Sinsigaji Jeonju pork belly set with kimchi stew: Mongyudo

I had a sudden dinner appointment and was wondering where to go, when Mongyudo, a Jeonju Sinsigaji pork belly restaurant, immediately came to mind. Here's my review after filling up on the kimchi stew set — shall we take a look? 😊

• Address / 47 Hongsan-jungang-ro, 1F, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk, Mongyudo Sinsigaji Branch
• Hours / 16:00–24:00
• Open year-round including Lunar New Year and Chuseok / inquire for takeout and delivery
• Private parking lot available

Where is Mongyudo Sinsigaji Branch, and where do you park?

Mongyudo Sinsigaji Branch is on the first floor of the building next to Oilnae, right across from the Jeonbuk Provincial Government main gate, so some of you may have spotted it while passing by.

If it's your first visit, it's much easier to search the restaurant name in navigation before heading over.

If you're driving, you can use the building's underground lot and King Parking, and parking fee support is provided too.

After 6pm, parking is available in front of the restaurant on odd dates, and across the street on even dates.

Heading toward Majeonsup Park, there's also a bus stop, so it's convenient whether you're driving or using public transportation 📌

Inside and outside Mongyudo in Jeonju's Sinsigaji district

Mongyudo, the Jeonju Sinsigaji pork belly restaurant I visited that day, specializes in low-temperature aged pork.

It's also a homegrown Jeonju brand running just two locations — the main branch and the Sinsigaji branch — and both are located right in the middle of hotspot areas, making them great for both dates and travel itineraries.

True to the metaphorical meaning behind the name — 'enjoying the taste in a dream' — the place has an emotional, atmospheric interior. It's a well-known spot for drama and film shoots, so quite a few celebrities have stopped by too. I'm a big fan myself, so of course I found myself here again.

As soon as I stepped inside this Jeonju Sinsigaji restaurant, I was greeted just as warmly as before.

With high ceilings and a good ventilation system, the place never felt stuffy even when full of customers.

They even have baby chairs, making it popular for work dinners, alumni gatherings and family get-togethers. If you're coming in a group, I'd recommend booking ahead, and note that there's also one private room available, seating up to 8.

Mongyudo menu: what comes in each pork set

Now let me show you the menu at Mongyudo, this Jeonju Sinsigaji pork belly restaurant. The bone-in pork belly is a signature menu made by selecting and trimming the tastiest rib and belly cuts of pork. It's low-temperature aged so you can enjoy both parts at once.

Like the low-temperature aged pork belly, the first order starts from 2 servings, and among couples, the 'Mongyudo 2-person set' is especially popular. The 3–4 person set comes with 360g aged pork belly, 180g aged pork neck, 100g pork jowl, 100g pork rib meat, plus a choice of soybean paste rice or kimchi stew. I also liked that you can adjust the gram amounts of belly and neck.

You can pair your meal with sides like teokmokssal kimchi stew, soybean paste rice, water naengmyeon, cheese hot-pot fried rice, steamed egg, and nurungji, and the drink lineup includes soju, beer, Ilpum Jinro, highball, and wine. It's corkage free, and it's best to check directly with the restaurant for takeout and delivery availability for each menu item.

They're also running an event where writing 2 Naver receipt reviews gets you fried rice, and 1 review gets you a canned drink — worth joining if you're interested ✔️

The two-person set, teungmoksal kimchi stew and side dishes

That day, I ordered the 2-person set — Mongyudo's signature menu — along with soju and cola. The side dishes came out with a warm, nutty barley tea.

The lineup included lettuce salad, napa cabbage kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, pickled onion, and myeongi-namul (wild garlic leaves) — every one of them worth reaching for. There were also plenty of sauces to pair with the meat, including Maldon salt, wasabi, salted pollack roe, wholegrain mustard, salted shrimp, and ssamjang.

On top of that, there were a whopping three kinds of basic broths — dongchimi (watery radish kimchi), mukguksu jelly soup, and sirutguk (dried radish green soup) — to refresh the palate, which only raised my satisfaction.

The teokmokssal kimchi stew included in the set arrived beautifully in an earthenware pot.

Taking a spoonful, the broth was impressively spicy yet refreshing in just the right balance.

With soft tofu, well-cooked kimchi, onion, and generous chunks of pork neck, it was fun picking through the ingredients too.

Aged pork belly grilled through by Mongyudo's staff

Before long, the pork belly of this Jeonju Sinsigaji restaurant arrived.

It came pre-seared, and staff grilled it from start to finish, so all I had to do was sit back comfortably and wait.

Placed on a hot cast-iron pan to maximize the Maillard reaction, the finished meat was set on a tray for us, letting us enjoy it at our own pace.

The first bite of pork belly, dipped simply in salt, had a properly savory, deep flavor.

The thick-cut pork neck was juicy and had a texture like biting into steak, and pairing it with salted pollack roe and wasabi was a fantastic combination.

The chewy garae-tteok (rice cake sticks), mushrooms, and grilled garlic were also standouts, and if you need lettuce wraps, you just need to ask separately.

I asked them to boil the kimchi stew once more, then added a bowl of rice and mixed it all together to finish.

Is Mongyudo worth it for a dinner in Jeonju?

I finished the meal feeling refreshed right to the end at Mongyudo, this Jeonju Sinsigaji pork belly restaurant, and I think I'll keep coming back 🐷