Barley-straw seared neck and belly lunch in Aewol: Nopo Dwaeji Aewol

I had lunch at Nopo Dwaeji Aewol, a black pork spot in Aewol :)

Where is Nopo Dwaeji Aewol, and its hours and parking

• 📍Location · 5-1 1-dong 202-ho (1st floor, unit 2), Gwakji 9-gil, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju, South Korea
• 🕔Hours · Daily 11:00 – 23:00
• 🚗Parking (free) · Lot in front of the restaurant

While traveling around Aewol I was looking for a good black pork place near Gwakji Beach and came across Nopo Dwaeji. It's about a 5-minute walk from Gwakji Beach, so it was easy to get to. There's parking space behind the building too, so it was convenient to park.

Given the name, I expected something like an old-school Jeju noodle shop (노포, nopo, meaning long-established eatery), but it was actually more of a clean, modern black pork restaurant. The interior has a modern wood-tone exterior and floor-to-ceiling glass, so the dining room felt open and pleasant rather than cramped.

How is the barley-straw seared thick-cut pork grilled?

What makes Nopo Dwaeji Aewol stand out is that they don't just grill the black pork straight — the aged pork is first charred over barley straw and charcoal, then served as thick cuts you finish grilling yourself. The pre-char uses barley straw and charcoal, and staff kept grilling the pork to the right doneness throughout the meal, so I could just relax and eat.

The meat is sliced big and thick, so you really get the texture and juiciness of the meat itself. Nopo Dwaeji adds an aging process on top of that — they said it's 168-hour aged black pork.

If you like smoky flavor, this style will really satisfy you. The thick cuts are grilled over strong charcoal heat so the outside browns nicely while the inside stays moist. Despite how thick the black pork looks on the grill, it came out crisp outside and juicy inside.

Black pork neck and belly with myeoljeot (anchovy sauce)

The neck (mokssal) and belly (samgyeopsal) cuts came out big and thick. Jeju black pork is really about enjoying the meat's own flavor, and you could taste that character here. As Nopo Dwaeji's black pork grills over charcoal, a savory aroma rises off the surface while you still get that smoky flavor from within.

With black pork like this — aged and carrying that straw-fire aroma like Nopo Dwaeji's — pairing it with salt, wasabi, melljeot (fermented anchovy sauce), or a lettuce wrap makes the same meat taste different each way. The pork's savory fat combined with melljeot's salty, umami character was a great match.

What's on the self-serve side dish bar

The banchan (side dishes) at Nopo Dwaeji Aewol were well put together, the lettuce wraps were fresh, and the self-serve bar meant I could easily refill whatever I needed. Wrap greens and side dishes tend to run out fast when you're eating grilled meat, so having a self-serve bar was really convenient.

They picked out the black pork ready to eat and grilled the surface until well-charred, so I got to enjoy the crisp yet chewy texture of the skin part.

Kimchi jjigae and kelp rice to finish the lunch

Nopo Dwaeji's kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) had that tangy kimchi flavor and savory pork flavor naturally mixed into the broth. It was a kimchi jjigae that kept the basic flavors of pork and kimchi front and center — a side dish that paired really well with the black pork.

Eating it together with the kelp rice was a great combination. Even after all that meat, the kimchi jjigae wasn't heavy to finish. The kimchi's sourness paired well with the pork's umami.

Instead of plain white rice, Nopo Dwaeji Aewol serves kelp rice, where the rice soaks up the kelp's umami and subtle flavor. It's not seasoned with a strong taste — it's mild and savory at its core, so it went well with the black pork.

If you're looking for a black pork spot in Aewol, near Gwakji Beach, definitely check out Nopo Dwaeji Aewol :)