Mapo Seoul Korean BBQ: Hanwoo set and pork neck at Jeongyukdo

A Korean barbecue restaurant near Hapjeong Station with an outdoor-bar feel

Got off work late and went to Hapjeong for meat. It is crazy close to Hapjeong Station.

There is a paid parking lot right in front, so it was easy to use.

This is the exterior. It has that outdoor-bar kind of vibe.

There are outdoor terrace seats too. Separate outdoor tables were set up outside, with lights overhead and tables on artificial grass, so the mood is completely different from indoors. When the weather is mild, charcoal-grilling meat outside would be nice. If you are meeting friends in Hapjeong or coming as a group, the outdoor seats seem worth trying.

There were onggi jars, you know? Do they make it themselves??

The indoor seating was spacious too. There were areas that felt like private rooms, and the spaces were nicely divided. We sat by the window haha.

Side dishes to have with Hanwoo

A killer meat combo. Shredded scallions and onions—say no more.

The side dishes were substantial too. Even the standard banchan (small side dishes) were a great match for the meat.

Not a carnivore. A carnivore (kidding). Personally, rather than piling lots of things onto Hanwoo, I think it is best to start with just a light dip in salt.

Meat has to be grilled over charcoal for peak deliciousness. And hello, doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew).

Hanwoo set: chuck flap, rib finger, and boneless short rib

The Hanwoo set was ₩99,000. A Hanwoo grading chart came with the meat too, so you could check exactly what you were eating. It really had that butcher-shop feel, fun fun.

First up, the ₩99,000 Hanwoo set. It included chuck flap, rib finger, and boneless short rib, and the marbling looked good good good the second it arrived. The thick-cut meat came on one platter, and I was satisfied.

And the chuck flap had such fine marbling that I was excited even before grilling it. Dang.

Mmm, Michelin~

The chuck flap melted in my mouth. Once the outside was nicely browned over charcoal and the inside still had a little pink left, get in my mouth, get in my mouth. So juicy, with a tender texture and lovely charcoal aroma. Good~~

The boneless short rib had a nice amount of chew. A huge king oyster mushroom came with it too, stamped with the Jeongyukdo name. Grilled garlic scapes were great as well.

What I especially loved was the pickled onion. I got a refill. Having a piece of Hanwoo with the crisp onion cut through the richness, so I kept reaching for it. I started with just the meat, then added the pickled onion or another side dish one by one, and even the same cut felt a little different each time. A little salted seafood over rice was another treat—photos are coming later lol. That salted seafood was seriously delicious!!

With all three cuts—chuck flap, rib finger, and boneless short rib—on the platter, it was fun comparing them one by one. How is that grilling?

Two servings of pork neck with meljeot

After the Hanwoo, we added two servings of pork neck. Let’s go.

We added meljeot (fermented anchovy sauce) for the pork neck. It was ₩3,000, and before it was heated up, I was like, huh, is this going to be good? But it was insanely good.

It felt too sad to end after the Hanwoo, so we added two servings of pork neck. Pork neck was ₩17,000 per serving. As you can see, it was quite thick, with a good balance of lean meat and fat.

And hello, white rice. The salted seafood was so good that I got a refill too~

Once browned over charcoal, the outside was slightly springy while the inside stayed moist. Grilled well, right?

Even after Hanwoo, the pork neck worked because each had its own charm. Hanwoo was softer and richer in flavor, while the pork neck was cleaner-tasting with more chew. Crunch crunch. So moving from Hanwoo to pork neck was not as heavy as I expected.

Warm meljeot plus charcoal-scented pork neck—say no more. The savory salty umami was insanely good. If you order pork, definitely get the meljeot. It feels completely different from eating it plain. Personally, meljeot suited the pork neck better than salt.

Pork neck that just came out of a swim in meljeot. What do you think?

Halfway through, dipping the meat in meljeot was so delicious that I took a thumbs-up shot.

I ate really, really well.

Final thoughts on Jeongyukdo in Hapjeong

Looks like lots of celebrities come here too. Jeongyukdo was where I properly ate everything from Hanwoo to pork in Hapjeong. What we had that day: the ₩99,000 Hanwoo set, two pork-neck servings for ₩34,000, and ₩3,000 meljeot. The side dishes were all tasty too, especially Hanwoo with pickled onion and pork neck with meljeot. The food was delicious.