Korean BBQ in Mokpo with EV charging and bomb cheese egg: Simdon

The most satisfying BBQ place on our Mokpo trip: Simdon Mokpo Pyeonghwagwangjang Branch

If you asked me to pick the most satisfying restaurant of this Mokpo trip, I'd choose "Simdon Mokpo Pyeonghwagwangjang Branch" (심돈 목포 평화광장점) without a second thought. When I travel, I always want one good local meat meal, and this time I found a truly great restaurant in Sangdong, Mokpo.

It's close to Pyeonghwa Square, so it's easy to get to, and it already has a reputation as a Pyeonghwa Square favorite, so the place was packed with customers at dinnertime. Popular places really are popular for a reason.

Simdon Mokpo Pyeonghwagwangjang Branch: location, hours and parking

• 📍 Address: 4-1 Wonhyeong-ro, Mokpo-si, Jeollanam-do (1st floor)
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 15:30–02:00 (Sundays close at 01:30)
• 🚗 Parking: Public car park across the road from the restaurant
• ⚡ EV charging: 2 EV chargers in the public car park

You can park on the street too, but I found the public car park across the road more convenient. It even has EV chargers, so drivers of electric cars can visit without worry. That makes it an even better pick near Pyeonghwa Square.

The fabric deodorizer at the door and the atmosphere inside

The first thing I noticed at the door was the fabric deodorizer by the entrance. With BBQ, taste matters, but so does worrying about smell sticking to your clothes, so I was really impressed by the owner's thoughtfulness down to this small detail.

The inside looked very clean. It isn't a big space, but it wasn't uncomfortable to eat in. As you'd expect from a popular place, it was full of people.

I also liked that Simdon serves the meat pre-grilled, so you can eat right away without grilling for long. That meant less smoke and smell, and it was easy to enjoy even on a trip.

What we ordered: the medium mixed platter and the bomb cheese steamed egg

The menu at Simdon Mokpo Pyeonghwagwangjang Branch has plenty of variety. We ordered the "Samdon Mixed Platter (medium)" and the bomb cheese steamed egg.

The standard beef brisket doenjang stew comes with rice inside

The standard table setting includes a beef brisket doenjang (soybean paste) stew, and there was rice in the stew already. It isn't a big amount, but we didn't know that and ordered extra rice, only finding out later. If it's your first visit, keep this in mind.

The stew was seasoned just right, neither salty nor bland, with the richness of the brisket on top. It comes as a standard item, but I was really quite satisfied with it.

Rice topped with ham

The rice we ordered arrived with ham on top. I exclaimed the moment I saw it. I was moved that a place like this exists.

Whole pork belly, flower neck pork and pork skin: how was the platter?

The Samdon mixed platter comes with a generous amount of whole pork belly, flower neck pork and pork skin, and it made my mouth water just looking at it.

Thanks to a good layer of fat, the whole pork belly was rich and chewy. It was so juicy that with the first bite I understood right away why it's recommended as a Sangdong, Mokpo pork belly spot.

The flower neck pork was scored with tight knife cuts, keeping a tender texture, and even though it's lean meat, it wasn't dry at all, with the juices sealed in.

And the pork skin, which I normally like anyway, amazed me! The texture was wonderfully springy and chewy, with no gamey smell at all, so I kept reaching for more.

Sides and sauces served with the mixed meat

What comes with the mixed meat at Simdon was really great too. Seasoned garlic chives, seasoned bean sprouts, minari (water dropwort), kimchi, king oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and even pineapple all came out, so you can enjoy it in lots of combinations.

In particular, myeongi namul (pickled wild greens) was served, and wrapping pork belly in it was the best combination. There were several sauces too, and each dip gave a new flavor, so I never got tired of it to the end.

A tip I really want to share here! As I said earlier, the standard beef brisket doenjang stew has rice in it, so it's not too late to check the stew first and then add rice.

Is the bomb cheese steamed egg a must-order?

Definitely try the bomb cheese steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) we added at Simdon too. The moment I dug in with a spoon, the cheese stretched out sooo long, and I couldn't help laughing. The fluffy egg and rich cheese went really well with the meat.

The review event and the staff

Another welcome thing was the review event at Simdon Mokpo Pyeonghwagwangjang Branch. If you write a Naver receipt review, you get a free Excellent ice cream. You get a tasty meal and dessert too, so do join in.

Above all, even in the busy hours the staff were kind to the very end, so we had a pleasant time throughout the meal.

Would we go back to Simdon Mokpo Pyeonghwagwangjang Branch?

Simdon Mokpo Pyeonghwagwangjang Branch was the most memorable of the Sangdong, Mokpo restaurants I visited on this trip, and I'd confidently recommend it to anyone looking for a good place near Pyeonghwa Square. The tasty pork belly and neck pork, odorless pork skin, generous standard table setting, kind service and convenient parking all satisfied me.

It's the first place I'd want to stop by the next time I visit Mokpo.

Here's the spread I enjoyed today, too.