Korean BBQ in Hapjeong: doenjang stew with rice inside at Jipbuldon

But this is my own space, so no lies here. Oh, and I paid part of this one myself.

What kind of BBQ restaurant is Jipbuldon Hapjeong?

Jipbuldon Hapjeong is a BBQ spot near Hapjeong Station serving pork pre-seared over rice straw, and staff even do the grilling for you. As the name suggests, the meat is cooked over straw fire, and maybe that's why it's so juicy... Add the grilling service and I'd happily recommend it as a Hongdae place where they grill for you.

The side dishes aren't a huge spread, just exactly what you need, and every one of them goes perfectly with the meat. That's my review of this Hongdae-Hapjeong favorite, Jipbuldon!

🕖 Daily 11:30–24:00

Getting to Jipbuldon Hapjeong and the vibe inside

Jipbuldon Hapjeong is about a 5-minute walk (?) from Hapjeong Station Exit 6 toward Sangsu. Do you know the Hapjeong Station cherry blossom road? It's right on that road, and as I walked in I promised myself I'd come back when the blossoms are out.

The inside is fairly big! I got there right at opening, and the air conditioning was blasting, which made me very happy.

Isn't this seat great? ㅠㅠ You can see and feel the scenery, the people and the sunshine outside while your body sits in cool, comfy air inside...

Jipbuldon menu, prices and how to order

You order at Jipbuldon Hapjeong by scanning the QR code on your table!

Like this. I love BBQ places with lots of sides. There's no standard naengmyeon (cold noodles), but the choice is wide: perilla oil, spicy mixed or kimchi noodles, plus Jjapaghetti, aged kimchi stew and doenjang stew. Great for a Hongdae-Hapjeong meal!

• Straw-fire sampler (짚불 초벌 모둠 한판) - ₩56,000
• Granny's kimchi noodles (할매 김치말이국수) - ₩7,000
• Review event steamed egg - ₩0

Jipbuldon side dishes and sauces

If you reserve before visiting, the staff set out the side dishes right away like this~

• For wrapping meat: lettuce / tortilla / seaweed
• Sauces: sriracha mayo / seaweed salt (gamtae salt) / ssamjang (dipping paste)
• Sides: chive salad / white kimchi / soy sauce dip

Lightly grilling the seaweed and tortilla on the grill and eating them with the meat felt new, and the classics, the chive salad and soy sauce dip, were delicious at this Hapjeong Station BBQ spot.

The chive salad comes topped with a really thick seasoning that you're supposed to mix in, but it's so thick that "mash" is a better word than "mix" haha. Still, I personally loved this seasoning. You know how some BBQ places make even the usual chive salad unusually good? Jipbuldon, a Hongdae BBQ favorite, is exactly that.

Doenjang stew in the sampler set has rice inside

The Jipbuldon sampler set includes a stew, and you can choose aged kimchi stew or doenjang (soybean paste) stew. I thought the doenjang stew looked like the usual kind, but then the staff told me there's rice inside and to stir it well. Wait, what?!

I'm someone who lives for doenjang stew with rice (?), so I loved this... And it's not just the rice: this was the best BBQ-restaurant doenjang stew I've had lately haha. The flavor isn't deep in a nutty way, it's rich in the classic BBQ-restaurant way, and scooped up with the rice it's fantastic.

How is the straw-fire sampler grilled?

The straw-fire sampler (₩56,000) is grilled three times: twice in the kitchen and once at your table, and the second round is over rice straw, apparently! That's why it's plated on little bits of straw haha. It also comes with small portions of vegetables: water dropwort (minari), enoki mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, sliced potato and onion.

There's a smoking area next to the kitchen too. It seems to be where the first round happens over fire and the second over straw fire.

The third round happens at our table~ There's no heat control at Jipbuldon's tables, so the grill plate can just be moved around haha. They put a blazing coal briquette under the grill plate to cook, which was fascinating.

Receipt review event: steamed egg

The fluffy steamed egg is from the receipt review event~ you can choose from drinks, Jjapaghetti or steamed egg! It wasn't too firm or too runny, so it was easy to eat.

They do all of the grilling... you just chat and eat... Jipbuldon, a place near Hapjeong Station that grills for you, was even better for that. While they grill, you just watch scenes like this. But no matter how long you watch, you'll eat however you want, right? haha

Pork neck, pork belly, mideung-gyeopsal: taste by cut and best combos

The Jipbuldon sampler has three cuts: pork belly, pork neck and mideung-gyeopsal (back belly). Pork neck first!

Meat with tortilla plus sriracha mayo was a sneaky hit!!!!!! And white kimchi with wasabi? Needless to say.

But my personal favorite... meat with water dropwort, wasabi and a little radish from the soy sauce dip, all eaten together, was just amazing ㅠㅠ The soy sauce dip tastes like a cross between sesame sauce and pickles, and this combo blew my mind.

If you're after a Hapjeong Station restaurant and want BBQ from lunchtime, go to Jipbuldon. There's of course a separate lunch special, and being served grilled meat in the relaxed, quiet lunch hour, I don't envy any stock tycoon, because I'm a belly-fat tycoon (?)

Second is the pork belly.

I told you the chive salad was good!!! The seasoning is incredible... It's not a watery, gochujang-vinegar-sauce-soaked chive salad, it's a dry one, and it goes perfectly with the meat.

Last is the mideung-gyeopsal. Its slightly chewy texture was great, but the pork belly was my favorite! The juices burst, the savory fat bursts.

Dunk it deep in the soy sauce dip and eat it with the water dropwort and wasabi, please.

Finishing with granny's kimchi noodles (₩7,000)

At Jipbuldon, the palate cleanser isn't coffee, it's granny's kimchi noodles (할매 김치말이국수, ₩7,000). It's more generous than I expected, with plenty of toppings, and I liked how proper it looked. You know that feeling when a side dish comes looking like this and you realize they haven't just phoned in the sides.

It's called granny's kimchi noodles, but my granny never made it like this ㅠ As you can tell once you mix it, the portion of noodles is really generous too!

They pour well-fermented kimchi into a properly icy broth, yet it isn't salty at all. Sweet-salty and sweet-sour, all in balance, just plain delicious. Even the sides are crazy good at Jipbuldon, the Hongdae place that grills for you. After eating this my stomach suddenly felt like it had stretched, and I almost ordered Jjapaghetti, seriously. It digests everything instantly, wow.

Jipbuldon Hapjeong: overall verdict

Jipbuldon Hapjeong is just perfect, from the meat to the sides! For anyone looking for tasty BBQ in Hongdae-Hapjeong, no regrets if you come here. "Pork belly smoked over rice straw" is a keyword that can't taste bad, and since they grill it for you, it's even more convenient, right?