Yeongdeungpo Seoul Korean BBQ where staff grill thick pork neck for you: Dongnaejeong

Getting to Dongnaejeong from Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station, and parking

From Exit 5 of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station, walk 100 m straight toward Woori Bank and A Twosome Place, turn right, and go just 40 m more — you'll spot the Dongnaejeong Baektan Jikhwa (white charcoal direct-fire) sign. If you're driving, use the Dangsan Neighborhood Park public parking lot nearby and it's an easy walk to the restaurant.

Meat grilled by staff from start to finish

No matter how good the meat, mess up the heat or miss the timing and the juices run out and it turns dry. So I went to Dongnaejeong (동래정), a Korean BBQ spot near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office that has a reputation for skilled staff who carefully grill everything for you from beginning to end.

It's popular enough that there's always a wait after work hours or on weekend evenings, so I went in with high expectations. On the weekend the queue seemed to build up from about six.

Dongnaejeong menu and prices

• Fresh cuts: jeong-gabri (pork jowl), Dongnae pork neck, 1+ whole pork belly, pork skirt (migalmaegi) — ₩17,000 each
• Marinated cuts: beef brisket (chadolbagi) ₩15,000
• Sides: Jeju Sanbang cold mil-myeon (wheat noodles) and Jeju Sanbang spicy mixed mil-myeon ₩8,500 each; brisket doenjang (soybean paste) stew and zucchini gochujang stew ₩8,000 each
• Extras: Jeongseon deodeok (mountain root) salad ₩7,000; steamed egg ₩5,000; rice-cake wraps ₩4,000; sushi rice / braised anchovies refill ₩3,000 each; extra mushrooms / bowl of rice ₩1,000 each

Side dishes and the braised anchovy combo

You get white kimchi, mustard-leaf kimchi, seasoned dried radish and pickles, along with fresh wasabi, shiitake-wasabi sauce, salt and ssamjang (dipping paste). There are lots of banchan (side dishes) and all of them are tasty, so you can mix and match with the meat however you like and never get tired of it right to the end.

There was even a guide on how to eat it best. The meljorim (braised anchovy) bibimbap caught my eye. They'll stir-fry it for you on request.

The signature meljorim comes free in a ttukbaegi (earthenware pot). It's barely fishy at all, spicy yet deeply savory, and worked really well as a sauce for dipping the meat.

Pork neck, pork belly, cold mil-myeon and steamed egg

They're currently running an event where you get a fabric perfume for posting a Naver receipt photo review. We ordered 2 servings of pork neck, 1 serving of pork belly, steamed egg and cold mil-myeon.

Here's the 2 servings of pork neck. It's a thick whole cut, so it can only be ordered from 2 servings up.

We got the cold mil-myeon with a Naver coupon. Refreshing, with chewy noodles — highly recommend as a side!! Generous portion and spicy enough to go great with the meat.

The steamed egg was soft and nutty, totally my thing 🤤🤤 The sides come out quickly too, so they're easy to pair with the meat.

A relaxed dinner of thick-cut pork

The cuts are seriously thick, but the staff grill them to just the right doneness from start to finish and cut them into bite-sized pieces, so it's effortless. Not tough at all — moist and full of juice.

Right as we were finishing the pork neck, they had the pork belly grilled and ready — perfect timing. The belly was thick too, with a great chew. They also grill whole garlic, shishito peppers and mushrooms for you.

The sides and the meat were so perfect that I keep thinking about this place! Planning to go back soon haha. Since there's no hassle of grilling and you can just relax and focus on the conversation, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a hearty dinner date or work gathering spot near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office.