Korean BBQ full course for two in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul: Dongnaejeong

My boyfriend's one-liner right after we left this place:

'There really are so many delicious things in this world.'

hahahahahahahahaha

I'm starting this post with that line. Out of all the Korean BBQ spots I've been to lately, this is easily tier 1 — not just the food, but the service too.

Where is Dongnaejeong Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Main Branch?

Dongnaejeong Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Main Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant just a 2-minute walk from Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station. Search for Korean BBQ near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office and this pops up right at the top.

This place is already famous on social media for its juicy pork neck, so I'd had it bookmarked for a while — finally made it! And the access is so good too,,

Put your name in on CatchTable first: 20-minute wait

For reference, we waited about 20 minutes before getting seated! These days, good restaurants basically require CatchTable,,,ㅜㅜ

Inside Dongnaejeong: the room and the seating

The vibe inside Dongnaejeong is 500% retro! Like, how do I put it — it's got that old-school pub feel where you'd want to tilt back a drink hahahaha

Oh, and one thing I noticed the moment we walked in — the staff were incredibly kind. Honestly, good mood beats good taste,, this place earns a 5-star rating from service alone.

Dongnaejeong menu and prices: most cuts 18,000 won

The menu was so clean and simple, I loved it!

• *Jeong-gabri (160g) ₩18,000
• *Dongnae pork neck (180g) ₩18,000
• 1+ whole pork belly (180g) ₩18,000
• Flower pork jowl (160g) ₩18,000
• Brisket (160g) ₩16,000
• Milmyeon ₩8,500 each
• Stews ₩9,000

(Items marked with * are the signature dishes.) Plus they even have a menu explaining how to eat everything, so thoughtfulㅜㅜ

What two people ordered: 2 jeong-gabri and 1 whole pork belly

We ordered 2 servings of jeong-gabri and 1 serving of 1+ whole pork belly at Dongnaejeong!

They set up the basics right away! The side dishes were all delicious,, unwritten rule of a great restaurant: the side dishes are always good. And honestly even the water was good here hahahaha

Dongnaejeong staff grill the pork for you

The 2 servings of jeong-gabri arrived! Passed the color test. And a reminder: at Dongnaejeong, the staff grill everything for you themselves, in the order best for eating! (Once we were about done with the pork jowl, they started grilling fresh pork belly)

All you do at Dongnaejeong is sit and watch

While the owner grilled the meat, there was literally nothing for us to do,, so nice, so nice....

WOW.

Shiitake salt and the signature meljeot dip

For reference, the salt here isn't just regular salt — it's shiitake salt! It let the meaty flavor come through beautifully, and the signature melchorim (fermented anchovy) dip had zero fishiness and was so good.. I will definitely be back to this place...........

Brisket doenjang stew and steamed egg on the side

hahahahahahahahaha we also ordered brisket doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) and steamed egg (and later even milmyeon, us fools^^)

Brisket doenjang stew. The chunky ingredients were seriously substantial. You have to order this one, it's a total rice thief. Spicy and hearty, it went great with the meat ㅜㅜ

Next up: the 1+ whole pork belly

For reference, I'm a born-and-bred Korean, but I'm not usually a big fan of pork belly? (I promise I'm really Korean;;)

But the moment the pork belly came out, the color already looked serious

Why Dongnaejeong's pork belly beats the pork collar

No but seriously....... if pork jowl → delicious, then whole pork belly → even more delicious;;;;;;;; the juices bursting out were insanely good.... you must try the pork belly!!!!!! Seriously highly recommend. (Note: I personally love it when the fat bursts everywhere)

Mushrooms grilled in foil to keep them juicy

Near the end, once we'd finished the meat, they cut up the mushrooms that had been hidden in foil this whole time into bite-size pieces, and I savored them like dessert hahahaha the mushrooms' natural flavor was so moist and alive!

Finishing with Dongnaejeong's mul-milmyeon (cold noodles in broth)

We were really hungry that day and probably got carried away because the food was so good,,ㅠ we ended up casually ordering mul-milmyeon too (final tip: for finishing, go mul-milmyeon! If wrapping with meat, go bibim-milmyeon!)

No but seriously;;;;; you have to order the milmyeon too. It's got this mild, slightly rough flavor that's the real kicker. I'm usually not into mulppago (meat dipped in broth), but this one, wow.. even the meat in it was delicious

You can really feel the care that went into every single dish, right down to each ingredient. If you're looking for a good Korean BBQ restaurant near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office, or a spot for a company dinner, I genuinely, highly recommend Dongnaejeong!!! This is probably going up on my blog's 'places I'd go again' list soon;