Jeongbalsan Station 24-hour pork belly BBQ: Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu

Where to eat pork belly before dawn near Jeongbalsan Station

Late at night, don't you sometimes get a sudden craving for sizzling pork belly? A lot of meat places close early in the evening or overnight, so if you're looking for a 24-hour spot in Ilsan you can count on any time, there's one place worth keeping in mind. It's [ Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu ], located near Jeongbalsan Station!

From the name alone you'd think it's just a dumpling place, but this is actually a hidden samgyeopsal spot in Ilsan that insiders already know about. Hearing that you can get fresh, good-quality raw pork belly even late at night, I hopped right over. Here's my review of a pork-belly feast that turned out better than expected ><

Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu location and opening hours

• 📍 31-10 Jeongbalsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, 1st floor
• ⏰️ Open 24 hours, every day
• 📌 Group-friendly, takeout, reservations, wheelchair accessible
• 🚗 Free building parking (1 hour free)

Inside Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu and what's on the menu

The inside of Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu, a samgyeopsal spot near Jeongbalsan Station in Ilsan, was just as spacious and pleasant as I'd expected from the outside. It's roomy enough for groups, and since it's open 24 hours, you can enjoy tasty hand-made dumplings and pork belly whenever you like — morning, lunch, dinner, or the middle of the night.

At first, looking at the sign, I assumed the only options were raw pork belly and dumplings, but they actually had a wide range of dishes good for meals or as drinking food, like shabu-shabu and duruchigi (stir-fried pork). I ordered two servings of raw pork belly.

What two servings of raw pork belly look like

Here's the basic side dish spread. It included seaweed with vinegar-gochujang sauce, chopped scallion salad, pickled onion, seasoned bean sprouts and other sides that pair well with meat.

Raw pork belly, 2 servings

After the grill was set up, we didn't wait long before two servings of pork belly arrived. You could see the moistness typical of fresh, never-frozen meat just by looking at it, which got me excited even before grilling for how savory and juicy it would turn out.

The staff started by placing kimchi on the grill, then added the meat, seasoned bean sprouts and onion together. Being raw pork belly, the fresh red color and clear marbling of the meat stood out from the start.

Beautifully browned pork belly!! Since the heat and the grill were strong, it cooked fast, so we got to eat quickly — a real plus. And being raw pork belly, the quality was excellent too.

The steamed egg that arrives mid-meal

While we were in the middle of grilling, the steamed egg arrived! I'd thought the side dishes seemed a bit minimal at first. But one bite of the steamed egg — pure softness — cleansed the palate perfectly after the fatty pork belly, and honestly this one dish covered everything. That combo of people who really know what they're doing is basically cheating... 👍

They cut it into easy-to-eat pieces, and the juices were just dripping out...

Grilling it up casually like at home — truth of all truths...

Seriously proper pork belly. The kind that comes to mind when you think 'best samgyeopsal in Ilsan.' It was so tender and chewy. I'd assumed this was mainly a dumpling place and didn't expect much from the meat, so I was genuinely shocked by how upscale it looked and tasted.

The real highlight: cabbage kimchi grilled on the pan

But the truly insane part was the cabbage kimchi served alongside at Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu. Honestly, this grilled kimchi alone was so good you almost didn't need any other side dish ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

The smell alone while it was grilling was already insane, so I kind of expected it, but eating the meat together with kimchi sizzling in pork fat had me literally humming to myself. Since the kimchi was fermented just right — sweet and tangy — it cut right through the meat's richness, and I couldn't put my chopsticks down; I'll keep it a secret how I kept eating without even noticing I was full...

Wrapping a lettuce leaf neatly around well-grilled pork belly, kimchi, and seasoned bean sprouts for one bite, and that's it, game over... haha. The crunchy bean sprouts, spicy-tangy grilled kimchi, and meat combo was truly insane. It kept going endlessly, and I just ate without saying a word.

Next visit: the hand-made dumplings

Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu, a 24-hour spot in Ilsan — I fully recognize it, again and again, as a top samgyeopsal restaurant in Ilsan. Open 24 hours, so you can enjoy it anytime! If the meat is this good, I can trust that the dumplings I haven't tried yet will be great too. Next time I'm near Jeongbalsan Station, I'm going back to try the dumplings.