24-hour Korean BBQ near Cheolsan Station, Gwangmyeong: Snug Roastery

Found a Korean BBQ spot near Cheolsan Station where staff grill the meat for you. The meat is genuinely delicious, and being open 24 hours is just insane,,

On a day my boyfriend and I got off work together, we figured we'd eat out for once before heading home. I was craving pork belly, so I looked up good samgyeopsal spots near Cheolsan Station. Since I was tired, I specifically looked for a place where staff grill it for you, and I'd always noticed crowds outside Snug Roastery whenever I passed by, so we decided to finally check it out.

Snug Roastery hours, location and parking

Snug Roastery is a Korean BBQ restaurant on the 1st floor of 16-10 Oriro 854beon-gil, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, 200m from Exit 1 of Cheolsan Station. It's also close to Exit 2, and since it's open 24 hours year-round, there's no pressure about coming late.

• Hours: posted as 08:00-22:00 (regular overnight closure: every Tuesday from 2am to 2pm)
• Break time: Mon/Wed/Thu 10am-12pm (2 hours)
• Location: 1F, 16-10 Oriro 854beon-gil, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do
• Parking: no on-site parking, you'll need to use a nearby public lot ㅜㅜ Cheolsan Commercial District public parking lot charges ₩800 for the first 30 minutes and ₩300 per additional 10 minutes (we parked there too)

What makes Snug Roastery a 24-hour Korean BBQ worth knowing

• Located on the hot street near Cheolsan Station
• Open 24 hours year-round (with a Tuesday overnight closure)
• Meat grilled directly over top-grade charcoal
• Uses aged meat for tenderness
• Wide variety of side dishes
• Group visits possible (reservation required)
• Table reservations not available during weekend peak hours (6-9pm)
• Restrooms located inside
• Free corkage
• Local currency accepted

The exterior, the waiting area and current service events

Snug Roastery is in the Cheolsan commercial district, close to both Exit 1 and Exit 2 of Cheolsan Station, and it's right by Gwangmyeong Police Station!

A 24-hour Korean BBQ place near Cheolsan Station... Snug Roastery. This is the first 24-hour BBQ place I've ever seen....! There's a waiting area right in front of the restaurant. It might get hot in summer, but it's cool enough right now to sit and wait comfortably.

Just a note - if you visit before 6pm, you get a free jjigae or makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles)!!! There's also an event going on where you get free steamed egg for writing a Naver receipt review.

What Snug Roastery feels like at 8pm, and the small tables between the round ones

We visited around 8pm, pretty late in the evening, and it was still quite busy. I guess being open 24 hours takes the pressure off timing.. The interior was really clean. The tables were spaced pretty far apart, so it felt comfortable (too cramped and it just gets noisy and chaotic..). The tables are round, and I think there were around 9 or 10 of them.

Here's something I thought was really clever about Snug Roastery..! With round tables, it gets a bit awkward when there are several people... but they have these small side tables that fit in between..! I'd never seen anything like this before, so it was neat. At most restaurants with round tables, larger groups have to split up, but at Snug Roastery everyone can sit together. It seemed like a lot of groups already use it this way, and with service like this it'd be great for a work dinner or gathering too? Recommend it as a group dinner spot~

Since we were visiting in the evening, we made a Naver reservation ahead of time just in case. We showed up right on time and the table was already set!!

The tissues and scissors/tongs holder that come standard on the table. + Disposable aprons are hung on the wall near the self-serve bar.

Side dishes, five house sauces and the self-serve bar

One thing I loved was how varied the basic side dishes were! We had five different sauces to dip into - special soy sauce, ssamjang, salt, wasabi, and myeoljeot (fermented anchovy sauce). The side dish spread was solid too - kimchi with sesame oil ready for grilling, garlic, sliced scallions, and lettuce haha.

Snug Roastery's self-serve bar was near the kitchen, and it had everything that came as basic side dishes. Peppers aren't included as standard, so if you want some, you grab them from the self-serve bar yourself. Myeoljeot and small plates were also there, and although it's not in the photo, wet wipes were there too.

The menu and our order: pork belly for two plus two sides

Snug Roastery's menu was simple. It's all on one page, but it felt like all the essentials were there. We considered ordering various cuts of meat, but ended up just going with pork belly for two. We also ordered beef brisket doenjang jjigae and kimchi fried rice on a hot plate from the sides haha. Plus one bottle of soju and one drink to round it out.

Kimchi fried rice on a hot plate

The kimchi fried rice on the hot plate came out before the pork belly, and it was a bit spicy, which made it even more delicious. The seasoning was salty enough that it didn't even need seaweed flakes on top!

I think we ordered well, it was delicious! Coming out on a hot plate made it even better, but it's super hot right when it arrives, so be careful.

Pork belly for two: 180g per serving, thick-cut and charcoal-grilled

After a bit of a wait, the pork belly arrived..! This is two servings, 180g per serving, so even though it's thick, it looked like a decent amount. Already passed the test with the charcoal grilling alone haha.

The staff grill the meat themselves.. I don't think I can go back to places where you grill it yourself now.... I'm not great at grilling meat to begin with, and there's definitely a difference between what I grill and what they grill for us...

The pork belly looked insane, right? I now understand why Snug Roastery is famous for its pork belly and pork shoulder.. Snug Roastery apparently uses aged meat, which is why it's so tender (so that was the secret to the flavor).

The grilling service at Snug Roastery.. it looks amazing and it was genuinely cooking to a perfect golden brown.. I guess cutting it thick is what keeps the juices locked in for extra flavor!

The staff came by periodically to check and keep grilling, so all we had to do was sit back and wait... So convenient!!!! They really grilled it perfectly. Oh, and they also added myeoljeot, kimchi, mushrooms, and cheongyang pepper on the grill too.

Slowly turning golden brown........... I got legit lightheaded waiting. At this point I was starving ㅎ

Since it's real charcoal, the heat was intense, so it didn't take long to cook! Grilled at high heat over charcoal, the outside gets crispy while the inside stays moist, and apparently that's what locks in the juices..!

The perfectly grilled pork belly got moved off to the side...! Because they grill it just right without letting the juices escape, the pork belly never dries out or burns, so all we had to do was enjoy it!!! The kimchi was cooked perfectly too....

The house soy-scallion sauce and myeoljeot

First I tried dipping it in Snug Roastery's special soy-scallion sauce. It wasn't too salty or intense, and it's delicious with a generous pile of scallions wrapped in!

With such a variety of side dishes, there are so many ways to eat it. Now I get why they cut it so thick.. the juiciness was seriously incredible ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I found myself wondering if pork belly was always this tender and juicy - the burst of juice when you bite into it is insane, and it's so soft.. No gamey smell at all!!!! Genuinely delicious ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Had to try the myeoljeot at Snug Roastery too, right? Just a heads up, if it boils too long it can get a bit salty! I'm usually not great with fishy-tasting myeoljeot, but Snug Roastery's had zero fishy taste and was so good I dipped into it multiple times hehe.

How was the beef brisket doenjang jjigae?

The beef brisket doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) showed up while we were eating!

I'd call this one of Snug Roastery's strengths - the side dishes are substantial and tasty, so I was completely satisfied. Sometimes you order doenjang jjigae and it's got barely anything in it or tastes bland.. those places are the worst. This one had just the right seasoning, and there was plenty of brisket and tofu, which I loved. It's meant to go with rice, but it also went really well with the kimchi fried rice. Highly recommend Snug Roastery's doenjang jjigae, it pairs so well with the pork belly too!

Verdict: everything satisfied except the parking

This Korean BBQ spot near Cheolsan Station, Snug Roastery, was so delicious I wondered why I hadn't come sooner. Definitely coming back!!!!!!!!!!! Since it's open 24 hours, there's no pressure about when you show up, and it works great for a late-night meal too. It's spacious and comfortable, so it'd be great for group dinners or gatherings too!!!

And honestly the best part is the grilling service where they cook it for you ㅠㅠㅠㅠ They grill it so well and we got to eat comfortably, so I really recommend Snug Roastery.... No parking, but aside from that I'm genuinely 200% satisfied - honestly you can just park at the public lot and walk over, that's the best option. It's worth it since the food's this good^^

If you want genuinely juicy meat and delicious side dishes, definitely check out Snug Roastery!