Gangbuk Korean BBQ for pork belly and somaek: Suyu Daewang

Recently, there was a day when my girlfriend came all the way up to Seoul from Gyeongju to see me right after getting off work.

Since she had driven such a long way, I wanted to treat her properly to delicious meat and a round of somaek, a soju-and-beer mix. But with this and that lately, my wallet had gotten way too light (?)—so an expensive BBQ place felt a little daunting.

Still, we had not seen each other in a while, so we could not just go anywhere. After searching hard, I found Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal (수유대왕솥뚜껑 삼겹살)! My girlfriend and I used to hang out in Suyu all the time when we went on dates in Seoul, but I had no idea a place with value this good was here until now.

Parking and exterior at Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal

You can park in the lot at Norang Tongdak next door to the restaurant.

It is in Suyu's dining alley, so it was not hard to find. The sign is nice and big, and since it sits on a corner in the alley, it is easy to spot once you are nearby.

More than anything, one line grabbed my attention the moment I arrived: a 600g whole pork belly platter for ₩29,000! Considering what one serving of samgyeopsal costs these days, 600g at this price could not help but catch my eye.

Inside: pot-lid griddles and a self-service bar

Once inside, the restaurant was quite a bit larger than it looked from outside. Every table had a huge pot-lid griddle, with an individual exhaust hood installed right above it.

It was generally neat and tidy, yet had that familiar Korean BBQ atmosphere where you can comfortably have a shot of soju. There were plenty of tables, so it looked good both for a casual meal for two and for a larger group.

There is also a self-service bar on one side. It has lots of great things to eat with meat—lettuce, kimchi, bean sprouts, onions, garlic chives, and more—so you can help yourself to any side dishes you need without feeling self-conscious. Just take only what you can eat: there is a ₩5,000 environmental fee for leaving too much food.

Whole pork belly and beef menu prices

The signature whole pork belly platter is 600g for ₩29,000, while pork belly and pork neck are ₩9,500 for 150g, so the prices were definitely reasonable. Along with pork belly, there were pork jowl and beef cuts including salchisal, rib meat, and ribeye, plus assorted beef platters for trying several cuts. Naengmyeon (cold noodles), kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), and chadol doenjang (soybean-paste stew with brisket) were available as sides, too.

There were plenty of choices, whether you are looking for good-value pork belly in Suyu like we were or want to pick beef and pork to suit your taste. And what did we order? Naturally, the whole pork belly platter I had noticed from the front of the restaurant, plus yukhoe bibimbap (rice mixed with seasoned raw beef). So, how was ₩29,000 pork belly for 600g?

Grilling whole pork belly with kimchi and bean sprouts

After you order, they first oil the giant pot-lid griddle and set out the basic side dishes.

Then, after a little while, out came the whole pork belly platter! At 600g, it was quite generous for two people, and considering the ₩29,000 price, the meat was satisfyingly thick. The first impression was great. Lots of places now easily go over ₩30,000 just for two servings of pork belly, so this price definitely has appeal if value matters to you at a Suyu meat restaurant.

The pot lid was wide enough to grill not only the pork belly but also kimchi, bean sprouts, and minari (Korean water celery) all at once, which I loved. Watching the kimchi and bean sprouts sizzle away in the fat from the pork belly is exactly the charm of pot-lid pork belly.

First bite: a nicely browned piece of pork belly! Since it was inexpensive, I wondered if the meat itself might be ordinary, but it was savory without any off smell, with a good balance of fat and lean meat. This is not the kind of place to visit expecting the huge flavor of expertly aged meat; it is more about the clear fun of eating a generous amount of pork belly at a comfortable price.

It is good on its own, but my favorite way is definitely piling on plenty of well-cooked kimchi and bean sprouts! Hehe...

And when you are eating meat with a girlfriend you have not seen in a while, you cannot leave out the drinks. We ordered soju and beer too, then mixed up a refreshing glass of somaek—at that point, the purpose of the day was nearly accomplished! With plenty of affordable meat sizzling away and somaek alongside it, this felt like the textbook Suyu pork-belly course I had imagined.

Yukhoe bibimbap to finish

Even after eating our fill of meat, we could not give up carbs, so we added yukhoe bibimbap. It arrived in a huge bowl with generous rice, lettuce, and perilla leaves, topped with plenty of yukhoe and sesame seeds!

The crisp vegetables, tender yukhoe, rice, and sweet-spicy seasoning came together nicely, making it a great finishing dish after the meat.

We were already pretty full from the pork belly, but I just kept reaching for another spoonful!

A filling pot-lid pork belly meal for two in Suyu

With a 600g whole pork belly platter for ₩29,000, Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal was undeniably great value! Grilling kimchi and bean sprouts along with the meat on the huge pot lid was fun, and it was more than enough pork belly for my girlfriend and me to eat our fill.

There were especially lots of group diners, so it also seemed like a nice place for several people to gather over meat and drinks. With yukhoe bibimbap and somaek on the side, this was a truly restorative, good-value meal for us after a late dinner with our energy and mental strength completely drained! If you are looking for good-value pork belly at a Suyu meat restaurant, it is worth stopping by.