Hapjeong Korean restaurant for retro pork-rib nights: Champpoppo

The weather was lovely, I got off work right on time, and we decided on a date along the Hongdae–Hapjeong strip!! I had been craving something spicy and was looking for spicy food in Hapjeong, so we picked Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch, which had been catching my eye lately!! I came flying in to tell you about these pork ribs, which tasted 90% like the spicy tteok-kkochi (rice cake skewer) sauce I absolutely loved as a kid.

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch MON–THU 17:00–24:00 FRI–SUN 17:00–01:00

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch sits between Hapjeong and Sangsu stations, so it is easy to reach even if you are looking for a good meat restaurant near Sangsu Station. It is right by the entrance to the alley packed with Hapjeong Station bars, so there was not much chance of getting lost while looking for a restaurant nearby. I did an internship in Hapjeong too, so I know the area inside out, hehe.

A retro restaurant with its folding doors open

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi was a meat restaurant with a retro vibe. I loved that the folding doors were open, giving it that outdoor-table feeling. Autumn is the season for outdoor dining, after all. It was also a little nostalgic because this used to be the spot of a Gugangtan gopchang (grilled beef intestine) place 🥲 I used to come here often even before, so that probably made it feel extra special.

The tables are round, and group seating can be reserved too. There are lots of offices near Hapjeong Station, so this would be a great menu for a team dinner!! We arrived at 6:30 p.m., and it filled up right after that, with a wait starting. There seemed to be lots of customers in their twenties!!

Ordering the Tear-gas Set and pre-grilled ribs

The set menu is definitely great value, and sets can be ordered from three servings.

The ribs come pre-grilled, so there is a little wait~~!!

This is the guide to eating them deliciously, so it is worth checking out.

• Tear-gas Set: 2 soy-sauce jjokgalbi, 1 seriously spicy jjokgalbi
• Tear-gas rice balls and steamed egg
• Cream pasta
• Pork skin

This was the basic spread. Cabbage salad, yay. While the ribs were being pre-grilled, they served chicken porridge, corn cheese, sliced potatoes, and pork skin; the chicken porridge was seriously •• perfect for warming up the stomach. Corn cheese comes too.

They bring out enough pork skin for two pieces each, and the moment we ate it, we said we needed to order more, hahaha. I will show you properly below.

The Tear-gas rice balls had something like spicy odolppyeo (crunchy cartilage meat) in them, making them a nice carb side. The steamed egg felt wonderfully dense because it had so much egg in it, and it went well with the pork ribs. We were nodding along, saying it might have had the most egg of any steamed egg we have had lately, hahaha.

Soy-sauce and seriously spicy jjokgalbi

Look at those pre-grilled pork ribs!! They had plenty of meat, so they were easy to pull apart and eat.

The soy-sauce jjokgalbi had that unmistakable sweet-and-savory seasoned galbi flavor. There was lots of meat on the bones too, so it was easy to eat.

The seriously spicy jjokgalbi was not overwhelmingly hot as I expected, but it definitely had a good kick, so I think it would suit people who love spicy food. For reference, I do eat the hottest level at Yeopdduk, though,,,,••••

It was so nice because it reminded me of the tteok-kkochi sauce I ate often as a kid. It was not just a simple seasoned-fried-chicken flavor; it was thick, warmly spicy, and fragrant with red pepper flakes. If you are looking for spicy food in Hapjeong, I recommend it!! Please!!

Cream pasta alongside spicy pork ribs

The cream pasta portion was incredibly generous, with plenty of sauce, which I loved.

Eating the cream pasta with the spicy pork ribs was such a good match. The combination just worked!! There is a chicken-feet restaurant I love in Daejeon that serves chicken feet and cream pasta. I thought that was so innovative, but it was equally perfect with pork ribs.

Thick pork skin that made us want another order

Finally, today’s other star arrived: pork skin. So thick, right!!!!! A texture genius,,, Eat it with soybean powder, curry powder, or the sauces here and you could honestly keep going forever.

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi does its sides well too, that is all I am saying,,, Once you taste the pork skin, I think you will definitely order it.

I grilled it thoroughly and happily gobbled it all up, hehe.

Overall verdict after eating

• Both the soy-sauce and seriously spicy jjokgalbi have their own appeal
• Ordering the pork skin is essential
• Recommended for anyone craving spicy food
• Ideal as a first stop if you are looking for a Hapjeong meat restaurant and bar
• Perfect if you make sure to add the cream-pasta pairing too