Dog-friendly Korean BBQ in Chungjeongno, Seoul: Doldam Sutbuljip

I was looking for somewhere to have dinner with Rocky around Chungjeongno and ended up at Doldam Sutbuljip. When you're eating out with a dog, cafés and brunch spots give you plenty of options, but it's surprisingly hard to find a BBQ restaurant that welcomes dogs too.

This time I could eat meat with Rocky, and on top of that, parking was available, so we drove over without any hassle. After dinner we headed toward Seoul Station and stopped by Lotte Mart — the whole route worked out nicely.

What is Doldam Sutbuljip near Chungjeongno Station like?

Doldam Sutbuljip is a charcoal-grill BBQ restaurant on Jungnim-ro near Chungjeongno Station. I visited in the evening, and the big sign made it easy to spot. There are also outdoor-style tables set up in front of the restaurant — on a cool day, eating outside there would probably feel great.

Once the lights came on in the evening, it felt less like a flashy BBQ joint and more like a comfortable neighborhood spot to drop into. And the most important part of the day: we could bring Rocky along! I brought his carrier bag and set it down comfortably next to our table. I thought he'd get restless from all the meat smells, but he stayed surprisingly calm, which let us eat in peace too.

Conditions for bringing dogs and which seats are available can change, so if you're planning to visit with a dog, I'd recommend checking ahead.

Thick-cut pork grilled properly over charcoal

The first thing that caught my eye as soon as the meat arrived at Doldam Sutbuljip was the thickness. Even in photos it looks quite substantial. Grilled over charcoal, the surface browned up nicely and the smell of the meat really came through.

Thick-cut meat can turn dry if it's overcooked, but when we cut into it, the outside was browned while the inside stayed moist. Cutting it into bite-sized pieces and grilling it a bit more over the charcoal gave some parts a crispy surface, which was delicious. Personally I prefer thick-cut meat grilled over charcoal to thin slices, and this suited my taste perfectly.

It was good on its own, but adding a bit of the accompanying sauce gave it a whole different flavor. Pairing it with wraps, kimchi, and side dishes one by one meant the same meat could be enjoyed in several different combinations, which I liked.

The cheese egg soufflé at Doldam Sutbuljip

Among Doldam Sutbuljip's side dishes, the egg soufflé (gyeranjjim) really stuck with me.

The egg puffs up dramatically over the top of the earthenware pot, and with cheese piled on top, it caught my eye instantly. In photos it almost looked like the main dish.

The melted cheese in the soft egg soufflé went well as a break between bites of grilled meat. When you keep eating meat, it can start to feel a bit salty or greasy, and the soft egg soufflé balanced that out nicely.

A hot stew to round out the meal

You can't skip the broth when eating meat. We also had a piping hot stew, and the bubbling broth paired well with the meat.

A bite of meat, a sip of broth — before long we ended up eating rice too. I had originally planned to focus on the meat, but with the egg soufflé, stew, and rice added in, it turned out to be a really filling meal. Keeping the last of the meat on the charcoal meant we could eat it warm the whole time, which was another plus.

Eating with a dog at this Chungjeongno BBQ restaurant

On this visit to Doldam Sutbuljip, the food was great, but being able to have dinner with Rocky was especially nice.

He sat in his carrier bag staring at us eating, and I couldn't help but take photos. If you're looking for a restaurant in central Seoul where you can bring a dog, BBQ places are definitely fewer than cafés, so this is a spot worth keeping in mind if you get around with a pet like I do.

We used a carrier bag and had no trouble, but depending on your dog's size and how seating works, it's worth checking ahead before your visit.

Parking at Doldam Sutbuljip, then Lotte Mart at Seoul Station

And personally, parking was a pretty important factor for me.

When you're driving to eat around Seoul Station or Chungjeongno, finding parking often becomes a bigger priority than finding the restaurant itself. Doldam Sutbuljip had parking available, which made things much easier for us since we came by car. After dinner, we drove over to Lotte Mart at Seoul Station.

Thanks to that, we managed dinner in Chungjeongno and grocery shopping at Lotte Mart Seoul Station in one trip that evening. If you're getting around Seoul Station or Chungjeongno by car, bundling a route like this is a pretty good option.

A place where we could grill thick cuts of meat over charcoal and eat our fill with egg soufflé and stew on the side. More than anything, being able to eat with Rocky and having parking available made Doldam Sutbuljip, our Chungjeongno Station find, an easy and comfortable place to visit.

If you're looking for charcoal-grilled meat near Chungjeongno Station, or a BBQ restaurant you can visit with your dog, this one's worth keeping in mind :)