Hapjeong group dinner at Korean BBQ with chicken porridge: Champpoppo

A Hapjeong dinner of pre-grilled pork ribs and cream pasta

📌 Pork ribs come pre-grilled, so you can relax and enjoy 📌 An unusual combo of pork ribs and cream pasta 📌 A hearty basic spread with chicken porridge, corn cheese, potatoes and more

Where Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch is and what it feels like

The restaurant from the street

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch is a 7-minute walk from Hapjeong Station and also 7 minutes from Sangsu Station. Since it's roughly halfway between the two, it's a convenient pick if you're looking for a good pork rib restaurant in Hapjeong.

Inside Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch

Walking in, the interior had a retro vibe. The chairs are the classic Korean BBQ type with a lid you can lift to stash your coat or bag inside~

How do you book a table?

You can book through Naver Reservations for parties of 2 up to 8 or more. Since advance booking is possible, it's good for company dinners or group gatherings.

Pasta sets and how spicy you can go

As someone who loves cream pasta, I was thrilled there's a pasta set menu that lets you eat pasta and pork ribs together. There's also a rice ball set that pairs well with the ribs by default, so you can pick based on your taste. And for spice lovers, you can adjust the heat level!

The soy and spicy pork rib pasta set

What I ordered was the pasta set (1 soy, 2 spicy, cream pasta)! I love spicy food so I went heavier on the spicy option~

After a short wait, the basic side dishes were set out. Onion sauce, aged kimchi, cabbage salad, corn cheese, pickled radish — a nice variety to go with the meal. But there was one thing here I especially loved.

It's the chicken porridge!❤️ It comes as a default side, and having a warm spoonful before the meal felt soothing on the stomach. As a pre-meal porridge before the meat arrives, it was surprisingly good.

Besides the chicken porridge, pork skin and potatoes also come as part of the basic spread~ The pork skin in particular was tastier than I expected — the chewy texture was on point, making it a great beer pairing.

So that day I also ordered a draft beer, and a cool sip of draft beer with a bite of chewy pork skin was just the right combo. When you want a light drink alongside your meat, having a menu like this on hand is great.

How easy are the pre-grilled pork ribs to eat?

The pork ribs we ordered came pre-grilled, so all we had to do at the table was finish cooking them to perfection. With the pre-grilling already done, the wait was shorter than starting from raw meat, and it was nice not having to worry much about the grilling while eating.

We ordered the pork ribs in both soy and spicy versions, and the flavors were distinctly different, which made switching between them fun. First, the soy pork ribs, marinated in a special soy sauce, had a sweet-salty balance that made them easy to eat without feeling heavy. I could see why it's famous as a go-to restaurant near Hapjeong Station.

The spicy pork ribs are coated in a fiery sauce with plenty of smoky char, and the spice cuts right through the meat's richness, making you keep reaching for more. Personally, the spicy version was my top pick!❤️ I ordered it at the regular spice level, but since I love spicy food, next time I want to try it at the extra-hot level.

Thick cream pasta with pork ribs

The cream pasta came out too. There aren't many places that sell pork ribs and pasta together. Once I actually tried them together, this combo turned out to be surprisingly delicious.

The cream pasta was rich and savory, so I pulled some meat off the spicy pork ribs and ate it together — the sweet-spicy ribs combined with the savory, smooth cream made the flavor even richer. It felt totally different from eating the ribs on their own, so I was glad I'd ordered the pasta set. If you love cream pasta, definitely order the pasta set!

Ending the meal with cheullutan rice balls

Last, we ordered the cheullutan rice balls (tear-gas rice balls) as an extra. We shaped the rice balls by hand and ate them with the pork ribs — you really can't skip rice when eating meat.

The pork rib sauce paired so well with the rice that we made and ate them one after another until they disappeared in no time. Adding the rice balls on top of just eating the meat made the meal much more filling in the end.

Who Champpoppo Jjokgalbi suits best

• Anyone looking for a good pork rib restaurant in Hapjeong
• Anyone who wants a place with plenty of side dishes to pair with pork ribs
• Anyone looking for a retro-style Korean BBQ restaurant near Hapjeong Station
• Anyone looking for a good group dinner spot near Hapjeong Station
• Anyone looking for a comfortable place for dates, friend gatherings, or work dinners

My honest verdict

Champpoppo Jjokgalbi Hapjeong Branch serves pork ribs pre-grilled, which made the meal effortless, and I enjoyed switching between the soy and spicy flavors. The spicy pork ribs were my favorite, and alternating with the sweet soy version kept things from getting repetitive.

On top of that, the chewy pork skin, cold draft beer, and rich savory cream pasta made for a pretty diverse menu lineup. With the retro atmosphere added in, it's a great place for drinks with friends and a comfortable setup for a group meal, making it a solid option when looking for a company dinner spot near Hapjeong Station.

If you want to enjoy a range of dishes from pork ribs to sides in a relaxed setting, this is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Hapjeong Station worth visiting at least once :)