Flash-frozen pork belly, 57,930-won bill in Namcheon, Busan: Geobugi

Here's my review of Geobugi Dongne, a well-known pork belly restaurant in Namcheon-dong.

Where is Geobugi Dongne Namcheon Branch, and what are its hours?

Geobugi Dongne, a pork belly restaurant in Namcheon-dong Address: 414 Suyeong-ro, 1st floor, Suyeong-gu, Busan Hours: 11:30–22:30 Parking: use nearby paid parking lots — but it's right in front of the subway exit Highlights: affordable prices for a variety of cuts, plus dessert ice cream

Geobugi Dongne Namcheon Branch is about a 1-minute walk from Namcheon Station Exit 1. There's also a bus stop nearby, so it's easy to get to.

This is Namcheon Station Exit 1. From here it's just a 1–2 minute walk.

How big is the restaurant, and what are the window seats like?

Geobugi Dongne Namcheon is basically one of the biggest pork restaurants in Namcheon-dong!

Maybe that's why there are so, so many tables, and there's even a play room for kids!

We ate at a window seat. It's a street view, but personally I prefer a street view to a closed-in wall.

This is supposedly why Geobugi Dongne's pork belly tastes so good. It explains the secret golden salt and the thickness of the cuts.

Utensils and napkins are in the drawer, and there's a staff call button on the kiosk, but it wasn't working — when I asked, they told me the button was right next to the utensils. Just a heads-up.

Menu and prices at Geobugi Dongne Namcheon Branch

Here's the menu at Geobugi Dongne, the pork belly restaurant in Namcheon-dong.

• Aged pork belly 5,490 won
• Aged pork neck 5,490 won
• Aged pork jowl (5-layer) 5,990 won
• Flash-frozen pork belly 5,490 won
• Freshly made stone pot rice, serves 3, 6,000 won (takes 15 minutes)
• Doenjang-jjigae (rice not included), for 2 people, 4,000 won
• Terra, Kelly, Cass beer 5,000 won
• Draft beer 3,500 won
• Soft drinks 2,000 won
• Table setting fee 5,000 won per table

Flash-frozen pork belly vs aged five-layer belly: how much smoke?

We had 3 servings of flash-frozen pork belly and 2 servings of pork jowl behind it. Later we ordered 2 more servings of pork belly. The flash-frozen pork belly tastes good, but grilling it produces a lot of smoke, which was a bit rough.

Self-serve side dishes and grilled baek-kimchi (white kimchi)

This is the base banchan (side dishes). You just grab it yourself from the self-serve bar.

Here's a photo of the self-serve bar. It's nice that there's a variety of sauces and vegetables. It's great being able to eat comfortably without worrying too much! Personally, I found the bean sprouts amazing with the meat, and my kid loved the baek-kimchi (white kimchi). We grilled the baek-kimchi and ate it with the meat 👍

Dipped in wasabi it's tasty, eaten with bean sprouts it's tasty, eaten with anything it's tasty — that's flash-frozen pork belly for you!! If only it didn't smoke so much, it'd be perfect.

3,500-won draft beer, doenjang-jjigae and cauldron rice

We also ordered a draft beer. Small size, but small price too — 3,500 won.

You light the burner yourself to cook the doenjang-jjigae. Once it's boiled, you can adjust the flame and reheat it whenever you like, which is convenient. (It would've been even better if instant noodles were available as an add-in.)

This is the freshly cooked rice. It's so good. There's no plain rice bowl option, but the freshly made rice is so delicious you'll want to order plenty!

Kids' play room and the big-screen TV

There's a play room for kids. It's not a huge space, but children can run around, and there's a TV so they can relax comfortably. There's also a large TV in the middle of the restaurant so parents can keep an eye on the play room while eating. (Baby chairs are provided too.)

What did the whole meal cost?

Here's what we ordered. With the 5,000-won table setting fee, 4,000-won doenjang-jjigae, 6,000-won freshly made stone pot rice for 3, plus the meat, it came to 57,930 won. It's been a while since I saw a bill that ends in an odd number like this.

We finished off with ice cream for dessert. (The ice cream is takeout only.)

Who should eat at Geobugi Dongne Namcheon Branch?

• Anyone looking for a good pork belly restaurant in Namcheon-dong
• People who like aged meat
• Anyone who wants to try a variety of pork cuts
• Families looking for a place to eat out together
• Friends who want to eat meat and have a drink together
• Anyone in Namcheon-dong who wants an affordable place to eat pork