Hapjeong date-night BBQ: pork ribs dipped in cheese fondue, Champpoppo

I went for a cozy date at Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch. I'd been craving jjokgalbi (pork ribs) for a while, so we visited, and ended up demolishing the sides too — cheese fondue, doenjang rice with rice wine, yeolmu kimchi noodles, all of it haha. The cheese fondue combo with the ribs was especially satisfying — a Hapjeong pork rib spot I'll introduce in detail below~

Where is Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch, and what are the hours?

• Location: 77 Yanghwa-ro 6-gil, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Mon-Thu 17:00-24:00 (last order 23:00) / Fri-Sun 17:00-01:00 (last order 00:00)
• Note: No parking available

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch is about a 5-6 minute walk from Hapjeong Station. It's close to the station so it's easy to get to, and since it's a good spot to head over to Hongdae or Sangsu afterward, it worked nicely as a date course.

Inside Champpoppo Jjokgalbi: atmosphere and seating

The inside of Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch is mostly round tables, with seating for larger groups too. We visited around 7pm, and true to its reputation as a Hapjeong hotspot, it was already pretty packed.

There's also seating for bigger groups, so it looked like a good option not just for dates but for meetups or company dinners around Hapjeong Station too.

The interior was mostly round tables, and lifting the seat cushions revealed storage underneath, which was handy for stashing coats or bags.

There was a guide on the wall about how to eat jjokgalbi deliciously, which was nice to check before digging in.

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi menu and what two people ordered

The signature menu at Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch is, of course, jjokgalbi! It comes in two versions, soy and seasoned. Beyond that there was a variety of other meat dishes like galmaegisal (skirt steak), grilled chicken feet, and honeycomb tripe.

From sets where you can try several menu items together to steamed egg, rice balls, and cheese fondue, there were plenty of sides that pair well with jjokgalbi.

You order via the tablet at the table. We ordered 2 seasoned jjokgalbi, 1 soy jjokgalbi, cheese fondue in a stone pot, grandma-style doenjang rice with rice wine, and yeolmu kimchi noodles.

Free side dishes and chicken porridge at Champpoppo Jjokgalbi

For the complimentary spread at Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch, we got radish pickle, corn mayo, cabbage salad, pickled onion, and other sides that go well with jjokgalbi. Three dipping sauces for the ribs came along too.

They put the corn mayo on the grill to keep it warm, and while we waited for the pre-seared jjokgalbi, they also grilled potatoes and honeycomb tripe for us. The honeycomb tripe was seriously chewy and delicious! After a taste, I already wanted to order a full portion next time haha.

Chicken porridge came as a complimentary dish too~ It was soft and warm, a nice gentle way to fill up before really getting into the jjokgalbi.

Soy jjokgalbi first: pre-seared, then finished on the grill

The jjokgalbi at Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch comes pre-seared, and you just finish it off on the grill until golden brown. The owner told us the seasoned jjokgalbi has a stronger flavor, so it's better to start with the soy version, and put that on the grill first.

They gave us cotton gloves and plastic gloves too, which made it easy to hold and eat. We each put one on and cheers'd with jjokgalbi in hand~

The soy jjokgalbi had a salty-sweet sauce soaked in, and the meat was tender but still had a nice bite, so it was fun to gnaw all the way down to the meat clinging to the bone. Jjokgalbi really is best eaten with your hands!

Pork ribs dipped in the hot stone pot cheese fondue

The cheese fondue in a stone pot we ordered alongside the jjokgalbi — I fully recommend this!! I dipped a well-cooked piece of jjokgalbi deep into the cheese, and the salty jjokgalbi paired really well with the savory cheese.

It was creamy and thick, so it was great for scooping up a generous dip. Since it came in a stone pot, it also stayed warm for a long time, which was nice.

Seasoned jjokgalbi with cheese fondue: how it tastes

After we'd eaten through most of the soy jjokgalbi, they put the seasoned jjokgalbi on the grill too. We used scissors to separate the meat from the bone — dipping the lean meat straight into the cheese fondue, and gnawing the meat still on the bone.

The seasoned jjokgalbi had a spicy sauce well soaked in, so it was delicious on its own, but eating it with the cheese fondue added a savory richness that gave it a whole different feel.

Grandma-style doenjang rice and cold yeolmu kimchi noodles

The grandma-style doenjang rice with rice wine had a spicy, savory flavor, and came loaded with rice and toppings, so it was really filling. Why is every single menu item here this delicious... Eating a warm spoonful of it in between bites of jjokgalbi worked so well together.

By this point I was getting pretty full. But we couldn't stop here.

You can't have seasoned jjokgalbi without a noodle finish, right? So we ordered the yeolmu kimchi noodles too haha. Cool, refreshing broth with bits of ice floating in it, paired with tangy yeolmu (young radish) kimchi~

After mixing it well, I tried eating the noodles, yeolmu kimchi, and seasoned jjokgalbi all together in one bite. It cleaned up the palate nicely after all that meat, and eating the crunchy yeolmu kimchi together with the seasoned jjokgalbi made for the perfect way to finish the meal~!

Who should eat at Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch?

A date night visit to Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch! The jjokgalbi, which I hadn't had in a while, was delicious, but every single side dish was satisfying too, so we left even more full and happy. Ordering the cheese fondue in a stone pot was a genius move! Pairing it with the spicy doenjang rice made for a really great combination.

For anyone looking for a Hapjeong Station restaurant, a Hapjeong Station Korean BBQ spot, or a nice place for a date over Korean BBQ, I recommend Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch~