Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ, potato wraps after a 35-min wait: Cham

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점) is a pork belly place near Jongno 3-ga Station that works for both company dinners and dates. I went this weekend with my boyfriend, and I'm going to tell you about it: the staff grill all the meat for you, and the potato wraps were so good 🤍

Location and opening hours of Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is at 1 Donhwamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the ground floor of Picadilly CGV. It's a 1-minute walk from Exit 2-1 of Jongno 3-ga Station, so it's easy to find.

• Address: 1 Donhwamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Picadilly CGV, ground floor)
• Getting there: 1-minute walk from Exit 2-1, Jongno 3-ga Station
• Hours: Mon–Sat 12:00–23:30 / Sun 12:00–22:30

How long is the Saturday evening wait at Cham Dwaejitgan?

On a Saturday evening, the wait at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch was about 35 minutes. We joined the queue on Catch Table (a restaurant reservation and waitlist app) around 6:50 PM and got in around 7:25 PM.

By the time we finished and left, customers were slowly thinning out after 8 PM. If the wait bothers you, I'd recommend visiting a little later in the evening.

Atmosphere and seating: is it good for a group dinner?

The restaurant was bigger than I expected, with plenty of large group tables, so I'd recommend it for group gatherings and company dinners (hoesik) too. The staff were super busy but still really kind 🫶

The tables aren't packed too close together either, so you can eat comfortably!

Table setting and the self-bar

Once you're shown to your seat, kimchi, water dropwort (minari), wrap vegetables and a variety of sauces are already set out. Meat alone can get heavy, but eating it with all these side dishes was fun and, above all, so delicious 😍

Side dishes and wrap vegetables are free to refill at the self-bar! (Water dropwort is the exception.) I'm a total addict of shiitake and wasabi, so I went back for more several times haha

What we ordered for two, and the prices

My boyfriend and I ordered 2 servings of pork belly, 1 serving of flower neck, Jirisan kudzu cold noodles and a bowl of rice at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch. The total came to ₩56,000.

• Pork belly, 2 servings: ₩16,000 × 2
• Flower neck, 1 serving: ₩16,000
• Jirisan kudzu cold noodles: ₩7,000
• Steamed rice: ₩1,000
• Total: ₩56,000

Pork belly and flower neck, grilled by staff from start to finish

The pork belly and flower neck at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch come out as one thick slab each, along with mushrooms, potatoes and peppers. At first I wondered, one slab each, is that too little? But they're so thick that it turned out to be quite a generous amount.

The staff grilled the meat for us from start to finish, which was so convenient 👍👍 I think that's why so many people come here for company dinners and dates.

Can you see the juices in that meat!? They cut the flower neck into cubes and grill it with mushrooms, and when we grilled water dropwort and kimchi alongside, it never felt greasy and we enjoyed it to the very end.

How do you eat the potato wraps at Cham Dwaejitgan?

What stuck with me most at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch was the potato wraps (gamjassam)! 🥔🤍 Once you've eaten a fair amount of meat, the staff put thinly sliced potatoes on the grill.

Wrapping pork belly in a golden-brown potato slice is such a good combo 🤤👍

The potato gets crispy, so the texture is great, and it goes really well with the savory flavor of the meat!!! Now that I've tried it, I totally get why so many people recommend the potato wraps 🥹

Jirisan kudzu cold noodles with the meat

The Jirisan kudzu cold noodles (chilkmul naengmyeon, ₩7,000) at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch have a cool, clean broth that was tasty enough without adding any vinegar or mustard. I ordered one to eat with the meat!

A bite of meat followed by a bite of cold noodles is a combo that never fails 🤍

Who is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch for?

Overall, the meat quality at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch was good, and since the staff grill for you, it was a comfortable meal. Above all, the potato wraps were so impressive that if you're looking for a great pork belly place in Jongno, it's worth a visit 🤍

• Anyone looking for a great pork belly place in Jongno
• Anyone looking for a BBQ place where staff grill the meat
• Anyone looking for a date spot around Jongno and Euljiro
• Anyone looking for a company dinner spot near Jongno 3-ga Station