Hwaseong butcher BBQ after a late work trip: pork tacos, Morakmorak

I came here looking for a hearty dinner after a work trip to Hwaseong, and it's a great Namyang-eup spot. The big parking lot, the wide choice of meat and the pre-searing service made it an easy meal before heading home.

Morakmorak after a work trip to Hwaseong: is parking easy?

Morakmorak Jeongyuk Sikdang Namyang Hwaseong City Hall Main Branch (모락모락정육식당 남양 화성시청 본점) is at 70 Yeokgol-jungang-ro, Namyang-eup, Manse-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, on the 1st floor, with a large private parking lot right next to it, so it's easy by car. It was a handy place to stop when looking for meat near Hwaseong City Hall.

My work trip ended much later than expected, so I had to eat dinner before heading home. After moving around all day, I wasn't craving rice so much as a solid plate of meat, haha. So I went to Morakmorak Jeongyuk Sikdang Namyang Hwaseong City Hall Main Branch.

I drove, and the private lot next to the restaurant is big, so parking was easy from the start. I'd worried about parking for a late dinner, but I pulled in without any fuss and walked right in.

The entrance was a little different from an ordinary BBQ place. It's decorated with green artificial leaves and string lights, so it felt like walking into an indoor campsite. The tired work-trip mood shifted a little right at the door.

Morakmorak opening hours and atmosphere

The restaurant is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with last order at 9 p.m. It's open all year round, so it's easy to plan a dinner around.

Inside, the space was bigger than I expected and the tables were nicely spaced out. A blue-ocean-style media video played on one wall, and with the lighting and green walls, the place felt surprisingly stylish for a BBQ restaurant.

It looked comfortable for groups too, like family meals or company dinners, and there's a more private area at the back. They also have high chairs, so it felt thoughtful toward families.

How do you order? Pick your meat at the showcase

At Morakmorak you choose the meat you want from the refrigerated showcase and hand it to the counter. After being shown to our seat, I went to pick the meat.

Beef, lamb and pork are displayed by cut, which made choosing fun. Each pack is labeled with its weight and price, so you can take your time looking and decide.

This day we chose pork belly and pork neck. After the work trip I didn't want to overthink it, so I went for a familiar, filling combo.

Pre-seared pork belly and pork neck, ready to grill

Once you hand the meat to the counter, it goes through a pre-searing step and is brought to your table. Staff cut it into bite-size pieces for you, so at the table you just put it on the grill.

The grill was already set at the table before the meat arrived, with a space in the middle for simmering doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). I liked that you can enjoy meat and stew on one grill.

The pre-seared pork belly and neck came out golden on the surface. When I put them on the grill they sizzled and a savory aroma spread, and with no long wait we could eat right away.

The pork belly was savory and juicy, with fat and lean meat in balance. The pork neck was clean-tasting with a thick, meaty bite, and alternating between the two, each had its own charm.

I grilled the meat piece by piece, dipped it in salt first, then tried it in wraps with scallion salad. With sides like myeongi namul (wild garlic-chive pickles), kimchi, garlic and chili, I could vary the combination with the same meat.

Making pork belly tacos with self-bar tortillas

Another fun part of Morakmorak was the self-bar. Besides wrap vegetables and side dishes, there were ingredients that go well with meat, like gosari (bracken fern), myeongi namul, scallion kimchi, garlic and chili.

Best of all, there are tortillas and lots of sauces, so you can eat the meat like tacos. Fresh wasabi, cilantro, soy sauce, sriracha mayo, garlic dip, guacamole and salsa: picking what you like was a lot of fun.

I put grilled pork belly or neck on a tortilla, added guacamole and salsa and folded it up, and it felt completely different from the usual ssam (lettuce wraps). A little cilantro on top adds aroma for a fun new bite.

Free yukhoe and muksabal (acorn jelly in cold broth)

The yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and muksabal (cold acorn jelly soup) that come as standard rounded out the meal. Popping the yolk and mixing the yukhoe made it smooth and nutty, and the muksabal, with a little slush ice floating in it, refreshed my appetite before the meat.

Finishing with hanwoo bone broth ramen

For the hanwoo bone broth ramen, you take hanwoo gomtang (beef bone soup) broth from the restaurant's fridge, grab ramen and a pot, and boil it yourself at the table. After eating plenty of meat, I made one too.

I added the ramen to the hanwoo bone broth and let it bubble, and the broth looked deep even by color. Finishing with warm broth and noodles after the meat filled up my stomach, which was hungry from the work trip.

Jin Ramen comes in spicy and mild, so you can choose to taste. Adding green onion, garlic and chili from the self-bar makes the broth richer, and I tossed in leftover ingredients from the meat too.

Good to know before visiting Morakmorak

You pick the meat yourself, receive it pre-seared and finish it at the table, so even as a first-timer it wasn't hard.

• A large private parking lot next to the restaurant makes visiting by car easy.
• You can choose beef, lamb and pork from the showcase to your liking.
• Pork belly and neck are pre-seared and brought out cut into bite-size pieces.
• At the self-bar you can take wrap vegetables, side dishes and taco ingredients as you like.
• After the meat, boiling ramen in hanwoo bone broth is a great way to finish.
• The adult table setting fee is ₩5,000 per person; children through high school students are excluded.

Morakmorak FAQ

Is parking easy at Morakmorak?

Yes, there's a large private lot next to the restaurant, so it was easy to visit by car.

Do you have to grill the meat from raw?

No. The meat is pre-seared and brought out cut into bite-size pieces, so at the table you just put it on the grill to finish.

What meat can you choose?

Beef, lamb and pork are available in a variety of cuts. I chose pork belly and pork neck.

What else is there besides meat?

You can enjoy yukhoe, mukbap-style cold acorn jelly soup and doenjang jjigae, plus self-bar side dishes and tortilla tacos. I'd also recommend the hanwoo bone broth ramen at the end.

What kinds of gatherings does Morakmorak suit?

With a large space and varied seating, it looks well suited to family meals, company dinners and group gatherings.

A hearty BBQ dinner near Hwaseong City Hall: worth going back?

On the day my Hwaseong work trip ran late, I was looking for somewhere with easy parking and a filling meal, and I ended up at Morakmorak. Picking pork belly and neck myself, eating them easily thanks to the pre-searing, and then enjoying tacos and hanwoo bone broth ramen made for a really satisfying meal.

What stuck with me most was the indoor-campsite feel at the entrance, the spacious interior and the fun of picking meat. I'd recommend it to anyone near Hwaseong City Hall looking for a family meal or company dinner spot, or who wants meat with lots of extras, and I'd go back, haha.