Mapo Korean BBQ date with staff-grilled pork: Ijjok

When you’ve been dating for exactly seven days, you’d normally worry about garlic breath, right? But not us. We were walking around Hapjeong Station when we both suddenly craved meat, so we figured our future selves could deal with the garlic smell and went straight in for kimchi samgyeopsal (pork belly). We wandered in without a thought, but it was so much tastier than expected that it felt like we’d made a real find.

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal Near Hapjeong Station

This is Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal (이쪽 김치삼겹살), right near Hapjeong Station. They grill the meat themselves, and even the side dishes were delicious—I don’t know how many times I said, “This place is seriously good,” while we ate.

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal Menu

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal near Hapjeong Station is reasonably priced, too! We ordered a set with two servings of pork belly, one serving of pork jowl, plus steamed egg and soybean paste stew.

A Great Place to Walk to From Hapjeong Station for Meat

It’s about a five-minute walk from Hapjeong Station, so it was a great place to visit when a date suddenly calls for meat. You know those days when you’re wandering around without a plan and think, “Today absolutely has to be pork belly”? It isn’t far from the station, so it looked like a solid choice for nearby office workers’ dinners and group meals, as well as a couple’s date-night restaurant. More than anything, it’s secretly annoying when grilling meat at a Korean BBQ restaurant keeps interrupting the conversation. Here, the owner grilled everything beautifully, so all we had to do was eat and chat comfortably.

The Taste of Pork Belly and Pork Jowl Grilled for You

The color of the pork belly and pork jowl alone was unreal.

The moment the meat arrived, we both said, “Wow, this looks delicious.”

The pork belly was thick and appetizing, and the pork jowl looked springy just from looking at it. Because the owner cooked it to just the right doneness, it was golden on the outside while staying juicy inside.

The ingredients matter with meat, of course, but the degree of grilling makes a pretty big difference to both flavor and texture. In that sense, having it grilled for us definitely made the meal more satisfying.

Especially when we alternated between the signature chewiness of pork jowl and the rich, nutty flavor of pork belly, there was honestly no time to put our chopsticks down.

A Full Spread With Grilled Kimchi and Side Dishes

Once you see that kimchi, it’s hard not to order rice.

And the one thing you absolutely cannot pass up here is the kimchi properly cooked in the pork fat. The kimchi grilled right beside the golden pork belly, and the second I saw it, I immediately thought of rice. You can’t resist that. With a piece of meat, grilled kimchi on top, and rice too, I was reminded once again why the kimchi-and-pork-belly combination is unbeatable. The bean sprouts and pa-jeori (seasoned scallion salad) that came with it were great, too. They weren’t side dishes that were just aggressively flavored; they had that familiar taste, like Mom had just tossed them together at home, and they went so well with the meat.

The Soybean Paste Stew and Spicy Mixed Noodles Combo

Don’t just pass by the soybean paste stew and spicy mixed noodles, either.

I glanced around at the other tables, and almost everyone seemed to be having soybean paste stew and bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles). There’s a reason for that. We followed suit and tried both, and they were both properly good. A spoonful of hot soybean paste stew in the middle of eating meat felt so comforting that the rice just kept disappearing.

The tangy, spicy bibim guksu cleared the rich taste from the palate perfectly, so it was a great pairing. If you eat nothing but meat, it can get a little heavy toward the end, but having dishes like these meant we could enjoy it right through to the last bite.

A Taste That Makes Even a Seven-Day Couple Forget Garlic Worries

We’d only been dating for a week, but we thoroughly ate garlic, pa-jeori, and grilled kimchi. So what? Being able to enjoy delicious food together is the best.

At first, it was simply somewhere we walked into, but the pork belly and pork jowl were in great condition, and the owner grilled the meat well and was kind, so we came away after a really pleasant meal. If you’re looking for a good-value Korean BBQ restaurant near Hapjeong Station, or a great pork belly place where they grill the meat for you, I think Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is worth a visit. Next time, I might make plans in Hapjeong specifically to come here. Boyfriend, next time let’s eat double the garlic.