Munjeong Korean BBQ with draft beer: skin-on pork belly, Minari

I was looking for good pork belly near Munjeong Station and ended up at Minari Naengsam (미나리 냉삼)! With pork belly, the quality of the meat is everything, right? Here I got to enjoy everything from thick fresh pork belly to juicy naengsam (thin-sliced pork belly). What I especially liked was the unlimited minari (water dropwort), so you can load up on it with your meat.

Where is Minari Naengsam near Munjeong Station?

Minari Naengsam is in Terra Tower by Munjeong Station, just around the corner from the Geumbyeol Beer spot. If you live near Munjeong Station, you know Geumbyeol Beer in Terra Tower, right?! It's really easy to find.

I went on a Saturday evening, and the place felt pleasant with plenty of space between tables, so we could eat comfortably!!

The naengsam is Hanwoo (Korean beef-grade domestic pork) from sow, so it was wonderfully tender and juicy. Absolutely delicious naengsam!🥓

How does unlimited minari go with pork belly?

At Minari Naengsam you get unlimited fresh minari, so the fatty pork belly stays refreshing right to the end. It comes in heaps! Minari is the one thing a minari naengsam place can't skip. Pork belly is delicious, but it can start to feel greasy as you go, right?

That's when fragrant, crunchy minari makes your mouth feel much fresher. Piling plenty of minari on a piece of meat, the nutty pork and minari's distinctive aroma go together really well. If you love minari, being able to add as much as you like is a big plus.

Eating minari alongside gives you different textures instead of just meat after meat, so I never got tired of it right to the end. Pork belly and minari is a combo you can always trust!

Fresh pork belly at Minari Naengsam: thick like five-layer pork belly

The most memorable dish at Minari Naengsam was the fresh pork belly. The meat is really thick, so it looked appetizing from the start.

Unlike ordinary pork belly, the skin is still attached, so it felt like eating five-layer pork belly (osyeopsal).👍🏻 Being thick, it has a great chew, and cooked just right you really taste the juices and nutty flavor. With pork belly the balance of fat and lean matters, and I enjoyed the rich fat together with the clean-tasting lean meat. The chewy skin added even more fun to every bite.

What were the atmosphere and grill like on a Saturday evening?

Even on a Saturday evening it wasn't crowded, and the wide grill plate (not charcoal) made grilling easy. The dining environment was as satisfying as the meat. It wasn't packed and chaotic, just pleasantly lively, so we could eat comfortably. The tables are fairly large, so there was room even with meat, side dishes and minari on them. Since it isn't charcoal, controlling the heat was relatively easy, and the wide plate was great for grilling several pieces at once.

When grilling, sometimes the fire is too strong or the plate too cramped, but Minari Naengsam has little of that, so I could focus on eating. At a place where you grill the meat yourself, these small conveniences really lift the whole meal.✨

Can you drink draft beer at this Munjeong pork belly restaurant?

Minari Naengsam sells cold draft beer. That's another thing I personally loved!!!!✨ At pork belly places you mostly get bottled beer or soju, and it's less common than you'd think to find one that serves draft.

A bite of golden-brown pork belly followed by a sip of cold draft beer made the nuttiness of the meat stand out even more. Fatty pork belly and cold draft beer really go well together. Good meat plus cold draft beer feels like doubling the satisfaction of the meal! I thought it would be a nice spot for dinner after work or a casual drink on the weekend.

How is naengsam different from fresh pork belly?

The naengsam (thin-sliced pork belly) at Minari Naengsam is sliced thin so it cooks fast, and it was moist rather than dry. I tried naengsam as well as the fresh pork belly. Its charm is that it's thin, cooks quickly and gives you that distinctive nutty taste.

Sometimes naengsam is so thin that it turns dry or disappoints in texture, but maybe because the cut here is good, it was moist and tasty. Cooked quickly on the grill, the nutty flavor comes alive, and it has a different charm from the fresh pork belly.

I loved the hearty chew of the thick fresh pork belly, but the thin, tender naengsam is appealing too, so I'd recommend ordering both and comparing. Both were satisfying, so this Munjeong Station pork belly spot lets you pick by your own taste.

Verdict: who is Minari Naengsam for?

Minari Naengsam is a great place to visit when you're craving pork belly near Munjeong Station! It's a legit Munjeong-dong naengsam spot! From the thick, skin-on fresh pork belly with its five-layer charm to the juicy, nutty naengsam, I enjoyed it all. Add unlimited fresh minari and cold draft beer, and it made for an even more satisfying meal.

• Anyone who wants thick fresh pork belly and juicy naengsam together
• Anyone who likes the pork belly and minari combo
• Anyone who wants plenty of minari alongside
• Anyone who wants cold draft beer with their meat