Hongdae late-night Korean BBQ and cheese egg: Chopilsal Pork Grill

Going out for meat in Hongdae at 10 p.m.

Last weekend, I suddenly wanted meat so badly..! I messaged a friend and headed to Hongdae at 10 p.m. 🚌 A barbecue place open late is such a precious thing..ㅜㅜ

The pork belly spot I visited was Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch (초필살돼지구이 홍대점)! It gets lots of Japanese and Chinese tourists, so I worried there might be a wait, but luckily, because it was late on a weekday, there was no wait.

We were shown upstairs~ The second-floor windows were open too, so it really had that outdoor-bar kind of feel.

Maybe because it was an hour before last order, the first floor looked like it had already started closing up!

Ordering pork belly, dwaeji dwit-gogi, and double-cheese steamed egg

• 2 servings of ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly)
• 1 serving of dwaeji dwit-gogi (pork back cuts)
• Double-cheese steamed egg
• Soju... several bottles

The basic table setting they put out after we ordered. I loved that there was so much to eat alongside the meat. Especially the perilla leaves with ssammu (pickled radish wraps) already placed on them—such a great touch.

With one piece of ssammu on every perilla leaf, it was so easy to make wrap after wrap~😉 Salty, sweet... it totally maximized the meat's savory flavor, haha.

All together, this was the table setting! It was already completely packed with just the basic spread.

Can you leave out soju..? Hahaha, did we drink three bottles that day? Hahahaㅠㅠ When the food is good, the drinks go down so easily~🥹🥲🥲

They also give you meljeot (fermented anchovy sauce). Everyone knows how to eat meljeot by now, right? Add chopped Cheongyang chili peppers and dunk in a few garlic cloves, then let it boil away—it tastes good enough to bring even dead meat back to life~🍀

Thick pork belly and springy dwaeji dwit-gogi

Ta-da! ⭐️ Two servings of ogyeopsal and one serving of dwaeji dwit-gogi! The salted pork belly was super thick... haha. And for one serving, there was quite a lot of dwaeji dwit-gogi too..!!

They brought out wrap vegetables right away when we asked~ If you need wrap vegetables with your meat, make sure to request them separately!

How we ate the double-cheese steamed egg

Oh wow, the double-cheese steamed egg looked ready to explode! If you like that slightly funky, Camembert-like cheese aroma, you absolutely have to order it! It wasn't an ordinary steamed egg.

They said the steamed egg tastes even better if you stir it well so the cheese and egg are evenly mixed.

For the nicely grilled meat, just enjoy it with the various sauces. There were lots of dipping sauces and pickled sides, so every single bite was delicious.

Ah, especially the dwaeji dwit-gogi—it was nicely springy, had great texture, and no off smell at all, so I highly recommend it.

I was too full for stew that day, but next time I want to try it.. Stew is a must with soju, but the steamed egg was surprisingly filling. The friend I went with doesn't eat much, so you could say I ate it alllll~~ myself, hahaha.

How was it as a late-night Hongdae barbecue spot?

My overall take on Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch! First, the prices are so reasonable that I’d recommend it as a company dinner spot too. It’s just right for anyone who likes lots of things to eat alongside their meat! Especially among barbecue places open late, I don’t think many deliver this level of quality, so I’m giving it 4 out of 5.