Korean BBQ near Suwon Station with 2 hours free parking: Ssosam 208

On a day out in Suwon with my husband, we went to Ssosam 208 (쏘삼208), a well-known samgyeopsal (pork belly) spot in Suwon~ The odd volcano stone-shaped grill was fascinating, and the meat was good too. Want to come eat with us at Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch?

Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch: location, hours and free parking

Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch is at 11 Deokyeong-daero 895beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi. It is open 15:30 to 02:00 the next day Monday to Friday, and 12:00 to 02:00 the next day on Saturday and Sunday. For parking, use the Hwanggeum parking lot (황금주차장) behind the restaurant, which is free for 2 hours!! (Be sure to register your plate number at the counter when you pay.)

• Location: 11 Deokyeong-daero 895beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi
• Hours: Mon–Fri 15:30–02:00 (next day) / Sat–Sun 12:00–02:00 (next day)
• Parking: 2 hours free in the lot behind the restaurant, register your plate number at the counter when paying

Atmosphere and the 208°C volcano grill

Inside, Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch felt like a BBQ restaurant with a good ventilation system~ It was bright and airy, which I liked~

There was a line written on the wall: "208°C = the heart of the volcano grill, 208°C is a promise." So 208°C must be the temperature where meat cooks best!!!

We took a window seat, and the staff slid the window open, so a light breeze blew in and felt so refreshing~

The grill was so fascinating~ I had never seen one like it, so it felt fresh~ At first I thought it was a stone plate, but looking closer it was an iron grill shaped like a stone plate~

Basic setup, menu and how to order

Along with the side dishes, Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch puts a wire mesh, meljeot (salted fermented anchovy dip), sour aged kimchi, pineapple, raw tofu and lard oil on the grill. The owner set them out one by one as he brought the sides, and I had never seen a BBQ place put raw tofu on the grill, so it felt very fresh~ I figured grilled kimchi and grilled tofu together would be delicious, so I was looking forward to it!!!

The menu is made up of stone-plate sets, single cuts of native Korean pork, side dishes, meal items, and drinks~ Lettuce is ₩0 but served only on request, so ask for it if you want it!!!

You order yourself at the table by kiosk~ and pay at the counter when you leave~ We ordered the mixed stone platter in the medium size (500g), a bottle of Jinro (soju), and one bowl of rice~

Do the staff grill the meat for you?

Yes, the staff at Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch grill the meat for you from start to finish, which made it nice and easy to eat. They spread the mixed meat evenly across the grill and started cooking~ The bright pink color of the meat looked fresh, and I liked that~

As the mixed meat cooked on the hot grill, it gave off such a savory smell that my appetite just shot up~ Since the staff handled everything, there was no need to pick up the tongs~ I just watched it cook and kept swallowing my drool~ haha

Kimchi rice noodles while you wait (one refill)

Like a ray of light for us, drooling as we watched the meat cook, the kimchi rice noodles arrived~ They said one refill is possible~ The broth was spicy, the bean sprouts were crunchy and the noodles were chewy, a real treat~

How are the pork belly and pork neck in the mixed platter?

At last the meat was all golden and cooked~ The staff put the cooked meat on the wire mesh and then you just eat~ Maybe because the grill coating is so good, the meat browned evenly and looked wonderful~

The first piece I picked up looked just like a heart! Aww~ I guess this is how I show my love for my husband again~ Take my love, yah!!!

The samgyeopsal was tender, chewy and nutty, just great~ Dipped in meljeot it got a salty depth of flavor and tasted clean and delicious~

The grilled aged kimchi had a sour, stir-fried kimchi taste that went well with the meat~ And the tofu grilled in pork fat was mild and, as expected, delicious~

Garlic sauce, garlic oil dip and pa-jeori (scallion salad)

The Ssosam 208 garlic sauce was tangy and sharp, and I loved it~ They had finely chopped pickled radish in it, so it was tangy with a nice crunchy texture~ After the sharpness of the garlic, a hint of wasabi fragrance passed through, so it tasted refreshing~

The garlic oil dip was salty and nutty with a sharp garlic aroma coming after, and eating it with the meat boosted the meat's flavor and made it feel even more tender~

The pa-jeori was seasoned salty and nutty with a strong savory punch~ It was so good that I grabbed lots of it and then got punished by the sharp spiciness~ If you can't handle spice, eat it a little at a time!!!

Put a piece of meat on myeongi-namul (pickled wild garlic leaves), top it with garlic sauce, and your mouth feels so fresh it's as if you hadn't eaten meat at all, so do try it once~

The pork neck had a crisp, chewy bite followed by a nutty richness, which I loved~ Eaten with garlic and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), the salty, sharp flavors lifted the savoriness~

The grilled pineapple was the peak of sweetness~ The sweetness spread through my mouth and left it moist, small but mighty~

I enjoyed it with rice, meat's partner~ You know that when the nuttiness of meat meets the mild sweetness of rice, it's game over, right? It was a combination you never get tired of~

Do they change the grill when you add makchang?

At Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch we added makchang after the mixed platter, and they didn't swap the grill; a staff member wiped it down with wet wipes. We ordered it because ending with the platter felt too short, and the coating must really be good because it wiped clean with a swish swish, which was amazing~

They also gave us roasted soybean powder and a sauce to dip the makchang in~

The staff cut and grilled the makchang too, which was convenient~ They told us to wait a bit more once it was somewhat cooked, then left~

We flipped it now and then and grilled it golden~ The whole time it cooked, there was no gamey smell at all, just a nutty aroma, which I was happy about~

Dipped in the makchang sauce and soybean powder, one bite was firm and chewy, with a nutty flavor rising the more I chewed, so good~

Makchang with rice meets the sweetness of the rice and the savoriness just explodes, so do try it~ You won't regret it!!!

It paired well with spicy chili pepper, which left my mouth feeling clean~ And since good food should be eaten to the fullest, for the last bite I put 4 pieces in my mouth at once~ The more I chewed, the nuttier it got, so delicious I didn't want to swallow~

Who is Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch good for?

If you're looking for a date or group spot near Suwon Station with tasty meat and makchang, I recommend Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch!!!