Uijeongbu Station BBQ lunch: beef rolls and 3-tier yukhoe, Cheonpo

A Uijeongbu favorite where pork belly + minari (water dropwort) + kimchi means you can eat clean and never get tired of the grease: here's my visit to Cheonpo Hoegwan (천포회관)!

Where is Cheonpo Hoegwan, and is there parking?

Cheonpo Hoegwan is a 3-minute walk from Uijeongbu Station on the light rail and is open daily 11:00–23:00. The name uses the characters for 'sky' (천) and 'bestow' (포), meaning 'give generously like the sky,' I hear. Easy to reach by public transit, and you can park in front too!

You can park in front of the restaurant, and since it's an alley, you just squeeze into any open spot along it, nice and straight, no fuss.

What comes with the Cheonpo Hoegwan lunch special?

The lunch special sundae gopchang hot pot (spicy blood sausage and intestine stew) is ₩12,000 and comes with the spicy hot pot + ramen noodles + a fried egg + pot rice. Pretty generous! I went on a weekday lunch and saw lots of people eating the lunch special!

Inside, the tables are big with plenty of space between them, and the interior is neat even for a BBQ place! Comfortable.

Cheonpo Hoegwan menu and prices

The main dishes are pork belly (200g) at ₩16,000, beef rolls (250g) at ₩17,000, and Seoul bulgogi or sundae gopchang hot pot at ₩15,000. There's also a great-value lunch special (11:00–15:00), holidays included.

• Pork belly (200g) ₩16,000
• Beef rolls (250g) ₩17,000
• Seoul bulgogi, sundae gopchang hot pot ₩15,000
• Lunch special bulgogi set ₩12,000
• Lunch special sundae gopchang hot pot ₩12,000
• Lunch special earthenware-pot bulgogi ₩9,000
• Sides: yukhoe, yukjeon (beef pancake), makguksu (buckwheat noodles), bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles), kimchi cheese fried rice, minari doenjang stew

A solid menu. Everything looked good and I agonized, but I went with 2 servings of the beef rolls, Cheonpo Hoegwan's signature!

Does the Cheonpo Hoegwan table setting include yukhoe and kimchi pancake?

Yes! The basic setting includes yukhoe, no less! And the kimchi pancake too! The yukhoe is generous and so good!!! They also pile on plenty of domestic kimchi and minari, with unlimited refills!

While the meat is coming out, let's get that kimchi pancake sizzling!

They have a big frying pan and a small 3-section pan too, so even someone hopeless at cooking (me) can make it look pretty!

A chewy kimchi pancake, done! Cheonpo Hoegwan is a kimchi pancake hot spot...! It's good enough to sell as a menu item!!!!

How much is the extra yukhoe at Cheonpo Hoegwan, and how is it served?

The extra yukhoe is ₩13,000 and comes stacked in 3 layers: pear, yukhoe and egg yolk. Yukhoe already comes with the basic setting, and look at the quality!?!?!?! It was so good it made us order more.

The extra order comes out even nicer. And there's more of it, and this is ₩13,000?!

• Layer 1: packed with pear
• Layer 2: packed with yukhoe
• Layer 3: a fresh egg yolk

Mixed together, it leaves your mouth cool and clean, which helps when the meat starts to feel heavy.

What do the beef rolls at Cheonpo Hoegwan taste like?

The beef rolls have mushrooms and vegetables wrapped inside the beef, and they taste better than I imagined, with lots of different flavors. While you grill the kimchi pancake and eat yukhoe, they're ready in no time.

You put them on the heated pan one by one and cook them over low heat until the inside is fully cooked.

They're so big that I cut mine in half, while my partner said they were delicious and took big bites. Pop it all in one bite and the vegetable broth and meat juices burst out!!!!!! The texture of the enoki mushrooms goes so well with the rich, tender beef. The vegetables cut through the greasiness you'd get from meat alone, and the kimchi and minari on the side cut it a second time, so I could eat without feeling greasy.

Beef rolls paired with river snail doenjang

The snail doenjang (soybean paste with snails) is a kicker too!!!!!! Put one chili, one snail and one beef roll together and eat it in one bite, and your whole mouth fills with nutty richness!

Hunting for the killer combo. Grilled minari is amazing too. Refills are allowed, which I was very happy about!

Is the kimchi cheese fried rice at Cheonpo Hoegwan worth ordering?

The kimchi cheese fried rice is ₩3,000: kimchi fried rice full of pork belly, topped with plenty of seaweed and snowflake cheese. I was already really full, but fried rice is the Korean dessert, so stir-fry time! They wipe the pan clean and fry the kimchi cheese fried rice for you.

Wait!?!!!!!?! This is ₩3,000?!?!?!?!?! You absolutely have to eat this here!!!!!!!!

Kimchi fried rice full of pork belly, plus seaweed and snowflake cheese piled on............. And that's not one serving of rice........... Isn't this two servings............? I ate it in awe. This one you really, truly must order.....!!!!!!

I loved it from start to finish. I'm definitely going back! Satisfaction 1000%! That's the end of my review of Uijeongbu favorite Cheonpo Hoegwan!