Korean BBQ lunch with Mom in Jongno 3-ga, black pork neck: Cham

Hellooo! '3')/ I went on an outing in Jongno with my mom, and since I had a hearty lunch, I could keep walking around all afternoon. Yay!

Where is the entrance to Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점) is on the ground floor of the Picadilly CGV building near Jongno 3-ga Station, but the entrance is on the outdoor side, not inside the building. Keep that in mind when you look for it on the map.

It was cool inside on a hot day (important!), and we could sit wherever we wanted. At the table there were top-grade charcoal and rice husks waiting.

The basics: minari, kimchi and bean sprouts! You know how good these are with grilled meat, right?

Why I chose black pork neck over pork belly at Cham Dwaejitgan

The menu recommended Jirisan black pork, so I ordered 2 servings of black pork neck. This is a famous pork belly spot in Jongno 3-ga, so I wondered if I should get pork belly, but the black pork neck had Best, Recommended and Hit labels all over it!

A handmade grill that barely splatters

Cham Dwaejitgan uses a handmade grill that doesn't splatter, and there was hardly any splashing of oil while we ate. I was really happy about that.

Here comes the black pork neck, look at that chunk! And at Cham Dwaejitgan the staff grill everything, so all you have to do is sit back and eat it.

There was a Cham Dwaejitgan promise on display, so I took a photo. It looks like they're confident about taking care with the charcoal, minari, rice husks, black pork, ingredients, grill and side dishes!

This is how the grill arrives. See the sliced potato on the side? Potatoes, potatoes! Grilled potato is so good, right?

Minari, kimchi and bean sprouts are at the bottom of the grill, with the black pork neck on top. Doesn't it look amazing? I ordered 2 servings.

The staff are grilling the meat to perfection!

Kudzu cold noodles and bomb steamed egg with the black pork neck

I ordered kudzu cold noodles (chik naengmyeon) with the meat, and they arrived while the meat was grilling, so we could enjoy them together, nice and cold. Meat plus cold noodles, you can't give that up, right?

While the meat grills, they also bring shishito peppers and king oyster mushrooms. You don't buy them separately, they come as a set when you order pork neck. Awesome, right? Some places make you pay extra for vegetables, so I was happy I didn't have to.

The noodles are kudzu noodles! So refreshing to eat alongside the meat. I don't crave cold noodles in winter, but in summer they're a perfect match.

And let's add some protein. I ordered steamed egg (gyeran-jjim), and it was the bomb steamed egg, so it was packed with fluffy egg!

The steamed egg is quite generous, which I liked, and when the egg sank a bit, they puffed it up again for us. Really nice.

How the Jirisan black pork neck tasted, and the best combinations

The Jirisan black pork neck at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch came out golden brown and was very tasty. Minari, kimchi and bean sprouts go so well with the meat that wrapping them in a ssam (lettuce wrap) is great too. Look at that, everyone, doesn't it look delicious?

And the sliced potato grilling right beside it! According to Cham Dwaejitgan's recommended way to eat, you grill the sliced potato, put meat on it and add the shiitake seasoning, and it's super, super good.

Doesn't it look great? I really enjoyed my Jongno 3-ga lunch! Customers kept coming in while we ate, too.

Ta-da~ I ate well at a Jongno 3-ga Station pork spot where the meat fat doesn't splatter. Yay!

Do you see how glistening the Jirisan black pork neck is? When you bite in, it's tender, nutty and delicious.

• The classic: with bean sprouts and kimchi
• Wrapped in a ssam
• With grilled minari
• Meat with kudzu cold noodles
• Minari on sliced potato, wrapped as a ssam
• Meat on top of the bomb steamed egg

Being able to mix and match the meat means there are lots of side dishes and sauces to combine. Wrapping it in sliced potato and minari is special too! If you're looking for a Jongno 3-ga pork spot, how about this? Wouldn't it be delicious?

Putting meat on top of the fluffy egg is great too. I managed to try so many ways of eating at this Jongno 3-ga pork spot, yay! After eating like this I walked around really hard. Since the meal was filling, I never felt hungry.

Self-bar and ₩0 service corner at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

At Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch you can check the country of origin of the meat, and there's a self-bar so you can eat to your heart's content. There were signatures on the wall too, so I took a picture.

I noticed a ₩0 service corner with kids' tableware, mouth-freshening candy and disposable items, and below them hair ties, mouthwash, toothpicks and more. So thoughtful, I thought this was a very considerate Jongno pork spot.

I picked out a candy to enjoy, yum yum.

Is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch a good lunch spot near Jongno 3-ga Station?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch has good service, the staff grill the meat for you, and you can choose between Jirisan black pork and Boseong green-feed pork. Even if you order only meat, you get minari, kimchi, bean sprouts and sliced potato too, which I was happy with. Woosh woosh woosh!