Jongno 3-ga outdoor Korean BBQ: husband's spoon K-samhap at Chowon
In short
Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is a retro, old-school Korean BBQ restaurant on the outdoor dining street in front of Tapgol Park in Jongno, Seoul. The writer and her husband ordered one serving each of flash-frozen pork belly and flash-frozen beef belly (₩18,000 each), grilled them with kimchi, bracken and garlic, and drank cold soju alongside. With a clean indoor restroom and easy public transit access, Chowon Restaurant is a recommended outdoor Korean BBQ spot in Jongno.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Jongno 3(sam)-ga Station Exit 5 · 2-min walk (store listing, Oct 7, 2026)
- Location
- In front of Tapgol Park in Jongno, near Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station (Line 5, per the writer)
- Hours
- Daily, 5pm to 1am
- Reservations and waiting
- Reservations via Naver; on-site waitlist available
- Belly set
- ₩53,000 (210g frozen pork belly + 210g beef belly)
- Flame Hanwoo Set
- ₩55,000 (300g, with a flame show)
- Meat à la carte
- Flash-frozen pork belly ₩18,000 · flash-frozen beef belly ₩18,000 · hanwoo (Korean beef) striploin ₩28,000 · crispy beef brisket (kkosun chadol) ₩20,000
- Rice and stews
- Yukhoe bibimbap (beef tartare rice bowl) ₩9,000 · brisket doenjang (soybean paste) stew ₩8,000 · kimchi stew ₩8,000 · steamed egg ₩5,000 · bowl of rice ₩1,000
- Amenities
- Indoor restroom, self-serve side dish bar, disposable aprons, storage inside the chairs
- Price reference
- ₩18,000 ≈ $13.5 · ₩53,000 ≈ $40 · ₩55,000 ≈ $41.5 (2026-10-24)
as written by the visitor on Oct 25, 2026
Where is Chowon Restaurant in Jongno 3-ga and what are its hours?
Chowon Restaurant (초원식당) Jongno 3-ga Branch is right in front of Tapgol Park in Jongno, not far from Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station on Line 5. It's open daily from 5pm to 1am.
You can reserve on Naver, or just join the walk-in waitlist! They open at 5pm, so grab an outdoor table early ☺️☺️
It's near Tapgol Park and Nakwon Musical Instrument Arcade, so the Jongno outdoor-dining (yajang) vibe is the real deal. It's a long stretch of BBQ restaurants and street-tent pubs.
The green sign reading "Korea BBQ" is retro and gives off proper old-school eatery vibes.
Chowon Restaurant's table setting and retro atmosphere
The table came set on a silver tray with a round grill! The basics are paper cups, small plates, spoons and chopsticks, lettuce, napa cabbage kimchi, bracken, chili peppers, garlic, ssamjang (dipping paste) and green onion kimchi!
The indoor seating has a retro interior too, like visiting your grandma's house. You can store your belongings inside the chairs.
Is there a clean restroom at this outdoor BBQ spot?
There's a restroom inside Chowon, and it's clean, so it was really comfortable. Many people worry about restrooms at outdoor BBQ spots, but you don't need to worry here.
The round tables have a cozy old-eatery feel, and disposable aprons are provided. Let's keep the meat grease off our clothes :)
Chowon Restaurant menu and prices
Here's the menu lineup at Chowon, a popular Tapgol Park outdoor BBQ spot in Jongno 3-ga. The pork set is ₩53,000 and comes with 210g of frozen pork belly and 210g of beef belly.
Chowon's highlight is the fire show, which you get when you order the Flame Hanwoo Set. Hanwoo (Korean beef) striploin at an outdoor BBQ place!!!! It's ₩55,000 for 300g.
- Frozen pork belly ₩18,000
- Frozen beef belly ₩18,000
- Hanwoo striploin ₩28,000
- Beef brisket (kkosun chadol) ₩20,000
- Yukhoe bibimbap (beef tartare rice bowl) ₩9,000
- Brisket soybean paste stew ₩8,000
- Kimchi stew ₩8,000
- Steamed egg ₩5,000
- Rice ₩1,000
- Soju, beer, soft drinks and more
Side dish refills at the self-serve bar
The basic side dishes are set out for you, and you can fetch more from the self-serve bar. There's well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi, green onion kimchi, Cheongyang chili peppers, garlic, ssamjang, lettuce, bracken and more. Grilled together with the meat, they're really delicious.
The retro silver tray adds to the charm too :)
How we grilled the frozen pork belly and beef belly
We ordered one frozen pork belly and one beef belly at Chowon. The meat came in a clay jar, which looked even more appetizing and felt hygienic.
You can't skip soju in a setting like this. The soju was nice and cold, which was great.
Grilling kimchi, garlic and bracken together on the grill, sizzling away, is so good. This is the real treat of outdoor BBQ.
Well-grilled meat with cold soju is the ultimate K pairing. Lots of foreign visitors come to Jongno's outdoor BBQ streets too, which makes it even more fun. A chance to show off K food!
Take a sip~~ Enjoy it to the fullest before the weather gets colder!
Extra orders: fried rice and makgeolli
You can order more from your seat, and a menu is kept on the table.
You can also order self-serve fried rice, and gourd-bottle makgeolli (milky rice wine)!
My husband's spoon K-samhap: meat, kimchi, bracken and garlic
This is a bite my husband prepared on a spoon. Pork belly, Cheongyang chili, grilled bracken, grilled kimchi, plus ssamjang and garlic: a K samhap (Korean-style triple combo)!
Great atmosphere, great taste, great service, a clean restroom and easy public transit access. I recommend Chowon, a Jongno outdoor BBQ spot 🤍☺️
Where it is
30 Jongno 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st floor)서울특별시 종로구 종로17길 30 1층 초원식당
Chowon Jongno 3-ga: hours, menu and prices →
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