Gangnam Korean BBQ: thin-sliced pork and Yeol Ramen, Daepae Market

I was eating meat in Nonhyeon, Gangnam and honestly thought, “Can the price really be this low?” haha. This time, I went to Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch (대패마켙 강남논현점) in Nonhyeon’s dining alley.

It is close to Nonhyeon Station and easy to reach from Sinnonhyeon Station too, so it is a handy spot when you want meat in Nonhyeon. Best of all, it is open 24 hours, which is a real plus when a late-night meat craving hits! It is still open 24 hours now.

Are these prices for real in Gangnam Nonhyeon?

True to the Daepae Market name, there is such a wide range of thin-sliced meats: daepae samgyeopsal (thin-sliced pork belly), thin-sliced pork shoulder, woosamgyeop (thin-sliced beef belly), thin-sliced five-layer pork, duck, beef brisket, and more. We visited for dinner and ordered thin-sliced pork belly plus beef belly.

Your first order has to be at least three portions, so we started with three haha. It was delicious, so we ended up adding two more! I seriously wondered whether it was okay for meat in Gangnam Nonhyeon to be this easy on the wallet, haha. Some thin-sliced pork belly portions are currently in the ₩4,000 range, so this is one to notice if value matters to you.

Too hot for the patio, so indoors it was!

It was hot that day, and although I wanted to enjoy the outdoor pocha-style patio vibe, there was just no way I could eat outside, haha. Daepae Market also has an outdoor terrace, so on a nice day it would be great for that Nonhyeon outdoor Korean BBQ feel, but...

we headed into the cool interior. The dining room was roomier than expected and had lots of tables, so it looked good for a get-together with friends or a company dinner. There are group tables and terrace seats, and plenty of people come here for work dinners or drinks.

I really loved the self-serve bar

Once you order meat, you can pick up the side dishes yourself at the self-serve bar. The fee is ₩2,000 per person! Considering vegetable prices these days, that honestly felt like such a good deal.

There were lettuce and perilla leaves, bracken fern, bean sprouts, garlic, onion, water parsley, Cheongyang chili peppers, pickled radish sheets, corn salad, napa cabbage kimchi, green onion kimchi, wasabi, ssamjang (savory dipping paste), and so many things to eat with the meat. I tend to eat lots of wrap vegetables with meat, so I love an unlimited self-serve bar like this, haha. Grab as much as you want and set up a table exactly your way—done!

Let’s start grilling the thin-sliced pork belly

Just as we were setting out the sides, the meat finally arrived! Since the pork belly is thin, the best part is that it cooks almost as soon as it hits the grill.

I tried a piece, and it was chewier and tastier than I expected. It did not feel like the kind of thin-sliced meat that just gives off loads of grease; it was nicely nutty and full of savory flavor. Above all, there was no off smell at all.

Maybe because the restaurant is busy and the meat turns over quickly, it felt fresh too. They currently slice the meat to order in their thin-slicing prep room, which is another feature here.

Beef belly is nutty as always

We grilled the beef belly too, and it had that proper rich, fatty nuttiness! It has a different charm from the pork belly, so alternating between the two kept me eating, haha. We also put kimchi, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and bracken fern from the self-serve bar onto the grill with the meat.

That was another special treat. Especially the kimchi and bean sprouts grilled in the meat fat—what more is there to say? They were delicious wrapped up, delicious with the grilled vegetables, and my chopsticks stayed busy the whole meal, haha.

I also tried the dry-aged pork belly

Along with the regular thin-sliced meat, they have dry-aged meat here, so I tried that too. As you would expect from aged meat, it had a deeper flavor and was delicious, but personally, considering the value too, the regular thin-sliced pork belly was my favorite of everything I ate that day.

The prices are so kind that being able to choose and try several different things without feeling pressured seems like Daepae Market’s biggest strength! Of course, all the meat was delicious, haha.

Finishing with Yeol Ramen

Even after five portions of meat, something still felt missing, so we ordered Yeol Ramen (spicy instant ramen) to finish!

You just cannot resist ramen after meat, haha. We added shredded scallions from the self-serve bar, and it was seriously good. I topped it with some leftover green onion kimchi and pork belly too, then yum yum with the ramen.

Even with a completely full stomach, it somehow kept going down—magic 🤣

If you are looking for an outdoor Korean BBQ spot in Nonhyeon

Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch feels like the kind of place I will think of when I want to eat my fill of meat without spending too much. It is easy to access from Nonhyeon and Sinnonhyeon stations, and its location in Nonhyeon’s dining alley is good too.

• Open 24 hours
• A wide selection of thin-sliced meats
• ₩2,000 self-serve bar per person
• Spacious indoor seating
• Outdoor terrace
• Lunch specials
• Many sides, including ramen, stew, and fried rice

It seems useful for everything from an office-worker lunch to evening drinks and company dinners! Especially on a nice day, eating outside with that Nonhyeon patio Korean BBQ atmosphere would be even better. It was way too hot, so I ate indoors this time, haha, but I want to come back for the patio on a cool day.

A place that made me think, “You can eat meat at this price in Gangnam Nonhyeon?” If you are looking for a good-value Nonhyeon Korean BBQ restaurant, I would definitely revisit Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch 🤎