Garlic and spicy jjokgalbi, one serving each, at Suamgol Jjokgalbi

Hey, it's today's pig 🐷 Today I finally went to a really, really good jjokgalbi (grilled pork rib) place — almost my first time! Suamgol Jjokgalbi Maeul in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan. I heard the free sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) they give as a side and the meat quality are amazing, so I had to visit 🍖

Location and parking for Suamgol Jjokgalbi Maeul in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan

• Location: 19 Seongjeongdujeong-ro, 1st floor, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily, 17:00 to 01:00 the next day
• 🅿️: In the basement, shows up when you search on navigation

(Parking spots are pretty rare around this part of Seongjeong-dong, but the basement here had plenty.)

Inside the hall

The inside wasn't tiny, but it wasn't huge either — a nice, comfortable size. There's also outdoor tent seating (yajang), so the vibe is great too 👍 Perfect place to drink and soak up a bit of romance. (It had only just opened but the seats were already full.)

Menu and prices

Everything except the basic salt jjokgalbi costs around ₩19,000. The owner's picks were garlic jjokgalbi and spicy jjokgalbi, so we ordered one of each. I'll be sure to try the salt version next time too.

Here's a tip from Jjokgalbi Maeul for reference. Also, the ribs come already cooked, so you can dig in right away. Tonight's dinner gathering: Suamgol Jjokgalbi Maeul 🐷🐷

Pork skin from the receipt review event

This is the pork skin we got for leaving a receipt review. Let's all leave honest reviews and get some too. If you order the skin, they give you curry powder and bean powder for dipping.

These are the jjokgalbi-shaped tongs — so cute! You can really see the owner's attention to detail.

The basic side dishes

The basic side dishes. Wow, look at how many there are! Seaweed stem, green onion kimchi, stir-fried fish cake — all so good. I think the owner just has a genuinely good hand for cooking.

The sundubu-jjigae that comes as standard

This is the highlight side dish here: sundubu-jjigae. It has a strong smoky jjamppong-style kick, and the broth is killer. Only downside is I couldn't drink alcohol with it since I was driving 😅

Even the rice comes piled up high. There's no resisting rice with sundubu-jjigae.

The self-serve corner

All those delicious side dishes from before, you can keep helping yourself to more here. I just kept scooping up everything — so good. And a nice little touch from the owner: there are hygiene gloves here too.

Garlic jjokgalbi and spicy jjokgalbi

One spicy serving, one garlic serving — look at that portion size! Isn't that a lot?! I've rarely seen jjokgalbi with this kind of value. Impressive work, owner.

(The jjokgalbi is already cooked, so you can eat it right away.) The owner's picks of garlic and spicy — zero regrets. If you can't handle spice, be careful with the spicy one (I was fine).

Green onions and jjokgalbi are a match made in heaven.

The owner gave us a complimentary steamed egg on the house. Seriously, owner, this egg dish is bottomless no matter how much we scoop out. Amazing, haha. We ate it happily 😃

That pork skin from the receipt review earlier — just straight-up delicious.

Dessert: K-Cafe soft-serve ice cream

The ice cream here is a must for dessert. No need to hit up McDonald's afterward. This is ultra-smooth soft-serve that beats out most fast food chains. A perfect last bite before heading home.

Overall thoughts

It's been a while since I found such a perfect place with genuine friendliness and thoughtful little touches. The jjokgalbi is so tender and delicious. The owner's picks of garlic and spicy were both great — the garlic had a nice nutty aroma, and the spicy one had just the right level of heat. The sundubu-jjigae was such high quality. We ate so well (order the rice too, it's a total rice thief situation). It had only just opened but was already packed with people. If you're coming with kids, I'd recommend the garlic and barbecue flavors (there are also plenty of side dishes to pick at) — delicious. And definitely try the soft-serve, it's just like McDonald's ice cream. I'd love to come back again with beer next time. We were so stuffed from the huge portions that we'll have to save the extra sides for another visit.

• Tender jjokgalbi ✔️
• Parking ✔️
• Sundubu-jjigae ✔️
• Hutgae tea for water ✔️