Pork belly for two after work near Uijeongbu Station: Cheonpo Hoegwan

How far is Cheonpo Hoegwan from Uijeongbu Station on foot?

Hi everyone! It had been a while since I met a friend after work near Uijeongbu Station for dinner. We spent ages deciding where to go, and when my friend said she was craving pork belly, I knew I wanted to take her to a spot I visit often haha

It's a minari (water celery) pork belly place — piling fresh, fragrant minari on top of savory, good-quality pork belly just melts your stress away, so I headed to Cheonpo Hoegwan. There's parking right in front, so I usually drive, but this time I walked to meet my friend coming from Uijeongbu Station. Depending on your pace it's a 5 to 10-minute walk, which was actually pleasant in this weather ☺️

Ordering two servings of pork belly and one of beef rolls

Honestly, this is already my nth repeat visit here. It's well known for the quality of its meat, so I didn't even need to check the menu once we sat down haha. Since we'd come straight from work, we were starving and quickly ordered two servings of pork belly and one of beef rolls.

What comes free: beef tartare and fry-it-yourself kimchi pancake

Right after we ordered, the basic table setting arrived quickly. Honestly, not many BBQ places give you beef tartare for free, right? My friend was surprised to see it included as standard here. On top of that, they also give you kimchi pancake batter to fry yourself haha. While waiting for the meat, it's genuinely fun frying up your own chewy, crispy kimchi pancake.

I always find that the wait at BBQ places, picking at plain side dishes while the meat grills, can drag on and get boring. But at Cheonpo Hoegwan, the sweet, savory beef tartare and kimchi pancake come free, so we lost track of time chatting while we ate. It'd also make a great starter snack for anyone having a drink. It was such a satisfying setup for curbing hunger before the meat even arrives.

How the pork belly tastes with minari, roasted kimchi and green onion salad

After demolishing the tartare and kimchi pancake in no time, the thick-cut pork belly for two arrived and went straight onto the grill. Piling fresh green minari, roasted kimchi and green onion salad onto the grill along with the meat made for an incredible-looking spread. I'm not the best at grilling, but the staff checked the grill temperature carefully for us, so we managed to get it golden-brown without burning anything.

Cutting into a nicely browned piece of pork belly and popping it in my mouth, it was textbook crispy-outside, juicy-inside — crisp on the outside, packed with juicy tenderness on the inside. The ratio of savory fat to lean meat was perfect, and wrapped in fragrant minari it just kept disappearing. Dipping fresh lettuce wraps in uroeng doenjang with garlic was great too, and we cleaned the plate down to the last piece.

Trying Cheonpo Hoegwan's beef rolls for the first time

My friend was curious and ordered beef rolls, which I also tried for the first time — thinly sliced beef tightly rolled around vegetables caught my eye right away. Coated in a special sauce and cooked to bite-sized pieces perfect for popping in your mouth, the moment I bit in, the beef's juices mingled with the vegetables' — amazing. So tender it practically melted in my mouth, with sweet seasoning on top, I'd recommend it as a dish even kids could easily enjoy 😆

Verdict and tips for visiting Cheonpo Hoegwan in Uijeongbu

Overall, the food quality was excellent, and combined with the restaurant's atmosphere, cleanliness and the friendly staff, all three came together for a really pleasant meal. If you're looking for a proper minari pork belly restaurant in Uijeongbu, I'd recommend giving this a try.

• Location: 21 Beomgol-ro 145beon-gil, 1F, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00
• Parking: Available

Coming home after a hearty dinner and long catch-up with a friend, my body feels heavy but my mood feels light. Time for a quick shower and a good night's sleep.