Samgyeopsal butcher shop grill in Daepyeong-dong, Sejong: Hanmaeum

These days when I eat samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), I go to a jeongyuk sikdang (butcher's restaurant). Looking for a samgyeopsal spot in Sejong, I decided to visit Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang Sejong Daepyeong Branch this time. Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang has never let me down, so I had high expectations again!

Where Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang Sejong Daepyeong Branch is, plus hours and parking

Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang Sejong Daepyeong Branch is located at 35 Sicheong-daero, Sydney Hill 207, Sejong, South Korea. It's open daily 11:30–22:00, with a weekday break time from 15:00 to 17:00, last order at 21:30, and the playroom closes at 21:30 too.

The underground parking lot is spacious, so parking is easy and supported. Naver Reservation is available, so I'd recommend booking ahead if you're visiting in the evening, for a work dinner, or on weekends.

The playroom and dining room on a weekday evening

As soon as you walk in there's a waiting area set up, and true to being a restaurant with a playroom in Sejong, the playroom is huge. I visited on a weekday evening and there were already a lot of families with kids there.

There were plenty of tables, well separated from each other, which I liked. It looked like it could handle group meals or work dinners too.

The menu and our order: the 500g half-pig portion

This is the menu at Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang Sejong Daepyeong Branch. There's beef and pork, plus various menu items like usamgyeop (beef belly), hanwoo yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), and lunch specials. Side dishes are available too. I ordered the pork half-portion 500g and two bowls of rice.

Side dishes, the self-bar and unlimited doenjang stew

These are the basic side dishes. Lettuce, seasoned vegetables, doenjang stew, salad, and pickled radish all came out. The side dishes were really varied and tasty, and went well with the meat.

Doenjang stew and the rest of the side dishes are all available freely at the self-bar. Doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) packed with tofu and vegetables, and it's unlimited — isn't that great?

Jjolmyeon (spicy chewy noodles) with shredded green onion also came out. The jjolmyeon tasted really good. Can't believe it's free!! The portion was bigger than expected too, perfect to eat alongside the meat.

What comes in the 500g half-pig portion, and how it grills

The pork half-portion 500g arrived. It's a mixed platter with mushrooms, samgyeopsal, mokssal (pork neck), ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly), hangjeongsal (pork jowl), and gabrisal (pork shoulder blade).

We started grilling the meat right away. We grilled garlic too, and since the fire was evenly spread across the grill, even the garlic at the edge cooked well.

With doenjang stew around, rice is a must haha. The stew is unlimited too, so it's easy to help yourself and it tastes great. There's a separate induction burner, so they grill the meat for you while the stew simmers separately, which was convenient.

They grilled the meat diligently for us. The fire is strong, so it cooks fast. The samgyeopsal with that smoky char taste looked so good.

No off smell from the meat at all, and being a jeongyuk sikdang, the quality was good. I get why so many people come specifically to the Daepyeong branch among all the Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang locations.

Of course you have to wrap the meat in a lettuce ssam (wrap). Eating it with bean sprouts, shredded green onion, and other side dishes made it even tastier, and the lettuce was fresh too. The mushrooms were great to eat alongside as well><

How many adults does the 500g half-pig portion feed?

With jjolmyeon, rice, doenjang stew, and the meat all together, even a half-portion of pork was plenty for three adults. My family doesn't eat a huge amount, but this is a place where you can eat until you're stuffed.

As a grilled garlic lover, I really enjoyed this haha. Samgyeopsal and mokssal were basically delicious, and I diligently grilled and ate the hangjeongsal and ogyeopsal too. Since it's a half-portion with a variety of cuts, it made the meal even more enjoyable.

Why Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang is worth it in Daepyeong-dong, Sejong

Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang Sejong Daepyeong Branch had no off smell and was delicious overall. With the playroom, kids can have fun while the whole family eats, which looked great for families. The meat quality is good and the restaurant is spacious, so if you're looking for a good restaurant in Sejong's Daepyeong-dong, I'd recommend this place!