Aged pork belly vs pork neck at Girin Samgyeopsal, a Paju BBQ spot

What kind of BBQ restaurant is Girin Samgyeopsal near Yadang Station?

This time I visited Girin Samgyeopsal. I was looking for a place to eat meat near Yadang Station and ended up here. Right from the storefront, the sign advertising it as a specialist in aged domestic pork caught my eye.

According to the signage, they use pork selected by strict standards even among Korean domestic pork (handon), and there was a confident line inviting customers to compare it with regular samgyeopsal, which got me curious about the taste.

With aged pork belly, pork neck, hangjeongsal and more all available together, this is a place worth remembering if you're hunting for a good BBQ spot near Yadang Station.

Inside Girin Samgyeopsal: seating, self-serve bar and amenities

The interior of Girin Samgyeopsal was clean overall and had a comfortable vibe for eating meat.

There was a self-serve bar on one side, so if you run out of any side dishes while eating, you could just grab more yourself.

A baby chair was also available separately, which looked handy for visiting with kids.

Each table had an ordering tablet, so you could check the menu and prices right at your seat and order immediately.

Hair ties and dental floss were also stocked separately. These are the kinds of things you quietly need at a BBQ restaurant, so I appreciated that even these small details were covered.

What especially caught my eye was a slushie machine, which looked great for a cool palate cleanser after eating meat.

Girin Samgyeopsal menu and prices

Girin Samgyeopsal's menu is built around aged pork. The signature fresh pork belly is 160g for ₩15,000, and pork neck is also 160g for ₩15,000. Beyond that, you could choose diced hangjeongsal (160g, ₩13,000), gabrisal (160g, ₩16,000), kkodeulsal (160g, ₩15,000), and more.

There was also a good variety of rice dishes to go with the meat: doenjang sulbap ₩6,000, kimchi jjigae ₩6,000, cold kalguksu ₩6,000, spicy mixed kalguksu ₩6,000, steamed egg ₩4,000, fried rice ₩3,000, and a bowl of rice ₩1,000. It's a solid lineup for adding a jjigae, noodles, or fried rice to taste when meat alone isn't quite enough.

Pork belly, pork neck and diced hangjeongsal on the cast-iron grill

A large cast-iron grill pan was set up on the table.

The instructions recommended letting the pan heat up fully, laying the meat on, waiting until one side turns golden, then flipping. There was also a tip for pressing fried rice onto the pan at the end to make it crispy like nurungji (scorched rice) — worth keeping in mind if you order the fried rice too.

This is how neatly the side dishes were laid out.

Here's the pork neck and pork belly we ordered first.

The cast-iron grill has good heat, so the meat cooked quickly.

The fresh pork belly delivered the juiciness and tenderness you'd expect from aged meat.

The pork neck had a leaner but moist texture compared to the belly, so switching between the two was fun.

The dish that really stood out was the diced hangjeongsal.

Unlike the usual thin-sliced hangjeongsal, this one comes cut in thick chunks, so if you like a chewier bite, it's worth ordering alongside the others. Eating pork belly, pork neck, and diced hangjeongsal together also meant I could compare the different textures across cuts, which I liked.

Kimchi and garlic were also placed at the bottom of the grill, cooking in the fat rendered from the meat. Kimchi browned in pork belly fat paired really well with the meat.

Doenjang sulbap at ₩6,000: the rice dish to order with the pork

The doenjang sulbap we ordered alongside the meat was ₩6,000. It came bubbling in a ttukbaegi (earthenware pot), with meat, tofu, and enoki mushrooms in the soybean paste broth.

Eating fatty cuts like pork belly or hangjeongsal continuously can get a bit heavy, but the hot doenjang sulbap in between worked really well as a combo. Since it comes with rice, it's a good option when you want a proper meal alongside the meat. Personally, I'd recommend ordering a rice dish like doenjang sulbap or kalguksu instead of just meat alone.

Girin Samgyeopsal address and details at a glance

• Name: Girin Samgyeopsal
• Type: aged domestic pork specialty restaurant
• Signature dishes: fresh pork belly, pork neck, diced hangjeongsal, gabrisal, kkodeulsal
• Fresh pork belly: 160g ₩15,000
• Pork neck: 160g ₩15,000
• Diced hangjeongsal: 160g ₩13,000
• Gabrisal: 160g ₩16,000
• Kkodeulsal: 160g ₩15,000
• Doenjang sulbap: ₩6,000
• Amenities: self-serve bar, baby chair, tablet ordering

Is Girin Samgyeopsal worth a visit in Paju?

At Girin Samgyeopsal, the fun was in ordering several cuts together to compare rather than sticking to just one kind of meat. Being able to choose between fresh pork belly, pork neck, and even the thick-cut diced hangjeongsal made it easy to order to taste.

I also liked that you could pair the meat with rice dishes like doenjang sulbap, kimchi jjigae, cold or spicy kalguksu, and fried rice. From the self-serve bar and baby chair to the slushie machine, hair ties, and floss, the small amenities made the meal comfortable throughout. Personally, eating a mix of fresh pork belly, pork neck, and diced hangjeongsal followed by hot doenjang sulbap was a combination that really worked.

If you're looking for a good BBQ restaurant near Yadang Station, or want to try aged pork belly alongside a variety of pork cuts, Girin Samgyeopsal is worth checking out.