Black-pepper frozen pork belly at a Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ: Chowon

Outdoor tent dining (야장, yajang) is everywhere lately, and if you think of yajang, Jongno 3-ga and Ikseon-dong are probably the first places that come to mind. Sure enough, even on a weeknight the Jongno 3-ga outdoor tents were already packed — so many restaurants, but even more people, so waits everywhere haha. Still, the weather's been so perfect it felt like a waste not to go 😊 We ended up at Chowon Restaurant.

Where is Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch? The tent alley behind Tapgol Park

Chowon Restaurant, a Jongno outdoor-tent BBQ spot, sits right near Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station, behind Tapgol Park and next to Wongaksa Free Meal Center. If you're searching on a map, look up 'Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch' — just typing 'Chowon Restaurant' alone pulls up every branch in the country lol

A Jongno 3-ga BBQ spot where you can really soak in the outdoor-tent atmosphere!

Since it was remodeled not too long ago, it still feels like a hidden spot compared to other places nearby, so it's relatively less crowded. Honestly this is the best time to go haha

Are the indoor seats worth it? Chowon Restaurant opens 17:00–01:00

We ended up sitting inside since there wasn't a table outside, but the interior was clean and since all the seating is open anyway, sitting inside didn't bother me haha. Business hours are 17:00–01:00 — pretty late for a BBQ place, I thought.

Thanks to the remodel, the space felt comfortable and the restroom was clean too. And the autumn night vibe of the Jongno outdoor tents was great 👍

Lettuce wraps, kimchi, and other side dishes are self-serve.

Chowon Restaurant's menu and the side dishes that come with it

Chowon Restaurant, this Jongno outdoor-tent spot, specializes in hanwoo (Korean beef) strip loin and pork belly, with a menu that includes quick-frozen pork belly, quick-frozen beef short rib, a pork belly set, beef brisket, a hanwoo set, and hanwoo strip loin.

First, the basic banchan — lettuce, napa cabbage kimchi, garlic, chili peppers, ssamjang, bracken fern, seasoned bean sprouts, and green onion kimchi — all came out on one big tray, giving off total retro vibes haha

Quick-frozen pork belly, 180g for two, served in an earthenware jar

Quick-frozen pork belly (180g), 2 servings, ₩18,000 × 2

When we ordered two servings of pork belly, it came out as one serving per jar haha

We started grilling on the round stone plate, topping it with kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, and bracken fern to cook together.

Why the grilled kimchi at Chowon Restaurant steals the meal

The thin quick-frozen belly was really nutty and tasty, and grilling it together with the bracken fern was a great match. :) Personally I'm not usually a huge fan of grilling kimchi with meat — I'll eat it if it's there, but I don't go out of my way for it — but I was surprised that Chowon's kimchi is so sweet and tangy that grilled, it's genuinely amazing. haha My friend said this place is basically a kimchi hotspot lol

My friend paired it with a bottle of Terra.

Half pepper, half pork? Frozen pork belly buried in black pepper

Later we grabbed more kimchi from the self-serve bar to keep grilling

and grabbed some ground pepper too, sprinkling it over the meat as it cooked — and whoa haha, they just kept pouring until it went basically black (the sharp smell of the pepper even spread through the air and made me sneeze;;) — wasn't that way too much? hahaha

Ah, I think that's genuinely the most pepper I've ever put on frozen pork belly haha 😅🤣 Basically half pork belly, half pepper? haha ;; But it was tasty, so I'll give it credit 👍

The nutty flavor of the frozen belly really is a perfect match with pepper haha. Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch — a great spot to soak in the outdoor-tent vibe while grilling pork belly.

After finishing the meat and heading to the subway station, the cat I'd noticed earlier on the wall was still sitting in the exact same spot, so I took a photo. haha So cute haha. Looking closer, it even had a collar on, so it must belong to someone nearby. Absolutely adorable 🥰 I should stop by the Jongno 3-ga outdoor tents again before it gets too cold! haha

September 15, 2026, 9pm