Gwangju BBQ with free 2-hour parking and a black pork skin set: Jeju

Where is Jeju Oktop, Gwangju Gyeongan Branch, and where do you park?

The black pork BBQ restaurant I visited this time, Jeju Oktop, is located at Yeok-dong 25-21 in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. Maybe because it's close to the busy Gyeongan-dong area, the branch is called "Gwangju Gyeongan Branch." Parking is free for 2 hours, which was plenty. Most restaurants around the Gyeongan-dong area don't offer parking support, but here the parking spaces are well set up and free for 2 hours... so there was no hassle at all. Loved that.

The dol hareubang (stone grandfather statue) model at the entrance really gives off Jeju vibes hahaha.

Once inside, the walls were also full of celebrity autographs.

The interior also had a great Jeju-style atmosphere. There are stone walls, tangerine tree decorations, dol hareubang statues, and more.

Book on Naver and the table and side dishes are set before you sit down

Since I booked through Naver Reservation, the table was already set up like this when I arrived. There's quite a wide variety of dishes! Pretty much everything you'd want to pair with the meat is already there.

Look at these small plates... aren't the flat stone-shaped plates just so cute haha. About 3 kinds of dipping powders were already sprinkled on.

Wet-aged and dry-aged black pork

After ordering, I looked around and spotted the meat aging in progress. I had already looked up beforehand that they go through both wet-aging and dry-aging processes to maximize moisture and flavor, but seeing it in person made me even more excited.

What comes in the Signature BBQ A couple set (for 2–3)

We ordered the couple set consisting of original black pork belly 330–350g + black pork belly 150g + black pork skin 150g + grilled vegetables!

Look at this cute mini dol hareubang placed on the plate..!! It's even wearing a warm fur hat

Staff grill the black pork from start to finish

Since staff grilled everything from start to finish, all I had to do was sit back and eat, which was really convenient. Apparently the staff here get regular grilling training, so they grill with skilled hands.

Just looking at that juicy visual, it seems like it was grilled really well — but how would it actually taste...

First they gave us a piece and asked how the doneness was. Filled with anticipation, I took a bite, and... it was truly... delicious..... Really nutty and moist with a chewy texture, I gave an instant thumbs up hahahaha.

Bone-in black pork belly and the 17 sauces and powders

Once I said the doneness was just right, they set the fully grilled meat together with the grilled vegetables like this.

It's quite fun trying each of the various dipping sauces and powders one by one. There are 17 kinds in total.

I dipped it fully into the fermented anchovy sauce, ate it with garlic and mountain garlic dipped in sauce, ate it with kimchi, and more! I enjoyed it in all sorts of combinations.

The grilled kimchi was so good I asked for more. It was totally my style of kimchi. Just the right level of sourness made it taste the best when grilled.

Since it's the original pork belly, they cut off and grill the bones separately like this. I savored it thoroughly as the final feast. There's a certain joy in gnawing meat off the bone! You know the meat closest to the bone always tastes best.

There was also a variety of grilled vegetables — zucchini, mushrooms, bracken fern, and more... The staff grilled even the vegetables perfectly.

Thick black pork skin scored like a honeycomb to finish

Now it's time for the pork skin. They pressed it down firmly with something like a metal plate and grilled it thoroughly.

That thick, honeycomb-like visual... it's making me drool.

It's chewy on the outside while the inside has a soft texture bursting with juices. The thickness also gave it a better chew. A great way to finish the meal...

Register your receipt to earn points

Since it's a return X partner store, apparently you earn points when you register your receipt. I couldn't miss a perk like that, so I took a photo right away.

Is Jeju Oktop in Gwangju worth it?

The staff were all incredibly kind, the interior and lighting made for a great atmosphere, and above all, the pork belly was seriously delicious!! The quality of the meat itself seemed great, and being grilled so skillfully made it taste even better. This might be the best samgyeopsal I've had in a while... Recommended!