CGV Piccadilly Korean BBQ in Jongno3-ga: pork neck and jowl for two

On Friday evenings Jongno3-ga gets really crowded, so I usually pick a dinner spot in advance!! This time my husband and I were craving pork, so let me introduce a pork belly spot in Jongno3-ga we tried haha

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

Open daily 12:00–23:00 / Group seating available

How to walk to Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch from Jongno3-ga Station

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is really close to Jongno3-ga Station, so it was easy to find. Head toward Exit 2-1 of Jongno3-ga Station and you'll reach CGV Piccadilly — take the stairs up and once you're outside, the restaurant is right there next door! It's basically connected to the station, so even on my first visit I found it without any trouble.

How long is the Friday evening wait at Cham Dwaejitgan?

Being Friday evening, there were of course a lot of customers. I figured we'd have a long wait if we just showed up, so I put our names on the remote queue through CatchTable. I expected a long wait given how busy it was, but a table opened up sooner than expected, so we got seated without much of a wait at all~!

Ordering two servings of pork neck and one of pork jowl

What we ordered that day was two servings of pork neck (mokssal) and one of pork jowl (hangjeongsal) — three servings total! Pork raised on Boseong green tea..! I was already looking forward to it haha

The side dishes and dipping sauces were varied and great too. So many things to dip the meat in — happiness!!

The table set up like this~~~~~ pretty, right

A BBQ place that gives you milk thistle for your liver?? That's some serious attention to detail haha

Kimchi, bean sprouts and minari on the grill with the pork

Another thing I really liked about eating at Cham Dwaejitgan was the kimchi, bean sprouts, and minari (water dropwort). The staff grilled not just the meat but also the kimchi, bean sprouts, and minari on the pan. Eating the kimchi and bean sprouts and minari together with the meat — infused with the pork's fat and that smoky grilled flavor — was genuinely delicious. Especially the well-grilled kimchi paired with the pork neck: it cut through the richness while adding a savory depth. The minari was fragrant too and went really well with the pork haha

Look at this~~~~~ both the pork neck and pork jowl were thick, high-quality cuts

A Jongno Korean BBQ where staff grill every cut for you

What I especially liked about Cham Dwaejitgan was that the staff grill the meat for you. It was nice not having to keep an eye on the grill the whole time — we could just relax and chat while we waited. They flipped the meat at just the right moments and cooked it to just the right doneness, so all we had to do was eat it and enjoy!

What the pork neck (mokssal) tastes like

We started with the pork neck. Grilled to a golden brown, it looked appetizingly cooked on the outside while staying juicy inside. You could really taste that clean, nutty flavor characteristic of pork neck — it was delicious dipped in just salt, and it also paired well with the side dishes.

What the pork jowl (hangjeongsal) tastes like

The pork jowl (hangjeongsal) had a different charm from the pork neck. It was pleasantly chewy, and the more you chewed, the more the nutty flavor came through — personally, alternating between the two cuts kept things from getting boring, and I kept reaching for more.

Self-serve lettuce, perilla leaves and potatoes at Cham Dwaejitgan

The lettuce and perilla leaves were on a self-serve bar, so we could keep grabbing more whenever we wanted, which was convenient. Being a perilla leaf fan, I wrapped up some proper perilla leaf ssam and munched away happily.

The sliced potatoes grilled alongside the meat were also great!!

Finishing the meal with fried rice

It'd be a shame not to have the fried rice "dessert," right?

With an egg cracked right on top of the fried rice haha, it was so nutty and delicious. For busy times like Friday evening, I'd recommend using remote queuing like we did before visiting. We got seated much sooner than expected, which made the whole experience even more satisfying!!

If you're looking for an easily accessible Korean BBQ spot in Jongno3-ga to enjoy pork belly with your husband or a friend, I'd recommend giving this place a visit 👍🏻 We ended our Friday evening on a happy note, enjoying well-grilled pork neck and pork jowl together~