Cheonggyecheon date dinner at a Jongno3-ga Korean BBQ: Cham Dwaejitgan

Ever since I got to know the taste of Cham Dwaejitgan, it's the first place I look for whenever I want pork for a meal out. It's a chain, so I run into it here and there. Today we came out for a Cheonggyecheon stream date and deliberately made our way to Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch. Like a sparrow that can't pass a mill, haha. I always tell myself, let's just eat a little so we don't overload our stomachs, and then end up eating a ton anyway — that's Jirisan black pork five-layer pork belly for you. Here's my real review of the pork belly spot near Jongno3-ga Station.

Where is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch? Hours and parking

• Address: 1 Donhwamun-ro 5-ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 1F Unit 1-89, Piccadilly CGV Theater (54m from Jongno3-ga Station Exit 2-1)
• Hours: Daily 12:00–23:00
• Event: Free drink can or fried rice with a review (once per table)
• Parking: No on-site parking (park in the Piccadilly Plus building's dedicated lot and take the elevator down)

Cham Dwaejitgan's menu has slightly different prices for Boseong Nokdon pork and Jirisan black pork. You can actually taste a small difference too, haha. There are side dishes, drinks and alcohol you can order as well, so you can wet your throat while enjoying the meat.

Thursday evening wait and the walk from Jongno3-ga Station

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is around to the left of the parking lot entrance of the Piccadilly CGV building. We booked through Catch Table and waited a bit. I didn't expect it to be this busy from the outside, but even on a Thursday evening there were tons of people. There are many pork restaurants near Jongno3-ga Station, but this main branch is popular for being appealing in both location and taste.

A pig pen, haha haha 😆

There really were a lot of people. It seemed like a spot many come to for Jongno work dinners and gatherings — I saw quite a few groups too.

It's the kind of pork belly restaurant in Jongno3-ga where a table gets refilled the moment it opens up, and the wait only grows longer as time passes. One thing about Jongno is that a lot of foreign visitors come here to look around, and I did see a foreign family eating here too. It's striking how many foreigners you see these days, and the status of pork belly, haha — I don't know if it tastes like home to them, but once you try it, you can't stop.

On the right as you walk in, there's a spot with hair ties, disposable aprons, plastic bags for coats, kids' tableware, Wi-Fi info, dental floss and toothpicks, refreshing mouthwash, after-meal candy and Febreze. They're all by the entrance, so you can use them before or after your meal if needed.

Jirisan black pork, self-serve whole-leaf kimchi and shiitake mushroom sauce

We usually go with Boseong Nokdon pork, but today it's Jirisan black pork belly, tang tang tang. I was curious whether there'd be a difference, so I decided on Jirisan black pork.

At Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch, every vegetable side except minari (water dropwort) is self-serve. The kimchi is kept as whole cabbage leaves, so you can take it as is and grill it on the pan yourself. I've seen plenty of self-serve sides before, but whole-leaf kimchi like this isn't common. There are sauce containers too, so you can help yourself if you run low.

Seasoned soy sauce, wasabi, shiitake sauce, salt, garlic and ssamjang (thick dipping sauce) are set out individually per person, so you can easily pair them with the meat. The shiitake sauce is something you can only get here, so it's unique and special — personally one of my favorites.

The basics that come out first: scallion salad, green salad, garlic scapes, and lettuce wraps. Refill if you run out~~~ Eating these with the meat cuts the grease, so your hand keeps reaching for them, haha.

Two servings of Jirisan black pork five-layer belly on the charcoal grill

First we ordered two servings of Jirisan black pork. It came with sliced potatoes, shishito peppers, sliced potato, and king oyster mushrooms. A surprisingly generous two servings — the thickness is no joke. You know how the thicker the meat, the more the chewiness and savoriness come through, and the more tender it gets? This kind of thickness wouldn't work otherwise.

Jirisan black pork five-layer pork belly — looks great.

The handmade pan, which keeps oil from splattering, is made with domestic rice husks and premium charcoal, giving off a distinct aroma. Watching them grill, I realized how much it matters where and how the vegetables are placed, and I finally got why the potato and shishito peppers come out with the meat — they get set on the pan later. Food really does taste better when there's care put into the details.

As the pork belly renders fat, the kimchi is placed right in the middle so it soaks up more and grills up savory. Kimchi grilled this way is so savory and delicious that you end up eating all of that huge pile.

Since the meat is so thick, they crisp up all four sides first and then slice it — and this is what you get... just looking at it, the mouth waters automatically, haha. They grill it for us, so all we need to do is talk, but why do we always end up completely absorbed in watching this scene instead? Is this just what happens to an old married couple, haha.

Now all that's left is for the meat to finish grilling, right? They grill it for us directly, with no smoke, perfectly crisp outside and tender inside. Coming here often, I've now got a good sense of how they grill it too, haha.

Once the Jirisan black pork belly is well grilled, they move it over to where the vegetables are, and from here on the potato and shishito peppers become the stars. Wrapping the meat with a well-grilled potato gives you an interesting flavor.

No need to describe the taste. Just eat it — it's all delicious, haha. I always try meat on its own first, then with other things, and once again, the classics never fail. The Jirisan black pork five-layer pork belly was genuinely chewy and savory. Ever since, whenever I go to Cham Dwaejitgan, all I order is Jirisan black pork belly, haha. Saving this as my go-to pork belly restaurant in Jongno. Honestly, Cham Dwaejitgan is good no matter which branch you go to, haha.

Finishing the meal with kimchi jjigae

We were craving a spicy kimchi jjigae so we ordered one, and the portion was bigger than expected — we used it to cleanse our palates.

A refreshing kimchi jjigae loaded with generous chunks of meat. It really seems to seal off the lingering richness of the juicy Jirisan black pork, haha. We're full, but when something delicious keeps coming, our mood only goes up. If fullness and mood were proportional we'd just gain weight... but what can you do? It's delicious. Diet starts tomorrow, haha.

Even now, as I'm writing this, I feel like the smell of grilling meat is still lingering around me. Sorting through the photos brought the whole moment rushing back. Going to good restaurants is one of the important parts of dating for us, so I wanted to capture this happy date moment. Since Cham Dwaejitgan is so close to Jongno3-ga Station, I'd recommend trying it if you're nearby. A genuine pork belly restaurant recommendation near Jongno3-ga Station.