Kid-friendly Gyeongju BBQ, kudzu cold noodles: Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae

I'd been craving ddeotgogi (pork neck meat) for a while and was looking around when I found Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae, located right in front of an apartment complex in Hyeongok, Gyeongju. People nearby said it's delicious and there's even a wait at dinnertime, so I went in with high expectations.

Where is Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae, and what are the hours and parking?

Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae sits in a commercial building across from Central Prugio in Hyeongok, Gyeongju. Hours are 16:40 - 23:00, last order at 21:30, closed on Mondays. If you park in the alley behind the restaurant, you won't get ticketed.

They told me parking enforcement stops after 6pm. Sure enough, there were cars parked right along the street in front of the restaurant. So if you're visiting after 6, you don't even need to go into the alley.

What's on the menu at Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae, and what is the room like?

One of the best things about Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae is the price — great value. These days pork belly runs ₩10,000 per 100g, so I was genuinely surprised looking at the menu here. A 500g ddeotgogi platter is ₩36,000, which felt very reasonable.

We started by ordering a ddeotgogi platter, then later added a pork belly platter too, mostly for the kids.

The interior has spacious, clean seating, and I appreciated that despite being a barbecue place, it didn't feel greasy or grimy inside.

The AI robot that pre-grills the pork at Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae

Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae has introduced AI robot technology to pre-grill the meat. Last summer, on a trip to Hadong, I saw a robot frying chicken at a fried chicken shop and thought about how these robots are being put to use in all kinds of settings — and seeing one pre-grill meat here was just as fascinating. The timing of the flips, done just right so nothing burns, was impressive.

When an order came in, the owner placed exactly the right amount of meat on the grill. Watching the robot freely flip and pre-grill the meat, I felt like it was easily doing the job of one or two people.

Which side dishes come free with the meat?

I was surprised the moment I pulled out the utensil holder — each set was arranged individually, which felt very clean. That kind of detail told me the staff have good hygiene standards. Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae, passed!!

All my favorite standard combinations showed up too.

• Chive salad with plenty of chives
• Salted hairtail intestines, great with pork
• House-made pickles
• Standard-issue king oyster mushroom
• Soybean powder, jjaran, curry powder, garlic

I was surprised to see jjaran, soybean powder, and curry powder all served together. Jjaran was oddly addictive — once I dipped the meat in it, I kept wanting more.

The chive salad, with chives, lettuce, and green onion mixed together, disappeared completely by the end.

Serving individual ssamjang (dipping sauce) plates per person — another point in their favor!!

The complimentary steamed egg custard was a little on the bland side, but nicely soft and fluffy — perfect for the kids to eat before the meat arrived.

Ddeotgogi platter: 500g for 36,000 won

Real charcoal came out, promising a great grill, and the ddeotgogi, already pre-grilled, arrived quickly. I liked that dishes came out fast — probably thanks to the robot doing the pre-grilling.

They put the salted hairtail intestines on the grill too, so we could quickly grill it and eat it alongside the ddeotgogi.

Adding whole pork belly and makchang made the spread even more generous.

Definitely dip your meat in the jjaran. Ordering by the full platter rather than small portions made Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae even better value. I'd recommend ordering by the platter.

Finishing with kudzu cold noodles

Both the plain cold noodles and the spicy mixed version looked good, but I went with the kudzu (chik) version, plain broth style!! The noodles were seasoned just right — sweet and tangy — without needing any extra sauce. Eat any leftover meat together with the noodles.

Home-grown vegetables, great value platter pricing, and a comfortable dining space — that was Ddeoggogi Ttaenggijae.