Nowon date-night Korean BBQ with truffle pollack roe: Moksam Hwaro

Why look for a Korean BBQ spot near Nowon Station that grills for you?

Moksam Hwaro Nowon Main Branch is a pork neck and pork belly specialty restaurant just a 3-minute walk from Nowon Station Exit 1. I was craving meat for a date-night dinner, but honestly, whenever I'm the one flipping the meat and breathing in smoke, the conversation tends to die. So I went looking for a Korean BBQ place where the staff grills for you, and near Nowon Station, I found exactly that: Moksam Hwaro Nowon Main Branch!

Finding Moksam Hwaro: the exterior, 3 minutes from Nowon Station

Moksam Hwaro is about a 3-minute walk from Nowon Station Exit 1, or about 16 minutes from Sangye Station Exit 3. I was hanging out on Culture Street on a date and wandered over.

Inside Moksam Hwaro: group seating and restrooms

The interior is clean overall, and the tables are spaced generously so you can sit comfortably. It fits anywhere from 2 to 32 people, which makes it great for group dinners or family outings too.

I always say this, but when you're drinking, having to use an outside restroom is such a hassle — Moksam Hwaro has its own restroom inside.

Moksam Hwaro says it's a pork neck and pork belly specialty restaurant opened in the founders' hometown by a team that spent 10 years focused solely on researching pork neck. They've thought hard about everything — the quality of the raw meat, the amount of charcoal, the distance between the charcoal and the grill — to figure out how to make the tastiest meat possible. Since the meat itself matters more than anything else, they say they partner with a meat processing company to source specially selected, tender pork neck and pork belly.

If you leave a Naver receipt review, they'll give you a free serving of pork skin — definitely try it. So chewy!

The Moksam Hwaro menu and what the writer ordered

I went back and forth between pork belly and pork neck, and ended up choosing pork neck. Pork belly has a fair amount of fat, so unless you really can't stomach fatty meat, it's usually a safe, tasty choice. Pork neck, on the other hand, is leaner, so if it's not grilled properly, it can turn out dry or feel less satisfying than pork belly.

So I was curious how a place with this much passion for meat would handle pork neck. I ordered two servings of premium pork neck, bibim naengmyeon, and cheese fried rice.

Moksam Hwaro also serves wine and highballs. There's wine by the glass too, which would have been nice to pair with the meal, but I had somewhere to be afterward so I skipped it — next time I'll definitely add a glass.

Side dishes and the signature truffle oil pollack roe sauce

These are the basic side dishes. I was thrilled to see myeong-i namul (wild garlic leaves), plus the signature truffle oil pollack roe sauce, and — surprisingly — breadcrumbs and pork cutlet sauce, which I was told gives the pork neck a juicy, tonkatsu-like feel when you dip it in.

I loved that steamed egg came included as a default side.

Staff grilling at Moksam Hwaro, from the first sear to the last piece

When you order meat at Moksam Hwaro, the staff does the initial sear like this — and it doesn't stop there, they keep grilling until the very end, which made things so much easier.

Whenever you have to grill your own meat, the conversation tends to stop because someone's focused on the grill, and that person often barely gets to eat. At Moksam Hwaro, though, the staff grills everything perfectly from the first sear to the last piece, so it was easy to eat and full of juicy flavor.

Since the conversation never stopped, it was great for a date, and it would work well for a company dinner too. When someone can't grill well at a company dinner, it's stressful for them and everyone else feels awkward watching... haha. Junior staff, this is the spot for you! I'd recommend it as a company dinner location.

Once everything's grilled, they transfer it to your plate like this. Lol. They recommended trying the first bite with Maldon salt, so I did — and sure enough, simple is best, it was delicious.

I also ate some wrapped in myeong-i namul, and tried it with both the signature truffle oil pollack roe sauce and the breadcrumb-tonkatsu sauce — and since the truffle oil pollack roe really is the house signature, it had a special flavor. The umami of the pollack roe combined with the truffle oil was great.

Bibim naengmyeon and griddle fried rice to finish

Meat and bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) are a match made in heaven, so this was a must.

The Korean dessert of choice: I also ordered cheese fried rice. It had meat mixed in too, and made for a filling, tasty way to finish the meal.

Is Moksam Hwaro worth it for a date or company dinner in Nowon?

You could really feel the pride Moksam Hwaro takes in its meat — the pork neck was juicy and delicious. The various sauces served alongside it also paired well with the meat, and eating through them, I could tell a lot of thought had gone into researching what pairs best with the meat.

I also liked how the staff kept checking in at the table to see if we needed anything. I'd finished all my myeong-i namul, and a staff member asked first, "Would you like more myeong-i namul?" — which I really appreciated. Myeong-i namul is actually a bit pricey, so I wanted more but wasn't going to ask. Lol.

They handled the initial sear separately and kept grilling at the table until the very end, so eating was completely stress-free. Having them anticipate what we needed made the whole experience feel like being taken care of.

With free corkage and both house wine and wine by the glass available, this is a great spot for a date if you're already out sightseeing on Culture Street like I was, and it also works well as a company dinner spot in Nowon (junior staff who struggle with grilling, this is the place!) or for a meal with your parents.