Bucheon Korean BBQ restaurant for pork special cuts: Dwaeji Gongbang

Dwaeji Gongbang in Okgil-dong's dining alley

This is Dwaeji Gongbang, a great meat spot in Okgil-dong, Bucheon. You can have Iberico pork neck and special cuts of Korean pork here, and it is also a nice place to visit with kids.

There was parking right in front of the restaurant, and it was easy to find since it is in the dining alley!

Tables and separate seating that work for groups

This is the atmosphere inside! The central hall has lots of round tables, and when a larger group visits, they attach spare tables alongside them so you can use a wider table!

There was also separate seating in a tucked-away area that felt private. It seems well suited to group gatherings or company dinners, too!

Ordering four cuts with the assorted half platter

Here is Dwaeji Gongbang's menu. It is known for Iberico Black Label and special cuts of Korean pork! There are many pork cuts to choose from, and you can have them as an assortment, too!

Ordering is done at the table, which is convenient! Since it was my first visit, I ordered the assorted half platter. It is a portion suitable for two or three people, and lets you try several cuts!!!

Seeing the aging refrigerator inside made me even more excited... You can kind of tell just from the color of the meat, right?

Complimentary sundubu-jjigae and a self-serve bar

These were the banchan (Korean side dishes) that came out first. The myeongi leaves, seasoned chives, pickles, white kimchi, and more were all neatly served, and each person got their own sauce dish. There was salt, wasabi, and ssamjang. Such a good touch.

And the sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) comes free!! It was seriously so good. With soft tofu and egg, it had the kind of flavor that lets you finish a whole bowl of rice with just this.

You can get more side dishes from the self-serve bar if you need them! There are all kinds of banchan and sauces, ssam vegetables, and peppers.

Tongs, scissors, and dishes were also ready at the self-serve bar, so it was super convenient!!

Grilling the assorted platter over high heat

A staff member comes over to light the grill. The charcoal caught right away, so the heat got strong in no time.

You can ask the staff to adjust the heat! Since it is so strong, their help is needed, hahaha. I liked that it did not feel frustratingly slow!

Once the fire was lit, out came the assorted half platter! You get to try four cuts: pork neck, gabri-sal (pork shoulder cap), intercostal meat, and kkodeul-sal (chewy pork neck meat). At 500g total, it is suitable for two or three people!

They said the grilling order did not matter, so we started with the pork neck and gabri-sal. They told us to eat the pork neck when it was about 70–80% cooked, because overcooking it makes it less tasty!

They told us to grill king oyster mushrooms, white kimchi, and shishito peppers on the grill, too! The garlic in sesame oil and galchi sokjeot, a salted hairtail innards sauce, should also go on the grill and bubble away.

The meat was cooking up beautifully... The heat was great and the meat quality was good, so it cooked quickly!

Put the cooked meat on the wire rack over the grill and you can keep eating it warm!!

Four pairings that worked beautifully with the pork

• Dip it in the galchi sokjeot sauce on the grill
• Eat it with grilled white kimchi
• Eat it with pickled shredded peppers
• Eat it with pickled shredded garlic stems

First, the pickled shredded peppers... These were so good? They let you eat endless meat without any heaviness!!!!! The soy sauce itself was tasty, but the flavor of the peppers was the real kick.

It was also good wrapped in myeongi leaves. The sauce on the myeongi leaves was tasty, too. I think they got the seasoning exactly right. It was neither too salty nor bland—just right with meat!

A wrap with grilled white kimchi was delicious, too. I sound like someone who can only say “delicious,” but it really was. They said it was rinsed kimchi, and it seriously, seriously refreshed the palate. It had an aged-kimchi-like flavor but no seasoning, so you do not get tired of it!!!

My favorite: intercostal meat and the special kkodeul-sal

These are the intercostal meat and kkodeul-sal we grilled later. Intercostal meat was most my style. Honestly, everything was tasty, but it had just the right amount of texture while the meaty flavor still came through—totally my taste. If I had had more room in my stomach, I would have ordered another serving of intercostal meat....

And kkodeul-sal seems to be this place's specialty. I had been looking forward to it before going, and just as expected!!!!! True to its name, it was wonderfully chewy and so tasty... They said it is pork from the back of the neck, and that springy texture is such a treat. It feels like the drinks would keep flowing if you had it as an anju (drinking snack), hahaha.

Beef brisket doenjang-jjigae and services for kids

For the last dish, we ordered the beef brisket doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew). It was ₩9,000 and included a bowl of rice!! There were several pieces of beef brisket in it, not tiny scraps, and it was so good......... It was seriously packed with ingredients.

Dwaeji Gongbang also provides baby rice with seaweed flakes and kids' coloring activities for free. The thoughtful touch stood out so much that even I, someone without kids, was moved.... I think visitors with children could come without worry!

If you are looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant in Bucheon, I recommend Dwaeji Gongbang for special cuts of Korean pork!