After-work frozen pork belly with beer near Munjeong Station: Minari

The weather's been so back and forth lately I don't know what to make of it. On days like this, cooking at home feels like too much effort, and all I want is a cold beer with some good pork belly haha. So my friend and I were trying to decide what to eat after work, and we ended up going to a restaurant in Munjeong-dong, my neighborhood, for naengsam and beer.

The place we visited that day was Minari Naengsam. While looking for a restaurant in Munjeong-dong, I found out you could eat minari (water dropwort) together with naengsam (frozen pork belly), and I was curious. I happened to have a dinner appointment near Munjeong Station, so while searching for restaurants near Munjeong Station, I decided on Minari Naengsam.

Minari Naengsam's hours

Mon–Fri 15:00–24:00 / Saturday 15:00–23:30 / Closed Sundays

A retro pojangmacha-style atmosphere

The first thing I noticed walking in was that the vibe was more fun than I expected. A lot of Korean BBQ places these days are clean and modern, but this one had a real retro pojangmacha (street food tent) feel. There was a bit of old-school nostalgia to it, and it was the perfect atmosphere for sitting comfortably with a friend, grilling meat, and having a drink.

How was the frozen pork belly and minari combo?

We sat down, looked at the menu, and ordered frozen pork belly. Honestly, naengsam is one of those dishes that's amazing when you have it once in a while. It has a different charm from thick-cut pork belly. Since it's sliced thin, it cooks fast on the grill, and the browned parts get a nice crispy texture that goes really well with beer.

What I liked most here was the minari. We grilled minari together with the naengsam, and the combination was better than expected. Minari has this distinct fragrant taste that cuts through the richness of the meat and leaves your mouth feeling clean. Best of all, you could keep refilling the minari for free. At most Korean BBQ places, if you want more minari or vegetables, the portion is usually fixed or you have to order extra, but here we could keep asking for more minari, so we piled it on without worrying about it.

We both love minari, so at first we said 'let's just have a little,' but we ended up ordering it again and again haha. We tried different ways of eating it — a piece of meat with minari on top, or minari grilled lightly on its own — but personally, eating it with the meat was the best. There are so many pork belly restaurants when you search for restaurants in Munjeong-dong, but a place where you can eat naengsam with minari like this feels like something different. If you're someone who already likes naengsam, this combo is worth trying at least once.

Naengsam and a cold beer on a hot day

Maybe because it was such a hot day, the cold beer kept going down easy haha. Grilling meat at the table and taking a sip of beer in between was such a treat. On a hot day, nothing really beats the combo of meat and beer.

When I'm out looking for a restaurant near Munjeong Station to have dinner with a friend, I prefer a place where we can sit comfortably and talk over one that's overly stylish, and this place was good on that front too. Maybe because of the retro pojangmacha atmosphere, it just felt more relaxed.

Finishing it off with fried rice, cleaned to the last bite

Eating the meat and chatting with my friend, adding more minari over and over, time flew by without me noticing. We'd originally planned to just have a light naengsam and a beer, but we ended up eating a lot more than expected. We finished off the fried rice too, scraping the pan clean.

Who would like this place

If you're looking for a naengsam restaurant in Munjeong-dong, I think you'll like this style. The naengsam itself was tasty, but being able to add plenty of minari was definitely the highlight. Anyone who likes minari will especially appreciate it.

It's also a good option if you're looking for a restaurant in Munjeong-dong with a slightly different atmosphere from the usual. The retro pojangmacha feel makes it a great spot for a casual drink with friends. We got completely hooked on the naengsam and minari combo that day and just kept eating. Next time I'm looking for a restaurant near Munjeong Station, I think I'll remember this place.

I went looking for a naengsam restaurant in Munjeong-dong and ended up with a more comfortable atmosphere than expected, plus all the minari I could eat — it left an impression. If you're near Munjeong Station and like naengsam or a pojangmacha vibe, it's worth a visit. On days when I don't want to cook at home and just want good pork belly with a cold beer, Minari Naengsam is the first place that comes to mind. Next time I'll have to try some other menu items too!