Sinnonhyeon Korean BBQ where staff check the grill temperature: Sansol

I'd heard that the staff grill the meat for you and that the place has a distinctive atmosphere, so I went to Sansol Sinnonhyeon (산솔 신논현점). It's a space styled like a Gangwon-do cave, where I got to try aged flower pork neck and pork belly.

Is Sansol Sinnonhyeon close to Sinnonhyeon Station?

Sansol Sinnonhyeon is in a spot that's easy to reach on foot from Sinnonhyeon Station. Please double-check the opening hours and parking information before you visit.

The sign appeared after walking a little way into the alley, and we had reserved in advance. The side dishes were already on the table when we arrived, so we could start eating right away without a long wait.

It's not far from the station, so it looked good for meeting friends, and also for a after-work team dinner or gathering.

Cave-style interior: the atmosphere at Sansol Sinnonhyeon

Sansol Sinnonhyeon is a Korean BBQ restaurant themed on Gangwon-do mountain slopes and caves, so the moment I walked in, the mood felt a little different from an ordinary BBQ place.

They say it's themed on Gangwon-do mountain slopes and caves, and the rough-textured walls and soft lighting go together surprisingly well.

The tables are wide, so even a bigger group doesn't feel cramped, and there are group seats and private spaces too. The lighting isn't too bright and the tables have room between them, so it's a comfortable place to eat and talk.

Sansol Sinnonhyeon menu and prices: San platter for 2-3 at ₩56,000

What we ordered was the San platter for 2-3 people, at ₩56,000. It comes with both aged flower pork neck and aged pork belly, so you get two cuts at once. I wanted to try everything haha.

Single portions of aged flower pork neck and aged pork belly were ₩17,000 each, and for bigger groups there's also the Sol platter for 3-4 people at ₩72,000.

Every table has a tablet, so you can place extra orders from your seat without calling a staff member over, which was handy.

I came after searching for the best samgyeopsal (pork belly) in Sinnonhyeon, but I personally felt glad I ordered the San platter, since it lets you have the flower pork neck too.

Side dishes and sauces that pair well with the pork

The side dishes at Sansol Sinnonhyeon were young radish pickles (yeolmu jangajji), garlic scape pickles, nabak-kimchi (watery kimchi), aged kimchi and yuja radish salad, and the sauces were Maldon salt, salted herring roe, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) and myeongi wasabi (pickled mountain greens with wasabi). It wasn't just a big variety. Every single one was genuinely delicious!

• Side dishes: young radish pickles, garlic scape pickles, nabak-kimchi, aged kimchi, yuja radish salad
• Sauces: Maldon salt, salted herring roe, ssamjang, myeongi wasabi

Sansol pa-yukjang (spicy scallion beef-style salad) plus Sansol seasoned salad: a combo where you don't even think about wrapping ssam.

The yuja radish salad was sweet and tangy and reset my palate between bites of meat, while the highland cabbage geotjeori (fresh kimchi) and white kimchi kept their crunch. Myeongi wasabi, of course, went well with the meat.

Salted herring roe came out too, and it was salty enough to be a rice side dish. While the meat was grilling, I could happily have eaten the side dishes with a bowl of rice on their own! haha

And it's not just plain rice, it's Cheorwon Odaesan rice 🍚

Does Sansol Sinnonhyeon grill the meat for you?

Yes, at Sansol Sinnonhyeon the staff grill the meat from start to finish. This was the most convenient thing about the place.

They really measure the grill temperature!! Then a good while later they came back and measured it again.. amazing.

They grilled it once the temperature was right!

Oh, and the corn and zucchini that came with it were so good. I scraped up every last bit.

At Sansol Sinnonhyeon the smoke is drawn down below the table, so even after finishing the meal there wasn't a strong meat smell on me. That's another way it stands out from other BBQ places!

Sansol Sinnonhyeon side menu and prices

Sansol Sinnonhyeon also had a good range of meals and side dishes to order with the meat.

Kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice for 2 was ₩10,000, Gangwon-style makguksu (buckwheat noodles) ₩9,000, and red crab ramyeon ₩8,000. There were also minari Korean beef yukhoe (beef tartare) at ₩25,000 and grilled San deodeok (bellflower root) at ₩15,000, so it looked easy to add things depending on taste and group size.

I focused on the San platter, but next time I'd like to try the minari Korean beef yukhoe and the red crab ramyeon too.

What occasions is Sansol Sinnonhyeon good for?

At Sansol Sinnonhyeon I got to try aged flower pork neck and pork belly together, and with the staff grilling the meat for us, the meal was relaxed. The Gangwon-do mountain and cave interior was unique, and with wide tables and group seating it looked well suited to meetups with friends or team dinners.

I especially liked not having to grill the meat myself, and that no strong smell stuck to my clothes afterward.

One drawback: Sansol Sinnonhyeon has no parking lot of its own, so if you're driving, check the location of nearby paid or public parking lots beforehand.

Sansol Sinnonhyeon Q&A

Can you order flower pork neck and pork belly together?

Yes, if you order the San platter you get aged flower pork neck and pork belly together. You can choose between the 2-3 person and 3-4 person sizes depending on your group.

Do you have to grill the meat yourself at Sansol?

The staff grilled it for us, so we could eat comfortably.

Is Sansol Sinnonhyeon good for team dinners or group gatherings?

It has wide tables, group seating and private spaces, so it looked fine for gatherings. If your group is large, please check whether reservations are available before you visit.