Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ, remote waitlist & dropwort potato wraps: Cham

Dinner after work in Jongno: why Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점) is a pork BBQ place in Jongno 3-ga where you can join the line online through Catch Table. Yesterday I was out in Jongno for work, and dinner time hit, so I fell into the usual "What should I eat tonight so people say I ate well~?" dilemma.

Jongno is famous for having tons of good restaurants. Outdoor-seating spots are especially hot right now, but those mean standing in a long line. Cham Dwaejitgan caught my eye because you can reserve through Catch Table, so it's a pork place with an online waitlist.

On top of that, it's a unique spot where you grill Korean dropwort and sliced potatoes too, so I took the challenge without a second thought!

Waiting at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch: the Catch Table remote waitlist is a must

The key at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is to join the remote waitlist on the Catch Table app before quitting time or dinner time. It's so popular that if you just show up and wait, the wait is enormous.

So let me share my own waiting tip!

Before quitting time or dinner time, put in a remote reservation on the Catch Table app. Then wander around Jongno at your leisure, and head to the restaurant when there are about 2 teams ahead of you.

Heads-up: you must enter within 2 minutes of being called

I was strolling around all relaxed, and suddenly the teams ahead of me must have dropped out all at once, because my turn came up fast!

I saw the message saying you have to enter within 2 minutes of the call or it gets cancelled, and I ran like crazy. Please don't run like me. Wait safely right in front of the restaurant!

Impressed the moment I sat down: the setup on the grill plate

At Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch, kimchi, Korean dropwort (minari) and bean sprouts are already set on the grill plate before you sit. All that running paid off, because I was wowed the second I walked in.

The side dishes were already neatly arranged on the plate on the table. Here's the trio on the plate.

• Well-fermented kimchi
• Fragrant Korean dropwort
• Crunchy bean sprouts

Fresh ssam vegetables, and

a variety of sauces. Seeing the dropwort and kimchi that would be grilled alongside the meat, my tiredness from all that running vanished and my mouth started watering.

There's a self-serve bar on one side, so you can grab fresh vegetables and side dishes without feeling awkward, which I really liked. Oh, and ordering is by table order, so it's convenient~♡

Staff grill the pork belly and five-layer belly to the end

Our picks that day were pork belly (samgyeopsal) and five-layer belly (ogyeopsal), plus steamed egg and bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) as sides. One of the biggest strengths of Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is that the staff grill the meat themselves, from start to finish!

I could just sit back and watch the thick pork belly and five-layer belly turn golden brown, which was so nice. Best of all, with a grilling service like this, you can chat comfortably with the people you're eating with.

Usually, when you talk while grilling, people who can't do two things at once get flustered and can't really hold a conversation.

The meat was grilled by an expert hand with the juices locked in, so the quality was no joke. Just as the chewy skin of the five-layer belly and the rich flavor of the pork belly filled my mouth, this place's signature kick showed up.

How do you eat the sliced potato wrap?

Cham Dwaejitgan's kick is the sliced potato! My own offbeat combo recommendation is a potato wrap: pork belly or five-layer belly, grilled dropwort and kimchi stacked on a grilled potato slice.

Grill thinly sliced potatoes on the plate until golden,

then, as if making a ssam (lettuce wrap), put meat on the potato, top it with grilled dropwort and kimchi, and pop it in your mouth in one bite. The mild, crispy potato, savory pork and fragrant dropwort go together amazingly well. It was a different experience from anything I'd had before.

Sides: the bomb steamed egg and bibim naengmyeon

The sides I ordered at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch were the "bomb" steamed egg and spicy-tangy bibim naengmyeon. Meat alone leaves you wanting a little more, so of course you've got to enjoy the sides too, right?

Steamed egg

It passed on looks alone, puffed up and almost spilling over the earthenware pot! Soft and moist, it was just right for soothing the stomach before the meat was ready.

Bibim naengmyeon

Naengmyeon is the right way to finish a meat feast. Spicy-tangy sauce and chewy noodles,

and if you wrap a piece of leftover five-layer belly in it, you get the perfect meat-wrapped naengmyeon. It cut the richness and made for a clean finish.

Final thoughts and location of Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is on the first floor of Piccadilly CGV, near Jongno 3-ga Station. The meat quality and flavor were good, and the grilling service, the friendliness and the handy self-serve bar all get a thumbs up.

It was convenient that I could reserve through Catch Table instead of standing in line outside the whole time.

If you're looking for a proper pork restaurant in Jongno, or want to try something special like the dropwort and potato wrap combo instead of plain pork belly, I highly recommend it!

• Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점)
• 1 Donhwamun-ro 5ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Piccadilly CGV 1F

It was a truly great restaurant that's worth the wait. Next time I'm in Jongno, I'm definitely going back.