Jongno Korean BBQ charcoal pork and fried rice: Cham Dwaejitgan

Recently, I decided to arrange a wonderfully unusual get-together with a former junior coworker I used to work with and a current junior coworker I work with now. But these juniors are such young friends whose age starts with a zero. (Infinite thanks for hanging out with this elder..)

Why I chose a Korean BBQ restaurant in Jongno 3-ga with my juniors

Anyway, I was having a meal with these young, hip friends, so I couldn't just go anywhere, right? After much deliberation, I decided on somewhere hip where we could eat meat too! Among all the Korean BBQ spots, the great samgyeopsal (pork belly) place in Jongno that I chose was Cham Dwaejitgan!!

It's in Jongno 3-ga, a trendy neighborhood just a little outside my work area these days. And it's the Jongno Main Branch, no less!

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch Hours: Daily 12:00–23:00

It is open every day from lunch until late evening without a day off, so I could visit with a slightly more relaxed mind. And the location is so easy to find—you can spot it as soon as you come out of Jongno 3-ga Station!

Right from the entrance, I could immediately spot the large Cham Dwaejitgan sign without any confusion. The restaurant itself looks really big, doesn't it? The look of it also caught my eye—it somehow made me think of meat grilling over a brazier, emphasizing that the meat is cooked over charcoal.

We arrived a little before the full-on dinner rush that day. Even then, nearly all the tables were filled, and there were quite a few reserved tables too. To enjoy Cham Dwaejitgan without waiting, I recommend arriving before 6 PM!!

Charcoal grills and table kiosks

Each table has a clever grill, and there were quite a lot of tables too. The grill was packed with charcoal. I have always thought charcoal is the best for meat, so my anticipation grew even more.

Cham Dwaejitgan's signature menu is centered on pork: Jirisan black pork five-layer belly and pork neck, plus Boseong Nokdon pork belly, flower pork neck, cheongyeopsal, and gabrisal. Since I was dining with my juniors, I ordered both the Jirisan black pork five-layer belly and pork neck. As the restaurant is quite large, every table has a kiosk, making it easy to order!

Black pork with minari and potato wraps

As soon as you order, the staff prepare the basic side dishes and minari (water parsley). There was minari and bean sprout kimchi too, a perfect combination to grill with the meat!! There were also various sauces that went perfectly with it. With so many side dishes and sauces, the pleasure of eating seemed multiplied. They also had a self-service station where you could get more whenever you needed it.

And finally, it was meat-grilling time! Perhaps because it was Jirisan black pork, the thick chunks of meat really caught my eye. But when you see meat this thick, you do worry whether it will cook well, right? Contrary to my worries, the staff grilled it themselves and cut it into perfect bite-size pieces, so we could enjoy our meal more comfortably~ I have grilled meat plenty of times, but while experience matters, cooking it deliciously matters even more!!

We had to properly dig into that deliciously cooked meat, of course, right?

The combinations with all kinds of vegetables—starting with minari, then bean sprouts and kimchi—were so good. The fragrant minari was wonderful too. The potato wraps, which you can only have at Cham Dwaejitgan, were another distinctive feature here. When you first order two portions of meat, they bring out finely sliced potato arranged as wraps. There was quite a generous amount, so we had plenty for wrapping. Maybe because the potato wraps were thin rather than very thick, they became crisp once properly cooked, and wrapping the meat in them was such a great match with the juices! You can order more from the side menu if you want!

Once we really started eating the meat, we ordered drinks too. As a service~ they gave us milk thistle according to the number of people. Cham Dwaejitgan takes care of both flavor and health! It is seriously the best!

Fried rice finished by the staff

After eating meat, there is a dessert you simply cannot leave out, right? Fried rice! Having eaten heartily, we did not get greedy and ordered just one portion. The staff stir-fried the fried rice with its appealing red seasoning, then made a space in the middle and cracked an egg right in! And when I thought that was the end, they even made crispy nurungji (scorched rice) to finish it off!

From beginning to end, it was such a perfect meal, and I was very, very satisfied to spend a fun time with my juniors! It seems perfect for continuing on to the nearby outdoor drinking spots after dinner as a first round, so I totally recommend it!!