Mapo charcoal rib BBQ: thick ribs wrapped in cream pasta, Champpoppo

I was looking for somewhere to eat in Hapjeong and remembered a pork rib place I'd been curious about, since so many have been popping up lately: Champpoppo Jjokgalbi (참뽀뽀쪽갈비). So I went 🥹

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong: location, hours and reservations

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch is at 1st floor, 77 Yanghwa-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, in an alley about a 9-minute walk from Hapjeong Station. Hours are Mon–Thu 17:00–24:00 (last order 23:00) and Fri–Sun 17:00–01:00 (last order 00:00).

• No parking
• Naver reservations available
• Groups welcome
• Corkage available (paid, ₩10,000 per bottle)
• About a 9-minute walk from Hapjeong Station

It's tucked into a Hapjeong alley and seems to have opened pretty recently!

Let's take a quick look at the menu first.

How many seats, and is there a wait at Champpoppo Hapjeong?

There are only about 10 tables, so a wait is a must at peak times! They keep the door open, so the seats by the door felt like an outdoor terrace!! You can also store your bags under the chair!

Suddenly I'm a woman wiping away tears over pork ribs,,,

Menu items are posted on the walls too! And there are disposable aprons.

Events running during my visit

• 50% off soju and beer for two weeks!!
• Get a soft tofu spicy ramyeon coupon when you book on Naver!
• Plus a review event that pops up when you order!

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi menu and spice levels

Besides the basic soy ribs (ganjang jjokgalbi) and spicy seasoned ribs (yangnyeom jjokgalbi), there's also pork skirt meat, pork skin and chicken feet, and the sides are super varied too: cheese dishes, stews, pasta, ramyeon, kalguksu-style noodles (kaljebi), rice balls and more 🥹 The seasoned ribs come in two spice levels: Jjomaep and Geomaep. "A little spicy" and "scary spicy" — isn't Jjomaep so cute haha

You can also tag your phone on this to bring up the menu and order!

The ₩51,000 pasta set: what I ordered

The ribs come pre-grilled and take about 15 minutes! The basic sides arrive nicely so those 15 minutes fly by! The set prices were good, so I ordered a set!

• 🍗 Pasta set (2 soy + 1 spicy ribs + cream pasta) ₩51,000
• 🍝 Cold kimchi noodles (yeolmu kimchi malli guksu) ₩7,000
• 🧀 Earthenware pot cheese fondue ₩7,000
• 🍺 Cass non-alcoholic beer ₩4,000

They brought water and beer first. I love that the water comes with ice 😭😭😭😭

Side dishes and free chicken porridge

The basic sides come in abundance too?! White kimchi, pickled radish, cabbage salad, chicken porridge, and sauces. The cabbage salad with mayo gave me such good vibes; there are 3 sauces: spicy seasoning, mayo and curry powder! Pairing with curry was new to me 🥹

I can't believe the chicken porridge is free; it's packed with chicken, which made it a perfect appetizer! It comes in an earthenware pot, so it stays warm for a long time..💗

Dig in right away. Non-alcoholic beer still counts as alcohol (?)

Corn cheese, pork skin and sliced potatoes also come out, so you can start on those! The staff kindly told us to grill the pork skin on the outer edge since it pops and splatters 🥹💗

Champpoppo soy ribs: flavor and how to grill them

Ta-da, the ribs come out like this. They put about half of the soy ribs on the grill for us and explained how to grill them!

The meat is really thick, so I had to turn it more than I expected! While grilling I put on the gloves too. Did you know the gloves cause a debate? I honestly don't get why it's even a debate,,,,,,

Ta-da, the meat is piled on so thick, right? 😳 The underside of the meat is slightly cut away so it's easy to pull off the bone. So thoughtful. The meat is tender and the soy sauce is sweet and salty, a flavor anyone would like! I think the charcoal grilling makes it even better 🫶 It also went super well with the pickled onions that came as a side.

Earthenware-pot cheese fondue for ₩7,000

The cheese fondue comes in an earthenware pot, loaded with cheese and so good,,

Eating them together will knock you out;

Cream pasta at a rib restaurant: how does it taste?

Cream pasta at a rib place?! That's why I ordered the pasta set. Doesn't Champpoppo's cream pasta look as good as what you'd get at a proper pasta restaurant..? Baguette and bacon too, the real deal,,,,

The pasta is super rich, smooth and creamy, perfect if you like cream pasta!!! And the portion is big too wow. Wrapping the ribs in it,,,, insane, insane

Summer-only cold yeolmu kimchi noodles for ₩7,000

Summer-only young radish kimchi noodles (yeolmu kimchi malli guksu)!

The portion is huge too. The broth is so cool and clean that I kept slurping it between bites. If you like kimchi noodle soup, you'll love this; it wasn't spicy!!

How spicy are the Jjomaep-level spicy ribs?

After the soy ribs, on to grilling the spicy ones. I ordered Jjomaep, and it was about as spicy as Shin Ramyun!

The seasoned ribs are of course big and tender too!

Cutting the meat off the bone with scissors ✌️ Gnawing on the bone is fun too, but eating just the meat in one big bite is also so good.

Cheese fondue shines even more with the spicy seasoning. I love cheese so much and getting to eat a whole heap of it was amazing 😭😭😭 Definitely get the cheese fondue with it....🔥

How many people does the pasta set feed?

I got greedy and ordered a lot to try different things, but the pasta set plus the cheese fondue and kimchi noodles felt just right for 3 people.

Champpoppo Hapjeong Branch is new and clean, and I really liked the retro feel of the space too! The ribs are big and the sides are varied and plentiful, but I especially recommend the pasta and rib combo you can't find at other places!