Whole pork neck grilled tableside for kids, Changwon BBQ: Anmin

A Changwon Jung-dong restaurant recommendation for pork neck grilled to juicy perfection: Anmin.

I'm the mother bird who pecks out only the useful stuff for you, my neighbors. Between chasing after the kids and working, I'm always short on time, so for at least one meal on the weekend I wanted to skip cooking and sit down to a proper spread. I went looking for a place where I could be fully waited on without lifting a finger, and headed to Anmin Jung-dong, near the alley that's famous among locals as a Changwon Jung-dong restaurant for meat.

Why you should book ahead

I'd heard this spot, famous for Jung-dong pork belly (samgyeopsal), gets a long line from early evening, so I made sure to book a date and time in advance — and walking in without waiting the moment we arrived felt so satisfying. Right after we sat down, more reservation holders started streaming in, and by the time we left there were already several parties waiting.

True to a weekend after-work scene, the inside was already buzzing with the smell of delicious grilling meat and the warmth of a crowded room. Even as a popular restaurant with a constant stream of customers, the tables were wiped spotless with no sticky grease residue, so I felt cozy the moment I sat down.

What we ordered: whole raw pork neck for 4, cold ramen, rice scorched-rice soup

Worried about oil splattering on our clothes, we put on the aprons they'd thoughtfully provided and looked over the menu. No need to deliberate — we picked the thick whole raw pork neck for 4 first, the restaurant's clear bestseller, and rounded it out generously with a refreshing mashitte cold ramen and a warming glutinous rice scorched-rice soup.

Unlike the ordinary cuts of meat you find everywhere, this whole pork neck stood out for its thickness the moment it hit the table. White marbling ran through the red flesh in just the right amount, and my mouth was watering before it even touched the grill. Once the grill was properly heated, a skilled dedicated staff member came over and seared the surface quickly with practiced hands.

Staff-grilled whole pork neck, cut kid-sized

Watching them flip the thick cut this way and that, locking in the juices with such skill, made us feel truly taken care of. As someone who, whenever I grab the tongs myself, ends up burning the outside while leaving the inside tough, I was so grateful and relieved, haha (T_T).

I quickly tried a piece cut small enough for the kids to pop right in their mouths. Dipped just in salt, clear rich juices burst out from between the thick chunk of meat. Unlike the greasiness of the Jung-dong pork belly I'd had elsewhere, the pork neck's own clean flavor and chewy bite came through beautifully.

Not having to watch the grill to keep the meat from burning meant we could look each other in the eye and chat instead, which made mealtime feel many times sweeter.

The whole raw pork neck we chose as our main was grilled entirely by the staff, a thick cut that stayed crisp outside and moist inside. The moment you bit in, clear, fresh juices burst out, delivering a soft, savory flavor with no off smell whatsoever.

Mashitte cold ramen at ₩6,000 and glutinous rice scorched-rice soup

Priced at a kind ₩6,000, the mashitte cold ramen came with a chilly broth dotted with fine ice and chewy noodles, doing a fantastic job of refreshing our greasy palates between bites of meat. Finally, the glutinous rice scorched-rice soup, served in a stone pot, had chewy grains of glutinous rice and a savory broth that comfortingly warmed our stomachs and gave the meal a satisfying ending.

By the time we were about halfway through the meat, the cold ramen and rice scorched-rice soup were a match made in heaven. Slurping the springy noodles with their icy broth washed away all the grease. The sweet-and-tangy broth doubled the umami of the meat. The glutinous rice scorched-rice soup that followed, with its chewy texture and milky, savory broth, filled us up nicely. Alternating a bite of cold noodles with a spoonful of warm broth, I couldn't put my spoon down even though I was already full.

Would we go back for a family dinner?

Thanks to the care taken with everything from the grill temperature to the cutting size, this is a restaurant where you get to enjoy the meat's naturally tender flavor rather than something tough. Among all the times we've gone hunting for a greasy Jung-dong pork belly fix as a family, this was one of the times everyone in the family left satisfyingly full. The kids scraped their rice bowls clean over and over, and I, freed from the chore of grilling, got to enjoy a rare, delicious rest myself.

On weekday evenings or weekends, seats fill up quickly from early on, so if you want to eat without rushing, don't forget to book a date ahead of time. If you want to enjoy the meat's naturally moist flavor, which gets better the more you chew, along with comfortable service all in one visit, it's worth taking the family's hands and heading to Anmin.