Family lunch pork belly with kimchi pancake self-bar: Cheonpo Hoegwan

This is a spot we've been to before with my family, and the pork belly was so good it became one of our repeat places. We came back again today for lunch, craving that thick, juicy meat. It was a cloudy day, so somehow that made me crave meat even more..

Business info, location, and parking

It's 5 minutes from Uijeongbu Station (Line 1) exits 1 and 2, and 3 minutes from Uijeongbu Station on the light rail, exit 1.

Parking usually fits about 3 cars in front of the store, and I didn't see a separate parking lot.

Lunch special for ₩12,000

Cheonpo Hoegwan, a pork belly favorite in Uijeongbu, offers a lunch special with beef tripe hot pot, extra noodles, a fried egg, and hot pot rice — all for just ₩12,000. Given today's lunch prices, that's a steal 💸

Inside the restaurant

Cheonpo Hoegwan's interior is clean! Tidy! It never feels heavily like a BBQ joint, which means less smell soaking into your clothes — I love that.

On one wall there are several hot pots lined up, clearly for the hot pot rice dish — next time I'm definitely ordering the special to try it 🤤

The window seats have folding doors, so they feel like the prime spot when the weather's nice! There's also seating further inside, good for group dinners or various gatherings.

Kimchi, minari, and beef tartare as basic sides

Once you order your main dish, the table is set with side dishes, and ✔️ one reason we keep coming back to Cheonpo Hoegwan is exactly this: the kimchi, minari, and beef tartare (yukhoe).

Since it's a meat restaurant, the beef tartare is fresh too, which probably makes it taste even better. And the best part — it's free, no extra order needed..

Frying your own kimchi pancake at the self-bar

What makes this place unique is that you can go to the self-bar and make your own kimchi pancake (kimchijeon). Today I'm the kimchi chef 👩‍🍳

It's nice when it's made for you from the start, but being able to fry it to your own liking is also a special treat. I did pretty well, right? haha

Ordering pork belly with kimchi & minari

Pork belly (kimchi & minari), ₩16,000 — we ordered two servings for our group, and it came out in thick, big chunks. The staff placed the scallions, kimchi, garlic, and minari right onto the grill for us too.

Once the real minari gets grilled once on the pan, it turns more fragrant and pairs so well with the meat, you know? And this is aged pork belly — wet-aged for over 14 days at 1.5℃ — the best texture there is!

Can you feel the sizzle just from the photo, with all that juice bursting out? Cheonpo Hoegwan is the place that always comes to mind whenever we think of pork belly in Uijeongbu.

After all that cutting and grilling, it eventually cooked up perfectly, so we dipped it in the meat sauce and enjoyed it with chili peppers. Owner, please share your sauce recipe secret — it's sweet-savory and pairs so well with the meat that I want to make it at home..

Five-color bibim noodles, ₩7,000

Five-color bibim noodles (₩7,000) — after eating just meat for a while, it started to feel a bit much, so we ordered these too. It's a side dish for about 7,000 won, but the portion turned out to be so generous?

Loaded evenly with fresh vegetables, it has a tangy-sweet flavor, and after a bite of the rich, fatty meat, tasting the noodles is such a perfect pairing. Don't leave without trying these noodles ~

The unspoken rule is to dip the first bite in salt, but the bibim noodles were so good that I got to that step late.. Still, gotta properly enjoy the original flavor too 🥩

Why it became our repeat place

Wrapping it up in lettuce with the whelk ssamjang, before you know it the plate is empty.. It's not too salty, so how can it be this good? The reason Cheonpo Hoegwan, our go-to pork belly spot in Uijeongbu, became our repeat place is simple — the texture, the juiciness, the flavor of the meat were all excellent. If you have any business in the new town area, give this place a visit :)