~~

Is 600g of black pork enough for two?

For two people, 600g of black pork at Nopo Dwaeji Aewol was plenty to fill us up~~ I loved that they grilled all the meat for us! If you're looking for a good spot in Aewol, I recommend it~