Daejeon Korean BBQ with no hanging hood, cast-iron lid: Jeonju House

Today I went to Jeonju House in Bongmyeong-dong, Daejeon, where you can grill domestic fresh pork belly and kimchi together on a huge cast-iron cauldron lid. My husband had eaten there before and told me it was delicious, saying we should go together sometime. This time I was passing through Bongmyeong-dong and stopped by.

Just watching the meat and kimchi sizzle together on the lid made my mouth water. From the generous side dishes to the doenjang jjigae and thick fresh pork belly, we had a hearty meal.

Where is Jeonju House? Parking and opening hours

▶36 Oncheon-ro 101beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 1st floor ▶Daily 09:00–22:20 (last order 21:20) ▶Closed Chuseok and the day before, Lunar New Year's Day and the day before

Jeonju House, a Yuseong favorite, sits at the far end near the back gate of Gyeryong Spatel in Bongmyeong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. It's about a 15-minute walk from Yuseong Oncheon Station. For parking, use the lot to the right of the entrance or the white parking lines around Gyeryong Spatel.

The onggi jars at the entrance, where Jeonju House makes its own kimchi

The first thing that caught my eye at the entrance was the sheer number of onggi (earthenware jars). This Yuseong Korean restaurant makes everything in-house, from kimchi to basic side dishes. That day I could actually watch them making kimchi at the jars and packing it into containers.

Inside Jeonju House: is it good for group gatherings?

Stepping inside, the interior felt more spacious than I expected. There were many tables with generous spacing between them, making it look suitable for family meals as well as group gatherings or work dinners.

There's also a private room on the second floor. Wooden decorations, potted plants, and vintage props scattered around gave the place a cozy feel. There was even a phone-charging spot near the entrance, handy to use during the meal.

Each table has a number tag — when it's time to pay, you just take the tag to the counter.

Jeonju House menu and prices

Jeonju House's signature dishes are the cast-iron lid fresh pork belly, cauldron galbi kimchi jjigae, and cauldron galbi kimchi jeongol (hot pot). The pork belly is ₩16,000 for a 150g serving, the galbi kimchi jjigae is ₩15,000 per person, and the galbi kimchi jeongol comes in three sizes: large ₩70,000, medium ₩60,000, small ₩45,000.

There are also extra menu items like kimchi jjageulyi, rolled egg, cauldron rice, scorched rice, and fried rice. Checking the origin label, the pork used for the belly and galbi was domestic, and the rice and cabbage were domestic too. Being able to see the ingredient origins for myself was reassuring.

The side dish spread at Jeonju House, and why the chive salad went fastest

Once we ordered, the basic side dishes started arriving one by one. There was salad, baek-kimchi (white kimchi), pickled onion, jangajji (pickles), mushrooms, and a range of other sides that pair well with pork belly. Lettuce, peppers, garlic, and ssamjang (dipping sauce) were also served generously.

The side dish I reached for most was the spicy lettuce-and-chive salad. The crunchy vegetables with a tangy, spicy kick cut through the richness of the pork belly nicely, whether eaten in a wrap or alongside the meat.

We ordered: Fresh pork belly, 2 servings Doenjang jjigae, ₩2,000 2 bowls of rice

After a bit, the fresh pork belly we'd been waiting for arrived. The slices weren't thin at all — thick cuts that looked even more appetizing once placed on the grill.

A ceiling vent instead of a long hood: what about smoke and smell?

What surprised me was that even with a lot of people grilling meat, the smoke and smell weren't strong at all. It turns out the smoke extraction system is built into the ceiling. At other barbecue places I've often had to talk around the long tube that hangs down over the grill, or found it awkward to grill because of it — but at this Yuseong favorite, we could chat comfortably while grilling.

On the big cast-iron lid, you can pile on as much meat and kimchi as you want without anything spilling over the edge. Since the pork belly slices weren't thin, they looked even more appetizing once laid out on the wide lid.

On the hot lid, the pork belly began to sizzle and brown. At most barbecue places, a long exhaust hood hangs down close to the grill, which can block your view when talking or get in the way while grilling.

At Jeonju House, there was no long hood hanging over the grill. At first I worried the smoke and smell might fill the room, but even after grilling, the interior never got smoky or smelled strong. It turns out the smoke extraction is installed in the ceiling.

With nothing blocking the grill, we could talk easily with the person across from us, and flipping or cutting the meat was much easier too. Even piling plenty of pork belly and kimchi onto the big cast-iron lid, nothing spilled out easily. The fat from the meat runs down the slope of the lid, and we placed kimchi right there to grill it in that fat.

Pork belly calls for grilled kimchi, haha ^^

How to eat it: salt, wasabi and grilled kimchi with the pork belly

We first tried the well-cooked pork belly with a bit of salt and wasabi on top (we asked for the wasabi separately). The salt brought out the meat's savoriness, and the wasabi's sharp kick cut through the richness nicely — a great combination.

It was also good on fresh lettuce with the chive salad and pork belly, or wrapped up generously with grilled kimchi, garlic, and ssamjang. Adding jangajji and pickled onion brought a tangy note for yet another combination.

But the best combination by far was the browned pork belly with grilled kimchi. The thick pork belly had a satisfying chew, and the kimchi, soaked in the meat's fat, tasted even richer.

Who will enjoy Jeonju House in Daejeon?

Jeonju House felt less like a flashy barbecue restaurant and more like a cozy spot where you can eat comfortably in a spacious room. Grilling domestic fresh pork belly and kimchi together on a big cast-iron lid made the meal both fun to watch and delicious to eat.

With a wide variety of side dishes and plenty of ingredients to pair with the meat, we never got tired of it, right to the end. Above all, the combination of thick pork belly and kimchi grilled on the cast-iron lid stuck with us. If you're looking for a place for a family meal or gathering in Bongmyeong-dong, or you're craving pork belly grilled on a big cast-iron lid, give it a visit.