Jeongwang-dong charcoal BBQ: pork belly and grilled kimchi at Samstar

Friday dinner with Mom at Samstar Charcoal Grill in Jeongwang-dong

To enjoy a Friday evening, I went with my mom to Samstar Charcoal Grill (삼스타숯불구이), a pork belly place in Jeongwang-dong. We got there around 6:30 p.m. and were the only ones in the restaurant, but guests kept coming in while we ate, so you could really feel that it's a popular Jeongwang-dong spot.

Where is Samstar Charcoal Grill, and where do you park?

Samstar Charcoal Grill is at 47 Jungsimsangga-ro, Unit 102, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi, and it's open Monday to Saturday 17:00–23:00 (closed on Sundays). For parking, you can use the Sihwa parking lot behind the building, and it was free for 2 hours.

It sits in the central commercial district, so it's easy to reach on foot or by car, and it's also convenient from Jeongwang-dong and Oido, which makes it an easy place to drop by. There are lots of apartment complexes around, so I imagine families and local residents come often.

Samstar Charcoal Grill atmosphere and seating

From outside, the huge sign stands out even from far away, and the retro feel made an impression. Inside, the space was wide and pleasant, with plenty of room between tables so it never felt cramped, and the interior, full of Korean charm and wit, makes the place stand out even more.

There were baby chairs on one side, so it looks good for visiting with kids, and the size of the place makes it seem like a good fit for a company dinner too.

Samstar Charcoal Grill menu and tablet ordering

Ordering is easy, done on a tablet placed at every table.

There are various set menus under the Samstar Hansang (full-table spread), such as the Samstar Mojeum Hansang (assorted set), the Half-and-Half Beef Short Rib Hansang and the Beef Short Rib Assortment.

I thought about trying several cuts, but Mom and I both love pork belly most, so we ordered 3 servings of domestic pork belly. The side menu was varied too: blue crab doenjang stew, pork kimchi stew, clam soft tofu stew, perilla oil makguksu (buckwheat noodles), naengmyeon (cold noodles) and more.

What are the side dishes and self-serve corner like?

The basic side dishes were really generous: seasoned lettuce and scallion salad, green onion kimchi, myeongi (wild garlic leaf) greens, pickled garlic stems, kimchi, pickled radish wraps, salted seafood and wasabi. There were plenty of sides that go well with meat, and what surprised me most was the breadcrumbs and tonkatsu sauce served alongside, which you rarely see at other BBQ restaurants.

If you run out of sides, you can help yourself at the self-serve corner. It isn't an ordinary self-serve bar but a refrigerated showcase with transparent sliding doors, so there's less worry about dust, and it's kept cool and hygienic, which made me trust the place even more.

How did the 3 servings of Korean pork belly taste?

Soon the pork belly we ordered arrived, and the color of the meat alone looked really appetizing. Samstar says it uses carefully selected top-grade domestic pork belly, and just looking at it got me excited.

I grilled the meat nicely, and also grilled mushrooms, garlic and kimchi along with it.

One bite of the golden-brown pork belly and I understood why they stress the quality of their meat. Grilled over charcoal it tasted even better, and the ratio of fat to lean was good, so the texture was rich yet tender, which I was really happy with. Mom kept saying how good it was, too.

Best pork belly pairing: grilled kimchi and perilla leaves

Personally, my favorite combo was eating it with golden grilled kimchi. The kimchi is made with domestic ingredients, which made me trust it more, and it paired really well with the pork belly.

Wrapped in a perilla leaf, the aroma was strong yet soft, and it brought out even more of the meat's flavor.

Pork belly dipped in breadcrumbs and tonkatsu sauce

I also tried the breadcrumb and tonkatsu sauce combo I'd been curious about. Dabbing a little breadcrumb on the meat and dipping it in tonkatsu sauce felt just like eating tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet), a fun, different twist that I really enjoyed.

The seasoned lettuce and scallion salad was sweet and sour and cleaned up my palate, and as I kept trying different combinations, before I knew it we had finished all 3 servings of pork belly.

The mushrooms grilled alongside were juicy too, and a light dip in the oil sauce made them even more savory and really good.

Get your parking sticker when you pay

After finishing our meal, when I paid and said I had parked, they gave me a parking sticker. I didn't know whether I was supposed to stick it on my existing parking ticket, so I handed over the ticket and the sticker separately.

Who should try Samstar Charcoal Grill?

Samstar Charcoal Grill was a Jeongwang-dong meat restaurant whose meat quality I was really happy with. As you'd expect from top-grade domestic pork belly, the meat itself was great, and the thoughtful details impressed me: the varied side dishes, the unusual breadcrumb combo and the hygienically kept self-serve corner. It's an easy place to visit for a family meal, a company dinner or a get-together with friends. If you're looking for a good Jeongwang-dong restaurant or pork belly spot, Samstar Charcoal Grill is worth a visit 😊

• People looking for a good restaurant in Jeongwang-dong
• People looking for a meat restaurant in Jeongwang-dong
• People who want to taste high-quality domestic pork belly
• People looking for a place for a company dinner or family meal
• People who love charcoal-grilled pork belly