Seoul Korean BBQ date in Jongno 3-ga, 100-min wait cut to 20: Cham

Today's story is from Jongno, not Paju! I met my husband after work on a weekday evening for a rare date, just the two of us. We were wondering what to have for dinner when we heard about a place famous for pork belly in Jongno 3-ga, so we headed straight there. That place is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점). Short version: the wait was totally worth it.

Where is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is at 1-89 Picadilly CGV 1F, 1 Donhwamun-ro 5ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, a 1-minute walk from Exits 2 and 2-1 of Jongno 3-ga Station. It is open Monday to Saturday 11:30–23:30 and Sunday 11:30–22:30.

• Address: 1-89 Picadilly CGV 1F, 1 Donhwamun-ro 5ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:30–23:30 / Sun 11:30–22:30
• Getting there: 1-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station, Exits 2 and 2-1
• Parking: no dedicated spaces
• Group seating: reservations for up to 16 people
• Waiting: you can join the waitlist on Catchtable

It's on the ground floor of the CGV building, so there's no way to get lost. It's also a 2–3 minute walk from Ikseon-dong, which makes planning your route easy. There's no dedicated parking though, so if you're driving, know that in advance. We both came by subway.

How long was the weekday dinner wait?

When we arrived around 7pm on a weekday, there were four teams ahead of us and Catchtable showed a 100-minute wait. But we actually got in after about 20 minutes.

When I saw "100 minutes" I thought, ugh... really? But we looked over the menu in the waiting area by the door and chatted with each other, and we were in after about 20 minutes. The estimate seems to be padded generously. If you were about to walk away after seeing 100 minutes, put your name down and wait a bit. You might get in quickly like we did.

What is the atmosphere inside Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch?

Inside Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch there are a lot of tourists, so it's pretty lively and loud. But once you sit down, the side dishes and aprons are already set out, so you just order.

You hear foreign languages from every direction, but that's just the feel of a BBQ place in the middle of Jongno, so I didn't mind, haha. If you want a quiet conversation, though, keep in mind that it's noisy. I was a little surprised when we sat down: the side dishes and aprons were all set up already. You just sit and order, so it put me in a good mood from the start. Little things like that matter more than you'd think.

Cham Dwaejitgan menu and prices

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch sells two kinds of pork, Jirisan black pork and Boseong green tea pork, in 150g portions for ₩16,000–₩19,000. You order on the tablet at the table.

Jirisan black pork

• Black pork belly (oggyeopsal) ₩19,000 (150g)
• Black pork neck (moksal) ₩18,000 (150g)

Boseong green tea pork

• Boseong pork belly (samgyeopsal) ₩16,000 (150g)
• Boseong flower neck (kkotmoksal) ₩16,000 (150g)
• Boseong cheongyeopsal (pork jowl, hangjeongsal) ₩19,000 (150g)
• Boseong gabrisal (pork collar) ₩19,000 (150g)

Side dishes

• Kimchi stew ₩7,000
• Doenjang (soybean paste) stew ₩6,000
• Fried rice ₩3,000
• Soy sauce egg rice ₩3,900
• Steamed egg ₩5,000
• Bowl of rice ₩1,000
• Jirisan kudzu cold noodles (mul naengmyeon) ₩7,000
• Jirisan kudzu spicy cold noodles (bibim naengmyeon) ₩7,000

Extra orders

• Minari (water dropwort) ₩5,000
• Sliced potato ₩2,000
• King oyster mushroom ₩2,000

The table order has photos and descriptions for everything, so it's easy to choose even on a first visit. It said they only use Jirisan black pork and grade-1 Boseong pork raised on green tea, and it also explained that the meat is smoked with rice husks and grilled over oak charcoal. The grill is a handmade one that doesn't splatter oil, so I worried less about ruining my clothes.

What are the sauces and side dishes, and are refills free?

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch gives you a lot of sauces: ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), garlic, salt, shiitake wasabi sauce, fresh wasabi and a spicy sauce. The sides were minari, kimchi, bean sprouts, scallion salad, wrap vegetables, cabbage salad and pickled garlic scapes. Except for the minari, you can keep refilling at the self-serve bar.

How was the black pork belly for two, plus extra pork neck?

That day we first ordered 2 portions of black pork belly, a doenjang stew and drinks. A staff member grilled the meat from start to finish, so I never once had to pick up the tongs.

A supplement drink arrived along with the soju! The owner's thoughtfulness is the best!!

Having the staff grill for us was really convenient. I'd be talking with my husband, say "oh, it's done," and it was already on my plate, haha. They watch the timing for you, so there was no worry about burning and the meat was evenly cooked. When you grill at home, one or two pieces always turn pitch black, right? Is it just me?

Also, my favorite was the minari. It gets grilled in the meat fat, the aroma shoots up, and it cuts all the greasiness. I was a bit sad that only the minari isn't refillable T_T I wanted one more round.

After finishing, we ordered extra pork neck, hehe.

Is the closing fried rice a must?

We finished with fried rice at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch, which we got through a Naver review event. It was the real dark horse of the night. It soaked up leftover meat fat and kimchi, so it was nutty with a solid savory depth. Even though I kept saying I was full, my spoon kept going, haha. Don't just get up after the meat.

What is at the self-serve bar?

Besides side dish refills, the self-serve bar at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch has phone chargers, hair ties, disposable aprons and plastic bags for storing your clothes.

There's also mouthwash, toothpicks and candy for after the meal. They really cover the small details.

What time should you go for a shorter wait?

On weekdays, the queue seemed to start forming from around 6pm, since there were four teams ahead of us. If you're coming for a company dinner or a group gathering, it's better to go a bit early. Or you can put your name down on Catchtable first and stroll around the neighborhood.

Wrapping up

The meat quality at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch was good, but what I remember more is that the staff grill everything and the setup has no gaps. There's a wait, but you may get in much faster than the quoted time, so don't be scared off. If you're looking for pork belly in Jongno 3-ga, it's worth a visit.