Korean BBQ date in Seomyeon with staff grilling: 189 Cheolsune

Now that the weather is getting cooler, don't you suddenly crave meat eaten outdoors? 🍂 This time I went for pork belly in Seomyeon with my boyfriend, and I want to introduce 189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal (189철수네맛김치삼겹살), where the combo of kimchi and pork belly was so appealing. You get the meat and the kimchi together, which is why it stuck in my memory! Let me walk you through it one by one ✦‿✦

189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal: location, hours and parking

189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal is at 45-8 Jungang-daero 680beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, on the 1st floor, in Seomyeon. It opens at 3 PM on weekdays and 11:30 AM on weekends, and stays open until 1 AM the next day. There's no parking.

• 📍 Location: 45-8 Jungang-daero 680beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan (1st floor)
• ⏱️ Hours: Mon–Fri 15:00 – 01:00 next day / Sat–Sun 11:30 – 01:00 next day
• Last order 00:30
• 🚗 Parking: not available
• 💳 Cards and mobile payment accepted
• 🏢 4-hour private booking available ("pyeong-in" basis)

Atmosphere at 189 Cheolsune in Seomyeon: good for gatherings and group dinners?

I liked that the inside is spacious. The tables felt nicely spaced out, so it looked fine for meeting up with friends or coming as a bigger group. If you're hunting for a place for a company dinner, I think this kind of big space is worth keeping in mind.

A street-tent feel by the big window

And here's the part I loved! This is exactly the season for that street-tent (yajang, outdoor-style drinking spot) vibe. We happened to sit by the side where the big window was open, and even though we were indoors it felt like eating meat outside. Enjoying pork belly in a cool, airy atmosphere with no stuffy feeling was a real plus.

What the couple ordered: 450g kimchi pork belly

My boyfriend and I ordered the 450g kimchi pork belly (2–3 people), a pork-packed doenjang stew and 2 bowls of rice. I already like pork belly with kimchi, but with the name literally meaning "tasty kimchi pork belly" I was curious how it would taste.

Before starting, I checked out the self-bar too. The kimchi pork belly we ordered is a set where you grill not just the meat but kimchi, mushrooms, rice cakes and more together. If you like grilling meat and kimchi side by side, you can look forward to this combination.

Does 189 Cheolsune grill the meat for you?

Yes! The pork belly comes out already partly grilled, and after that a staff member keeps grilling it right at your table. It was great not having to wait while grilling from scratch. And finally, the pork belly I'd been waiting for appeared!

The staff cut the meat into easy-to-eat pieces and lined them up, so it was easy to pick them up one by one. I also liked that instead of fussing over the grill I could chat with my boyfriend and just focus on eating.

The meat was lined up around the outer edge of the grill, with kimchi, mushrooms, rice cakes and so on grilled in the middle. Grilling things separately like this made it nice to enjoy the meat and the sides together.

A menu made with a master kimchi maker's kimchi

The owner also explained the menu to us: it's a collaboration with kimchi made by one of Korea's kimchi masters. Being able to taste a kimchi master's domestic kimchi together with pork belly is what makes 189 Cheolsune stand out.

After hearing that, the kimchi felt even more special, you know? I was curious what a menu where you grill kimchi along with the pork belly would be like, and once I actually ate it I understood why they go together.

How does the kimchi pork belly taste? Pork belly really is best with kimchi!

First bite: the golden-grilled pork belly! Rich, nutty pork belly with mushrooms and rice cakes alongside gave a different combination from eating just one ingredient.

And then the combo I was most looking forward to: kimchi with pork belly! Well-grilled pork belly with kimchi was really delicious. Personally, I feel something's missing when I eat meat without kimchi, so I was extra satisfied that kimchi is such a big part of this menu.

Putting meat and kimchi together on a lettuce leaf for a wrap was good too. Going from plain pork belly to kimchi and then to wraps gave me several ways to eat it. Above all, the meeting of a kimchi master's domestic kimchi and pork belly was impressive. Kimchi and pork belly already go well together, but here the combination itself is the centerpiece, and I liked that.

My boyfriend is eating away too! Coming to places like this, part of the fun is having delicious food in front of you and trying a bit of everything together. As we ate the meat, we naturally kept adding kimchi. If you usually like pork belly and kimchi, it's worth a visit at least once.

Pork-packed doenjang stew and rice, a must with meat

At 189 Cheolsune we finished the meal with the pork-packed doenjang stew and 2 bowls of rice. You have to eat rice with pork belly, right?

Adding doenjang stew and rice while eating meat makes the meal feel more filling. This time too, rather than just pork belly, we ordered rice and stew and wrapped up the meal with them. After enjoying the meat and kimchi combo you can finish with rice, so it works well as a full meal.

189 Cheolsune as a Seomyeon pork belly spot: who is it for?

What stuck with me from this visit to 189 Cheolsune was the spacious restaurant, the seats with a street-tent feel, and getting to enjoy a kimchi master's domestic kimchi with pork belly. I especially liked that the meat comes partly grilled and the staff keep grilling it for you, so we could eat comfortably.

I'd recommend it for gatherings with friends, for finding a spot for a company dinner, or when you want pork belly in Seomyeon with your boyfriend 🌟!!