Weekday lunch BBQ set and dog-friendly patio in Jongno: Meongseokjip

A Jongno 3-ga restaurant, an Ikseon-dong favorite — this is Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch, a pork belly spot that's perfect for a date around Jongno 3-ga.

Where is Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch, and what are its hours?

Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch is located at 7 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, open from 12:00 PM to 11:55 PM. It's a 4-minute walk from Exit 6 of Jongno 3-ga Station.

I visited 'Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch,' right in front of Jongno 3-ga Station. It's inside the Ikseon-dong hanok alley, so it's a great BBQ spot to grab a meal after wandering around!

Just look for the sign that says 'Meongseokjip' and walk in. I visited for lunch, and even at lunchtime there were quite a few customers. Being Ikseon-dong, there were lots of foreign visitors too — of course, it's Ikseon-dong!!!

Meongseokjip menu prices and the weekend 90-minute limit

The Meongseokjip menu has various cuts of meat besides the Meongseokjip set, and extra side dishes are self-serve. Salt and various banchan (side dishes) are prepared for you.

Here's the menu. Besides the Meongseokjip set, there are various cuts of meat. Extra side dishes are self-serve — salt and various banchan are prepared. The side dishes were arranged so neatly and tidily! They looked delicious just to look at ~!

A note! *On weekends, since it gets busy, dining time is limited to 1.5 hours*

What comes in the 55,000-won Meongseokjip set: two strips of pork belly and a chunk of pork neck

What I ordered at Meongseokjip was the 55,000-won Meongseokjip set along with soju (5,000 won), beer (6,000 won), and makgeolli (4,000 won). The owner set everything up quickly.

The basic side dishes came out first ~ then the main dish, the 'Meongseokjip set,' arrived. It's made up of thick pork belly and pork neck. The pork belly was thicker than I expected!

You can't have meat without kimchi, right? We grilled the kimchi on the pan and ate it together. Absolutely delicious, ㅠㅠ

And how good is grilled garlic? It came as whole garlic cloves, which made it even easier to grill. A piece of pork belly with whole garlic and kimchi all piled on top together! Adding that nutty flavor to the pork belly — success 🌟

The pork belly was thicker than at other places, and there was no gamey smell, so it was pleasant to eat. You get two long strips of pork belly and one chunk of pork neck.

Open-ceiling hanok interior: does the meat smell stick to you?

The interior of Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch is hanok-style with an open middle ceiling, so the air circulates well. That means even though it's a BBQ restaurant, you can eat cleanly without stinging eyes or lingering meat smell.

This is the interior. Doesn't it feel elegant yet calm and so pretty? Hard to believe this is a BBQ restaurant!!!!!! It's a hanok-style interior, and the reason Meongseokjip is great is that the middle ceiling is open, letting air circulate well.

Maybe because of that, even though it's a BBQ place, you can eat cleanly without stinging eyes or meat smell 👏🏻 It'd be especially great to visit on a nice-weather day. With the open-style ceiling, you can enjoy the weather while having lunch. Pork belly for lunch is great, and I think it'd also be lovely in the cool early evening.

Here, hahahaha, the open section in the middle.

This spot is prime real estate, so it fills up fast. Thanks to that, the ventilation was really, really good. Kudos to the owner's sense for that!

Evening patio seats at Meongseokjip: are dogs allowed?

When dinner time rolled around, Meongseokjip set up patio seating in front of the restaurant. It seems dogs are allowed at these patio seats if you have a carrier bag. When I went, there was actually a cute dog customer there too.

On a day with cool air ~ Meongseokjip was great for grilling meat cleanly even at lunch!

Who should visit Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch?

'Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch' is easy to access, right in front of Jongno 3-ga Station. Located in Ikseon-dong, it's a great place to grab meat after strolling around Ikseon-dong!

A clean, well-ventilated Ikseon-dong favorite for enjoying good BBQ in a nice atmosphere. With its clean, stylish vibe, it's great for a date or for bringing your parents along on an Ikseon-dong outing. There's also a lovely patio in the evening, so I recommend 'Meongseokjip Jongno 3-ga Branch' for a fun time in Ikseon-dong before winter arrives.