Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ with doenjang stew and rice add-on: Tapgol

Today I'm posting an honest review of eating frozen pork belly at the outdoor tables of Tapgol Gongwon, a Jongno 3-ga restaurant. It's a fairly new spot, but the outdoor setup is so well done that I bookmarked it after walking by, and finally made it over this time haha >_<

Getting there & location

It's a 1-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 5. Not on that street packed with pojangmacha (street tent bars) — it's on a quieter street.

That other street is so crowded it drains my energy, so I don't go much. I liked that this place is on a quieter street.

Outdoor seating vibe and the wait

Tapgol Gongwon, this Jongno 3-ga restaurant, has no indoor seats at all — outdoor only!!

But there are lots of outdoor tables, and since the seating time is capped at 90 minutes, even if there's a wait, you don't wait long. There were three parties ahead of us and it took less than ten minutes. If you stand in line, the owner kindly guides you :)

There's also a stone wall path right out front, great for photos. Got some life shots haha

Menu and prices

• Tapgol set ₩55,000
• Naju Grade 1 frozen duck loin ₩18,000
• Grade 1 frozen female pork belly ₩18,000
• Frozen pork shoulder butt (flower collar) ₩19,000
• Melt-in-your-mouth chadol (brisket) ₩20,000
• Beef short rib meat ₩24,000
• Beef chuck flap tail ₩24,000
• Savory kimchi fried rice ₩6,000
• Chadol doenjang stew ₩7,000
• Pork kimchi stew ₩9,000
• Steamed egg ₩5,000
• Rice ₩1,000
• Soju ₩5,000
• Makgeolli ₩5,000

What we ordered and the side dishes

Once you order, they bring the side dishes out in a big basket. My favorites like spicy bean sprout salad, green onion kimchi, bracken fern, radish salad, ssamjang, wasabi, napa kimchi, peppers and more all come as standard!

If you run low on sides, you just grab more yourself from inside. I love bean sprouts and bracken fern so I refilled those.

We ordered two servings of frozen pork belly and chadol doenjang stew. And of course, soju — Chum Churum, obviously.

Wait, the outdoor vibe here is insane!!! (๓´˘`๓)♡ This was my first time here and it's already my regular spot on reservation. My favorite restaurant in Jongno 3-ga, hands down. Tapgol Gongwon confirmed as a Jongno 3-ga must-eat. The weather's gotten cooler too, so it's perfect for eating outside.

And the restaurant blasts the AC inside and keeps the door open so you can eat cool 🤍 Later when we got chilly they turned it off for us. The owner's thoughtfulness was top tier, so kind through and through.

Right in front of that stone wall, the atmosphere is top tier!!! 🤍🤍 I posted an Instagram story and got flooded with DMs asking where it was. We already decided to come back here when friends visit Seoul.

Chumi grilled everything for us so well (๑>؂< ๑)۶ Since it's frozen pork belly it cooks fast, which is nice. And the bracken fern, kimchi and bean sprouts were all so tasty we refilled and grilled a ton.

There's lettuce at the self-serve bar too, so help yourself. The meat was seriously delicious and the portions were generous, so if you order according to headcount you'll get plenty full! We originally wanted the fried rice too but were too full to have it ㅠㅠ It was so good we ended up going through three bottles of soju.

The chadol doenjang stew is amazing

You guys have to order the doenjang stew (soybean paste stew). Genuinely so good I immediately ordered a bowl of rice. This stew was totally my style 😋🤍

Who to go with

There were plenty of couples on outdoor dates at Tapgol Gongwon, and plenty of people visiting with friends like us! There's a wait, but seats open up fast, so it's also a good place to grab a table while you're already in the area. The bathrooms inside are clean and separated by gender, so that was comfortable too :) 100% would revisit!!! Going again next week.

Store info

• Address: 111 Supyo-ro, 1F, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 17:00–01:00