Gangnam Korean BBQ restaurant with kimchi noodle soup: Daepae Market

Today, I’m bringing you a meat restaurant near Nonhyeon Station where I had a seriously delicious meal not long ago. Meat prices have gone up so much lately that it can feel like a splurge, but this place was both good value and tasty—I was already thinking I need to go back soon!

Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch visit information

Address: 1F, 49 Hakdong-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울시 강남구 학동로2길 49 1층) Hours: Open 24 hours (year-round) Amenities: Group seating, reservations, Wi-Fi, self-serve bar available Self-serve bar fee: ₩2,000 per person

Even from afar, the cute pig and cow character sign made it instantly recognizable! The exterior mixes a slightly retro feel with a clean, modern sensibility, and the brightly lit entrance makes it feel just right for popping in for a casual bottle of soju after work. There were also helpful signs for lunch specials and other information by the entrance, which put me in a good mood before I even went in.

A 24-hour Korean BBQ restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows

Once inside, the floor-to-ceiling windows made the space feel so open—no stuffiness at all! The really great thing is that it is open 24 hours! It is surprisingly hard to find somewhere open late these days, so I loved that this Gangnam spot lets you visit anytime without worrying about the hour.

Just look at all the celebrity and notable guest signatures covering one wall... I heard it was a well-known Gangnam restaurant that even appeared on the show “Saturday Is Good for Rice,” so my expectations were through the roof before I even started eating.

There was even an open, glass-fronted meat-slicing station inside where they slice the meat to order, which immediately made me feel confident about the freshness! And another thing I loved was this self-serve bar!

From wrap vegetables such as fresh lettuce, minari (water parsley), and danggui (Korean angelica) to a misting system that keeps everything fresh, they had it all. Kimchi, bean sprouts, garlic, corn, and bracken fern were neatly arranged too, so it was wonderfully easy to take as much as I wanted without feeling self-conscious. There is also a friendly, witty notice about an environmental charge on the wall, so use your good sense and take only what you can eat! 😉

Thin-sliced pork belly, flower pork belly, and kimchi noodle soup

This place has such a wide selection, from its signature thin-sliced pork belly to flower pork belly, beef belly, and beef brisket. The prices are kind too, so it is perfect for ordering a little of this and that without any pressure! Here’s what I ordered:

• Thin-sliced pork belly
• Flower pork belly
• Kimchi noodle soup

The gorgeous visual of that bright-red thin-sliced pork belly piled high...

As soon as the meat arrived, it went straight onto the grill! The biggest advantage of thin-sliced pork has to be that it cooks almost as soon as it hits the grill, right? I was hungry, so not having to wait long made me ridiculously happy.

It cooked up crispy yet juicy, with rich savory fat and absolutely no unpleasant smell. Grilling it alongside kimchi, mushrooms, and more from the self-serve bar made it pure heaven... They say the flavors you know are the most dangerous, and honestly, I just could not stop eating.

How did I eat the flower pork belly?

Next, I grilled the flower pork belly, arranged so prettily in little rounds in the middle of the grill! It is slightly thicker than the thin-sliced pork belly, so the chewy, clean texture came through more clearly. When the outside is crisp and the inside is still juicy, dip it into seasoned shredded scallions and wrap it up—the umami just explodes.

Finishing with kimchi noodle soup after the meat

After eating meat for a while, you start craving something refreshing, don’t you? That was exactly when the kimchi noodle soup arrived! One sip of the sweet-and-tangy broth with tiny ice crystals floating in it swept all that richness away... The noodles were beautifully springy, and it came loaded with boiled egg, well-fermented kimchi, and crumbled seaweed. Wrap up a piece of meat with it, and it is seriously the perfect finish.

A great Nonhyeon meat restaurant where you can enjoy quality pork belly to your heart’s content at an easy price, even late at night!

If you are looking for a great pork belly spot around Nonhyeon-dong that you can comfortably drop into anytime you get hungry, make sure to give it a try.