Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ 10 minutes before weekend opening: Chowon

The brutal heatwave has finally passed and it's the season of high skies and good appetites — yajang (outdoor BBQ tent) season!! 🧡🧡 I'm a total yajang lover, so there was no way I wasn't going to hit one up in this weather ~!~!~! (Not going would be a crime.) While hunting for a spot, I heard about a place in Jongno with a yajang facing the Tapgol Park stone wall, so I ran straight there!!

Where Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is and when it opens

Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is on the 1st floor of 30 Jongno 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and it's open from 17:00 to 1:00 the next day. Apparently it's been featured on 2TV Saeng Saeng Jeongbo episode 1336 and Morning Wide episode 5330.

Chowon Restaurant outside and inside

We got there 10 minutes before weekend opening, and there were already people seated waiting for food ??! We figured seats would disappear soon, so we scrambled to sit down too haha.

Besides the outdoor tent, Chowon Restaurant also has indoor tables! Since the original restaurant was remodeled, the bathroom was clean and the indoor space felt pleasant. It looked like a nice spot to eat inside too, but since we came for the yajang, we headed for the outdoor tables ~~~😆

What is on the menu at Chowon Restaurant

Main menu: 1++ hanwoo fire set, 1++ hanwoo striploin, savory beef brisket, pork-beef belly set, frozen pork belly, frozen beef belly, makchang (grilled intestines)

Side menu: beef brisket doenjang stew, self-serve fried rice, steamed egg, kimchi stew

Drinks: gourd-bottle makgeolli, soju, Terra

How the tables are set at Chowon Restaurant

Each table comes set with a grill plate, tongs, scissors, and water cups.

There's a plastic box next to the table — inside you'll find tissues, wet wipes, pepper, and a bottle opener, so feel free to use them.

Once you order, they bring out a silver tray of basic banchan (side dishes) along with the meat ~ we ordered the frozen pork belly.🥓

We'd been sitting there smelling the neighboring table's meat sizzling and got so hungry that the moment the grill heated up, we threw the meat straight on ~~~

The tip for getting a Tapgol Park stone wall seat

If you want a stone wall view seat at Chowon Restaurant's yajang, don't rush to grab whatever end seat is left. We arrived before opening, saw only a few outdoor tables left, and scrambled into an end seat — only to find ourselves facing the laundry drying rack of the hair salon next door haha.

One 🌟tip🌟: don't rush to sit down just because seats look scarce like we did — if you wait a bit, the staff set up more yajang tables further back, so hang on and grab a clean stone-wall-view seat instead!👍

How the frozen pork belly tasted

Chowon Restaurant's frozen pork belly is thin, so it cooks up fast on the grill — so good...🐷🩷 Throw the kimchi, green onion kimchi, bean sprouts, and garlic that come as banchan onto the grill too!! Honestly I figured we were mostly there for the stone-wall-view atmosphere and the meat itself would just be okay?? But the first bite surprised me with how good it was. Delicious meat in this kind of atmosphere?? 😋😋

My friend who came with me today wasn't feeling well and planned not to drink, but the meat was too good to resist — we called the staff over and ordered a beer right away 🍺

The photo came out blurry because it was that delicious, haha. As we were finishing the meat we tried to order fried rice, but since the place had only just opened, they said the fried rice wasn't ready yet....😭 Sadly we left without getting to try it ㅠ

Outdoor tent vs indoor seats and the wait

At Chowon Restaurant, the outdoor tables are set fairly close together, while the indoor tables have more space between them. Since waits build up, some people who can't wait long end up eating indoors instead! Outdoor seating is tighter, but as you can see in the photo, indoor tables are spaced further apart and much more comfortable~~!

By the time we finished eating and walked out, there was already a wait line forming,,,😲

We sat and ate for about an hour, then paid and left — and as the waiting line kept growing, staff were still setting up additional tables.

Who Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch suits

• Anyone looking for good restaurants in Jongno 3-ga
• Anyone looking for an atmospheric outdoor stone-wall BBQ tent in Jongno

Who knows when the ice age❄️ of cold weather might hit, so if you're on the hunt for a great yajang spot, hurry to Chowon Restaurant and enjoy a Jongno BBQ tent while you still can~~!