Mapo Korean BBQ restaurant lunch with kimchi pork set: Ijjok

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal between Hapjeong and Sangsu Stations

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal, a great Hapjeong Station spot where they grill all the meat for you! You know how amazing grilled kimchi and pork belly are together, right? This time, I visited a Hapjeong Korean BBQ restaurant where both the kimchi and pork belly were delicious!

This is Ijjok, and even the arrow suits the name so well! It is located between Hapjeong and Sangsu Stations, so it is very easy to get to and also a reasonable distance from Hongdae!

• Address – 20 Dongmak-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours – 11:30–23:00 (Monday–Saturday)
• Break time 15:00–17:00
• Regular closing day: Sunday

It is a Korean BBQ restaurant, but it is open from lunchtime, making it a really good Hapjeong spot for a lunch get-together too!

There are two entrances, but they connect inside, so either one is fine! There are also chairs outside for waiting, so you can sit comfortably if there is a queue.

I went in along the first-floor side, but it was full, so I went down to the space next door! You can move between them directly inside, so it is easy whichever entrance you use. As you would expect from a great Hapjeong meat spot, celebrity autographs were posted on the walls too!

The 2–3 person set and lunch set meals

Let’s look at the menu at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal near Hapjeong Station! They have set menus, so you can eat more generously at a better value, which is why I chose the 2–3 person set menu too!

The meat options are Korean beef brisket, fresh pork belly, fresh pork neck, and whole pork jowl, and you can add king oyster mushrooms for ₩1,000! There are also set meals, making this a good Hapjeong Station Korean BBQ restaurant for lunch. There is a marinated pork grill set meal, a brisket set meal, and a kimchi stew set meal, and you can add ramen noodles or meat, so you can really fill up, haha. For finishing dishes, there are great options to order when meat alone feels a little incomplete: bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles), naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), rice in soup, stew, steamed egg, ramen, and even finishing fried rice~!

For drinks, they have soju, beer, and soft drinks, so pick whatever you like!

How to enjoy it with fresh wasabi and bean sprouts

There is a guide on the table for enjoying the meat deliciously.

Usually you have to ask for refills of salt or wasabi, but at Ijjok, you can put fresh wasabi and roasted salt on your own plate and take as much as you want, which I liked!

The basic side dishes arrived! There were lettuce, shredded scallions, and bean sprouts, and I could see why the guide tells you to eat the meat with bean sprouts...! Haha, the bean sprouts were so good!!!

These were so good, hahahaha. Be sure to try them with the meat!

Kimchi cooked in pork fat and tender pork belly

Once you get ready for the meat and wait just a little,

the meat arrives like this! It had such a beautiful color, and I could tell it would be tender just by looking at it.

First, big pieces of kimchi are set out~! You know kimchi tastes best when it is cooked in pork fat, right?! They place the kimchi where the pork fat runs, then put the meat on the grill and start cooking it!

I really love grilled kimchi, and as it cooked in the pork fat, even the aroma was one that could not possibly be anything but delicious!!! I thought, I want to eat this with the meat already, and waited a little longer, haha.

The kimchi was turning nicely golden too,

and the meat was browning beautifully on the grill.

Once the meat is cooked, they place it on a separate hot plate like this, so you can enjoy it without burning it.

I ate it with kimchi and topped it with bean sprouts too, and the combination was so good whichever way I had it! The meat was tender, which made it even more delicious.

Steamed egg, soybean paste stew, and pork jowl

The steamed egg was savory and fluffy too, so I kept scooping it up.

The doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) was exactly my taste too.... Hahahaha. It was loaded with tofu, zucchini, and other ingredients, and the broth had a nice spicy kick, so it was really delicious, haha. While I diligently ate the meat that had gone on the grill first, the pork jowl began cooking too.

They cut it into long pieces, and the pork jowl was so tender too.

It was tender, chewy, and delicious with every bite!! I loved that they grilled the meat for us, but the flavor was great too, so I was totally satisfied!! Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal, a great Korean BBQ restaurant near Hapjeong Station, opens from lunchtime, so it is a good place to go for lunch. I also think it would be great for a group dinner or work gathering! If you love grilling pork belly and kimchi together, visit Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal!