Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ: picnic-bag cutlery, arrive before 6pm, Tapgol

Where is Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch?

Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch (탑골공원 종로3가점) is a frozen pork belly (naengsam) outdoor-seating BBQ spot on Jongno 3-ga's pocha (street tent bar) strip, by the east gate of Tapgol Park, the meeting place everyone thinks of when they think of Jongno. The weather has turned really chilly lately~ I was wandering the pocha street near Jongno 3-ga and wanted to properly enjoy outdoor dining before it got any colder, so I dropped by Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch.

This Jongno 3-ga frozen pork belly spot already has a full year-end mood 🎄 It's a place where you can really enjoy outdoor dining season, and since it's right on the Tapgol Park pocha street, if you're looking for outdoor frozen pork belly, this is the place‼️ I can't believe 2026 is almost over, time flies, right? 👀 It's exactly the right season for outdoor dining now. We'd better hurry, hurry!

What is the outdoor atmosphere like?

What I liked at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch is that it feels like camping or a picnic. Outdoor-dining vibes as standard, plus a camping picnic as a bonus 🧺 They set out spoons, chopsticks and cups from a picnic bag, and then I'll go right into ordering~

Menu and prices

The menu at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch is split into flash-frozen meats and sides like stews and fried rice.

Meat

• Tapgol Set ₩55,000
• Frozen pork belly ₩18,000
• Frozen pork neck ₩19,000
• Frozen duck roast ₩18,000

Sides

• Kimchi fried rice ₩6,000
• Brisket doenjang (soybean paste) stew ₩7,000
• Pork kimchi stew ₩9,000
• Steamed egg ₩5,000

Frozen pork belly for 2 and the basket of side dishes

At Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch I ordered 2 servings of frozen pork belly and a brisket doenjang stew. As soon as I ordered, they laid out a generous spread too! 🥬 They brought a basket of side dishes first: kimchi, bean sprouts, spring onion kimchi, bracken, chili peppers, garlic, salted squid, wasabi, ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste) and more!

The frozen pork belly I ordered had a nice balance of light pink meat and fat layers. It had been a while since I'd had outdoor dining plus frozen pork belly, so I was 100% excited.

Which side dishes are good grilled with the frozen pork belly?

At Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch, I recommend grilling the bracken, bean sprouts and kimchi together with the frozen pork belly. This is a must.. grilling memo ✏️

As expected, the frozen pork belly I ordered was nutty and delicious! It goes well with grilled kimchi, bracken and bean sprouts, but wrapped in leafy greens it's twice as filling! This is why we can't give up the outdoor dining plus frozen pork belly combo, right?

Doenjang stew or kimchi stew with frozen pork belly?

For the soup at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch, I picked the brisket doenjang stew (₩7,000). You can't go without a soup, so I ordered the doenjang stew 👍 There was kimchi stew too, but since we'd be eating it with pork belly, I went with the savory doenjang one, and it was an excellent choice. Plenty of ingredients and the tofu was tasty too, so good, so good 👏

Lettuce and side dish refills are at the self-bar

At Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch, side dish refills and lettuce 🥬🥬🥬 are self-serve at the self-bar at the back of the shop. Wraps are a must for me when eating meat, but lettuce doesn't come with the basic side dishes, so be sure to grab some from the self-bar if you need it.

What time should you arrive to avoid the wait?

A line forms at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch after 6pm, so I recommend visiting before then 👍 True to its status as the holy land of Korean outdoor dining, around 6pm they set up one more row of tables~ (((and those filled up quickly too..)))