Jonggak pork belly BBQ weekend dinner, crab ramyeon: Eom Yongbaek

Is there a wait at Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch on weekend evenings?

Yes, Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch (엄용백 돼지구이 광화문점) is a Jonggak pork belly spot with a wait even on weekend evenings. You can join the line in advance on CatchTable, so I'd check that first if you're going.

I've had BBQ near Jonggak a few times, but this was my first time at Eom Yongbaek and it was so, so good, honestly a life-changing place for pork belly. Even though this is a sponsored visit, I'm 100% coming back haha. It doesn't seem to have been open for long, yet you already have to wait via CatchTable. A real waiting-list favorite!

Location and hours

Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch is open daily from 11:00 to 22:30, with a break from 14:30 to 16:30. Groups and reservations are welcome, there are separate men's and women's restrooms, and they have high chairs.

The best thing about this Jonggak spot is that the whole area is a food street. It's behind Jogyesa Temple, so it's easy to find. Access is great too: it sits roughly midway between Jonggak Station, Gwanghwamun Station and Anguk Station, which makes it perfect. A great route for meeting up after work! I heard it's really busy at lunch too. The exterior was very clean, and there's a second floor.

I went on a weekend and there was a wait, so I wandered around the neighborhood a bit and then got seated right away haha. The staff were all so friendly.

Group seating and the second floor: good for a company dinner?

Eom Yongbaek has quite a lot of group tables, so I even snapped a photo on my way out haha. There's a second floor and a slightly terrace-like feel, so it's a great space for groups, company dinners and gatherings.

The atmosphere gives it a warm, cozy feel haha

Menu and prices: pork belly, crab ramyeon, pot rice

The menu at Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch had a wide range: fist-cut pork (jumeok-gogi), pork belly (ogyeopsal), pork jowl (hangjeongsal), pork neck (moksal), marinated special cuts, pork rind and more.

The side menu is well stocked too, and everything looked delicious. Next time I want to work my way through the whole menu.

• Pork belly ₩18,000 (*for 2 people)
• Crab ramyeon ₩11,000
• Pot rice ₩5,000

We ordered the pork belly, and I totally recommend it.

What are the side dishes like?

The reason I recommend Eom Yongbaek as a Jonggak favorite is that even the side dishes stand out.

There was mustard leaf kimchi (gat-kimchi), doenjang (soybean paste), salt, white kimchi, seasoned perilla leaves and lettuce salad, the kind of sides you'd expect at a good BBQ place. But the important part is that the flavor is on another level. So good!!!

Pork belly for 2: portion and taste?

At first I wondered if the pork belly for 2 would be too small, but they cut it piece by piece and it's thick, so it was not lacking at all!

Isn't the quality of this pork belly just insane? You can really feel the meat is different. Crispy outside, juicy inside..!!! (getting excited)

Meljeot in a big pot

They also serve meljeot (salted anchovy sauce), and not in a tiny dish but in a big steel pot like this. Mixed with rice it's a total rice thief. I really want to find out the recipe and try it myself, T_T!

Pork belly grilled by the staff

They first grill the pork belly very thick, then cut it in half, and the size is just right. The staff do all the grilling carefully, piece by piece, which makes the experience even more satisfying.

Pork belly is a fatty cut, but it wasn't greasy at all; it was nutty and rich instead. Even just dipped in salt it was so good.

Grilled kimchi is delicious with it too, and there are lots of ways to combine things, so I totally recommend trying it with the meljeot as well.

Pot rice instead of steamed rice, with seaweed and soy sauce

I thought it was neat that Eom Yongbaek offers pot rice (nembi-bap, ₩5,000) instead of regular steamed rice! Maybe because it's cooked in a pot, the rice was fluffy and so good.. a rice thief.

They also bring seaweed and soy sauce, and wrapping the rice in seaweed and dipping it in soy sauce is a total nostalgia flavor haha. It pairs really well with the meat too haha

They also recommend eating onion topped with doenjang, and eating it that way wiped out the greasiness at the end. It seems like they took out all the sharp bite of the onion.

What does the crab ramyeon taste like?

The crab ramyeon (₩11,000) at Eom Yongbaek is more savory and deep than spicy. I ordered it because it looked amazing, and the crab is a showstopper haha

You split up the legs and eat them, and the meat is surprisingly plump. I heard it's made without other seafood, using a broth simmered for a long time with lots of crab! The noodles were springy and well cooked. I recommend it to anyone who prefers savory over spicy ramyeon.

The ramyeon broth was the kind that soothes your stomach, and very tasty.. satisfied..>< After eating the scorched rice (nurungji) from the pot rice too, my stomach felt warm and settled! Finishing with the pot rice broth~!!

Is Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch worth the wait?

This is a place I saved with a firm "I'm 100% coming back." The meat quality, the rice setup and the side menu all satisfied me. Good meat restaurants are surprisingly hard to find, so for anyone who loves samgyeopsal and oyeopsal (pork belly), I totally recommend this Jonggak spot. You won't regret trying it once haha. It's worth the wait!