Weeknight Korean BBQ date at a Jongno outdoor tent: Chowon Restaurant

A great-value outdoor BBQ tent in Jongno for frozen pork belly lovers: Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga.

Hi, this is Bogeup Ramzy. The weather's finally gotten cool and crisp — perfect for eating outdoors haha. I met up with my boyfriend after work for dinner and we headed to Jongno's outdoor BBQ alley. Craving some protein, we went to Chowon Restaurant, a great-value BBQ tent spot in Jongno.

2 minutes on foot from Jongno 3-ga Station: how to get there

Chowon Restaurant is super close to Jongno 3-ga Station, so it's really easy to access — just a 2-minute walk from Exit 5. It's right next to the Wongaksa free meal center, so even first-time visitors should find it without trouble. Ikseon-dong and Jongmyo are both nearby too, so you can grab a meal and go for a stroll afterward — great for a date.

What's the alley tent vibe like?

Close to the station and with that distinctive alley charm — the outdoor tent setup made the atmosphere so good. My boyfriend and I just came for a regular weeknight meal, but it felt like we were out on a little outing anyway, which was nice ><

What the two of us ordered, and the prices

The menu had a wide range of meat dishes — from the pork belly set to frozen pork belly, beef brisket, brisket, Korean beef set, Korean beef striploin, and more. Since it was just my boyfriend and me, here's what we ordered.

• Frozen pork belly ₩18,000 ×2
• Steamed egg ₩5,000
• Beef brisket doenjang stew ₩8,000
• Rice ₩1,000

As soon as we ordered, the basic side dishes came out first — lettuce, ssam vegetables, garlic, chili peppers, and a variety of namul (seasoned vegetable) side dishes.

The frozen pork belly comes out in a jar-like container like this, and the staff grilled every single piece for us, so we could just relax and focus on eating and talking.

Frozen pork belly for the first time in 10 years — a fresh-belly loyalist's verdict

I don't normally like frozen pork belly. The last time I had it was when I was twenty, so this was exactly 10 years later. I'm a fresh-belly person — I prefer thick-cut slices grilled to be juicy rather than thin ones — so I never sought out frozen pork belly. But after this day, my opinion completely changed.

As the meat cooked in its own rendered fat, the edges got slightly crispy while the fatty parts stayed savory and chewy — so even though it was thin pork belly, it was delicious. Plus, since frozen pork belly cooks fast, there was almost no waiting around, which was a huge plus.

Beef brisket doenjang stew

This doenjang (soybean paste) stew with beef brisket was the perfect match for the pork belly ><. I'm normally a kimchi jjigae person, but doenjang stew with brisket in it is a whole different story haha. It was savory with a rich broth, and loaded with cheongyang chili, zucchini, and tofu, so it was pleasantly spicy and refreshing. After eating pork belly, your mouth gets greasy, but a spoonful of the stew cleaned the palate right up.

Steamed egg

We ordered the steamed egg (gyeranjjim) in the name of getting more protein. It came out fluffy and soft, in a generous portion, and paired really well with the rice, meat, and doenjang stew.

To sum up

Great atmosphere, great value, delicious meat — Chowon Restaurant made for a genuinely happy evening at a Jongno outdoor BBQ spot ><. The owner was super kind and even gave us a little extra, so it turned into a healing weeknight after a tiring day at work. If you're looking for a great-value outdoor BBQ spot near Jongno 3-ga, I recommend Chowon Restaurant :)