Whole-pig set for three at a Busanjin Korean BBQ spot: Anmin Busan

I can't live without meat... and I went and ate more meat again! I visited Anmin, a newly opened Korean BBQ spot in Seomyeon where staff grill for you, and I loved the clean, fresh vibe. Having the staff grill everything meant I could just relax and eat, and the place looked really tidy too.

Anmin Busan location and parking

Anmin Busan is located on the main road right next to Kanda Soba in Jeonpo-dong, heading toward Jeonpo Elementary School from the intersection where the old NC Department Store used to be.

There's no dedicated parking lot, so you'll need to use a nearby lot (the basement parking at Samhan Golden Gate building, NC parking, or Bujeon Station public parking, for example).

Catch Table reservations and waiting

The place is fairly large, but it's such a well-known spot that there's usually a wait — so Catch Table reservations are definitely worth booking ahead! Once inside, there's a spacious waiting area right by the entrance, so waiting is pretty comfortable.

Inside the restaurant — counter seats and private rooms

Maybe because it hasn't been open that long, the place felt really clean and quite spacious. Instead of the usual bustling meat-restaurant feel, it had a clean, modern atmosphere that made for a comfortable meal. Besides table seats, there are also counter (dachi) seats, so if you're visiting as a pair, sitting at the counter for a cozy meal together would be nice too :-D

There's also a separate private room space, which looked great for larger groups wanting privacy, and would work well for company dinners or group gatherings too.

Up front, there's a big meat fridge, and just looking at it you could tell the quality was good — it got me excited for the meal before I'd even eaten anything.

The Anmin menu is on a tablet

There's no printed menu — you check the Anmin Busan menu on the tablet at your table. The menu centers on pork with various cuts, and apparently the set menu, which lets you try several cuts at once, is the BEST option.

There's a whole system for side dish refills, water, wet wipes, tongs, utensils, aprons, even a staff call button. What caught my eye was a 'please take our photo' button — if you want a keepsake photo, you can request it easily, which felt like such a thoughtful touch!

The base spread and seven sauces

Anmin, the Seomyeon Korean BBQ spot where staff grill for you, stood out right from the base spread. There were pickled vegetables, radish wraps, garlic, green onion kimchi, and lettuce to wrap the meat with — plus a whopping seven sauces.

The staff explained the side dishes and sauces, but there was also a printed explanation sheet, so refer to that if needed.

What we ordered — the 700g whole-pig set

The three of us ordered the whole-pig set (700g). It's a menu that lets you try several cuts at once, so it was perfect for us as meat lovers. Since you get pork belly, pork neck, special cuts, and pork rind all together, I'd absolutely recommend this for a first visit.

Anmin's grilling service really delivers

They started by grilling the thick pork belly and pork neck first. From start to finish, the staff handle all the grilling, which makes things so easy. There's an overhead hood installed above the brazier, so smoke and smell get pulled away immediately, making for a much more pleasant meal.

Pros really are pros. Even grilling super fast, they kept the juices locked in and cut everything into perfectly bite-sized pieces. Pork belly, pork neck, special cuts, pork rind, along with Korean peppers, cherry tomatoes, paprika and other garnishes all got grilled together, making for a really substantial spread.

Once grilled, the meat gets neatly arranged on a plate by cut, so all you have to do is pick it up and eat — so convenient.

The neatly plated meat then goes on top of a solid-fuel brazier, so it stays warm the whole time you're eating.

Sauce combos — my top pick is the cabbage salad

They told us to try the first bite dipped in pine-flower salt, and since the meat clearly had juices intact, even just a light dip in salt let the meat's real flavor shine through — so good. With sauces like cumin, shiitake wasabi, salted hairtail intestines, fish sauce, and cheese fondue, there were plenty of ways to enjoy it however you liked :-D It was great even without any sauce, and it also paired well with pickles or the fresh cabbage salad, so the same meat felt completely different depending on what you paired it with. My top pick: the cabbage salad!

The pork rind was springy and chewy, and got nuttier the more you chewed — a perfect specialty item.

The finishing dish — doenjang-sulbap

I thought about ordering more meat, but went with a rice dish instead. Today's rice dish was doenjang-sulbap. It arrived bubbling in a stone pot, and the savory smell hit before you even saw it. It had hand-torn dough dumplings inside, plus plenty of tofu, zucchini, and bean sprouts, and the deep, savory doenjang flavor made the broth rich and filling. Doenjang-sulbap is the perfect way to finish off a meat meal.

Free pork rind through the review event

The pork rind was so good I tried to order more, but it turns out you can't order it as a standalone item — a bit disappointing. But if you write a Naver receipt review, they'll give you pork rind for free, so make sure to take part in the review event and get some :-)

Final thoughts

I'm such a meat fanatic that I've been to pretty much every Korean BBQ spot in Seomyeon, and I'm putting Anmin straight into my BEST list. From the staff grilling service to the meat quality, the variety of sauces, and the side dishes, everything was satisfying overall — I liked it enough that if anyone asks me for a Seomyeon Korean BBQ recommendation, I'd suggest this place without hesitation. Highly recommend Anmin, the Seomyeon Korean BBQ spot where staff grill for you.