Hongdae Korean BBQ with Busan's original flavor: Chopilsal Pork Grill

I came to Seoul for a trip and wandered around Hongdae, and I found something so exciting! It's Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch haha

Actually the original Chopilsal is in Busan, and it's a pork grill restaurant I really love, you know? While I was looking around Hongdae I spotted it and went 'wait, isn't this Chopilsal?!' and walked straight in lol. Half expectation, half excitement about whether it'd taste as good as the Busan original — in I went!

How to get to Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch, plus opening hours

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Hongik Univ. Station, the location is really convenient. It's a 3-5 minute walk from Exit 1 of Hongik Univ. Station, so it wasn't hard to find at all.

The sign is also pretty visible, so I could find it right away without wandering around.

• Address: 172 Donggyo-ro, 1st & 2nd floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon-Thu 12:00-24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Fri-Sun 12:00-2:00 next day (last order 01:00)
• Reservations and group bookings available

Maybe because the original Busan location was already famous, the Hongdae branch was pretty big too. With both a 1st and 2nd floor, it looked great for group dinners or gatherings.

What is the restaurant like inside? Full house even at an off-peak hour

The moment I stepped into Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch, my first thought was 'wow, so many people' haha

Even though it was an in-between hour, it was nearly fully packed.

Definitely a popular restaurant near Hongik Univ. Station, living up to its reputation. The place itself was spacious and clean, so it was comfortable to sit and eat.

Side dishes and dipping sauces served with the meal

After ordering the famous samgyeopsal (pork belly) and dwitgogi (pork skirt meat), the basic table setting arrived.

Myeongi namul (wild garlic leaf), mu saengchae (radish salad), baek kimchi (white kimchi), perilla leaf pickled radish, and gochujang-pickled peppers — a solid lineup of side dishes good for wrapping.

For dipping sauces, they set out salted anchovy, garlic mentaiko, and ssamjang on a small plate, so I could pick whatever suited my taste.

Once the salted ogyeopsal and jinjja dwitgogi I ordered came out, a staff member came over and briefly explained the thickness and how to grill it.

Just looking at the color of the pork belly, you could tell the quality was excellent.

The fat-to-meat ratio was perfectly trimmed and it had some thickness to it, so early on they helped adjust the heat for me.

Salted ogyeopsal for two: myeongi namul plus mu saengchae was the best combo

The salted ogyeopsal (pork belly), 2 servings, came first, and the first bite has to be with salt, no question, haha

The salty seasoning really brought out the savory flavor of the meat. After that I switched to the myeongi namul and mu saengchae combo, and honestly, that was pure art, wow.

The mu saengchae cuts through the greasiness completely, and the myeongi namul adds savory depth, so I kept eating it this way the whole time. Personally, this myeongi namul + mu saengchae combo was the tastiest thing that day, haha

Jinjja dwitgogi: the same pork skirt meat taste as in Busan

I also ordered one serving of dwitgogi (pork skirt meat), and it was surreal how it tasted exactly like what I used to eat around Busan and Gimhae.

It's chewier than ogyeopsal with a stronger meaty aroma, so the savory flavor built up the more I chewed.

Apparently this place is actually famous for pork skin, but I didn't get to try it this time, which was a bit disappointing. Next time I revisit, I'm definitely adding pork skin to the order.

Ending with chon-dwaeji kimchi jjigae and two bowls of rice

After filling up on meat, the finale was chon-dwaeji kimchi jjigae!

The rich kimchi jjigae made with well-fermented kimchi, mixed with rice, made me feel completely full and satisfied. The stew was so good I demolished two bowls of rice, lol.

Finishing off a meat meal with a spicy stew like this made for a perfectly full day.

Verdict: how does Chopilsal Hongdae compare to the Busan original?

I love the Busan original so much that I'd already bragged about it to my boyfriend beforehand, and the Hongdae branch absolutely did not disappoint.

The salted ogyeopsal was especially satisfying with the myeongi namul + mu saengchae combo, and the dwitgogi tasted exactly like what I remembered from Busan, which was such a nice surprise. After filling up with the kimchi jjigae too, I can confidently recommend this as a great restaurant near Hongik Univ. Station.

On my next Seoul trip, I'm definitely trying the pork skin too, haha. If you're looking for a BBQ restaurant in Hongdae, I recommend Chopilsal Pork Grill Hongdae Branch!