Pork galbi grilled tableside with dad in Jung-gu, Seoul: Doldam

There are so many offices around Chungjeongno Station, and maybe that's why there are also so many good restaurants around here 😋 Even the meat places come in every kind — chicken, beef, pork. Personally, when I'm picking a Korean BBQ spot, I automatically rate it higher if the staff grill the meat for you.

The place I visited today had all the conditions for a totally comfortable meal, not just good taste. Staff grill the meat for you + 2 whole hours of free parking!!!! This neighborhood has a lot of work dinners and engagement gatherings, so once you find a good BBQ spot you end up going back often — I can recommend this one with full confidence ✌️

Doldam Sutbuljip's location, hours, and parking

3-minute walk 🏃‍♀️ from Chungjeongno Station, 11-minute walk 🏃‍♀️ from Seoul Station

• Hours: Mon–Fri 4:00pm–12:00am / Sat–Sun 2:00pm–12:00am
• Parking: 2 hours free 🙆‍♀️

Since it's close to both Chungjeongno and Seoul Station, it's a great location for office workers nearby to have a work dinner or gathering 👍🏻

There's a standing sign with photos of all the meat menu items, so you can see exactly what you're getting at a glance 🤩

A spacious hall, seating, and menu lineup

The interior is one big open hall, laid out with inner / middle / wall-side / terrace seating so groups can be spread out comfortably 😎

Ordering is done directly with the staff ✅

• Meat menu: pork galbi, pork belly, pork neck, pork skin, raw beef short rib, garlic-marinated beef short rib
• Lunch menu: kimchi-jjim, bulgogi + sundubu-jjigae, jeyuk + doenjang-jjigae, spicy octopus stir-fry, bulgogi + milmyeon

This street gets packed at lunchtime, and it shows — the lunch menu is hearty and well put together for office workers 🍚

I sat at a slightly quiet wall-side seat that's comfortable to lean back into. There's cutlery and napkins in the table drawer. There's also a receipt review event — leave one and you get a free chadol doenjang-jjigae or bomb steamed egg 🎉

<Today's order> 1. Pork galbi (2 servings) 2. Doenjang sulbap

What's in the side dish spread

The banchan (side dishes) spread includes lettuce wraps, green onion kimchi, salted pollock roe, spicy radish salad, wild garlic leaves, white kimchi, savory pancake, ssamjang (dipping sauce), cabbage salad, and onion sauce.

There's also bracken fern and napa cabbage kimchi to grill alongside the meat, plus the sweet corn cheese that I love so much 🌽

The salted pollock roe isn't served plain either — it's dressed a bit further so you can eat it almost like a sauce. My dad went straight for the pancake with his chopsticks 🥢

Two servings of pork galbi, all grilled by staff

Pork grilled over charcoal — there's no way that combo doesn't taste good 🔥 The fire passed inspection!!! Now I'm getting excited for the meat that's about to come out.

The pork galbi looked like a pretty generous portion. I wondered if two servings would be enough for me and my dad, but nope, not a worry 😆

From separating the meat off the bone to fully cooking it on the grill, none of us guests ever had to pick up tongs or scissors 😎 Bracken fern, kimchi, and corn cheese all got their spot too.

The complimentary stew that comes out automatically is a spicy sundubu-jjigae. Places that give you a stew like this as a freebie don't usually put an egg in it, right?!? Here, there's a soft-boiled egg in it — that's amazing.

Pink flesh peeking through as the pork galbi cooks. If it's been marinated too heavily, you sometimes can't tell the meat's color or freshness, but there's none of that here 🥩

The marinade isn't overdone — it only lightly soaks the surface, so it doesn't get in the way of the pork galbi's own texture. And with charcoal heat that strong, it cooks fast, which I love.

My dad likes pairing pork with wasabi, so I asked separately and the staff were super kind about it, giving us a generous amount 👏

Marinated meat needs to be flipped often so it doesn't burn... Pork galbi is honestly a tricky cut to grill, but they really grilled it well here 🧑‍🍳

Doenjang sulbap loaded with beef brisket

I was just staring at the meat 👀 As we waited, the doenjang sulbap came out. When I eat pork, I always need doenjang-jjigae on the side?! Savory rice with meat — the best combo 🤤

Loaded with tofu, which is great for you. And wait, there's this much beef brisket in it?!! This is a place that doesn't skimp on ingredients. You can experience the magic hot pot that never seems to shrink no matter how much you eat 🧙

So how did the pork galbi taste

Wow~ everything cooked evenly without burning. Once a piece is fully done, they move it aside for you, so all you have to do is pick it up easily 🤪

Wow, look how plump the meat is?! The marinade is just there to support it — can you see the juicy texture like fresh unmarinated ribs 💦 When I took a bite, the meat's flavor and texture were fully intact — great chew 👍🏻 And the marinade flavor wasn't strong at all.

A lot of places mask the meat with pepper or sugar flavor, but here the meat itself is good to begin with ⭐️

Bracken fern, which you usually eat with pork belly, turned out to be delicious with pork galbi too 👅

They simmer garlic in oil alongside the meat too, and eating it together is pure happiness 🧄 I had it with onion sauce, with wasabi, watched the cheese stretch, and they gave a generous amount so I never felt short. Dipping into extra corn cheese, then pairing bracken fern with onion.

You've got to pick up the rib and tear into it with your teeth 🍖 Golden-brown and perfectly cooked — it had nothing to envy in beef short rib.