The owner serves you himself – Korean BBQ you can enjoy alone near Dongdaemun

Text and photos byLittle Dot Paine

This time in Korea, eating alone actually felt increasingly easy. I think people visiting Korea in the future can confidently walk into restaurants even if they’re dining solo. On this trip, I was only turned away once (it was during dinner when the place was full, and they happened to be selling bossam – haha). Perhaps because there are many tourists, or maybe because dining habits have slightly changed, I found that many restaurants now offer set meals, and even “BBQ restaurants” have single-person set options where the meat is cooked for you.

I highly recommend a restaurant in Dongdaemun called Chi?? Jjup, Dongdaegu Pork King (I checked online beforehand and saw that Koreans recommend their single-person set meals). The owner is super nice. During dinner time, when the restaurant was about 70% full, I was able to sit at a four-person table by myself. I ordered a pork BBQ set meal for 6,000 KRW (if you prefer beef, there’s an 8,000 KRW beef BBQ set meal), and the best part is the owner cooks and slices the meat for you right at the table (others have to grill it themselves). Of course, this place is still very much a “BBQ restaurant”! During dinner time, lots of people are grilling meat and drinking. It's right next to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, a lively area. I’m sure most people will check out those shopping malls nearby.

There were quite a few diners even during meal hours.

For solo diners, go for the set meals here – they’re pretty straightforward to understand in both Japanese and English. From top to bottom: 8,000 KRW is the (imported) beef BBQ set, then 6,000 KRW for the (Korean-produced) pork BBQ set, 6,000 KRW for kimchi stew, followed by beef bibimbap and doenjang soup for 8,000 KRW. Cold noodles with grilled beef for 5,000 KRW, and finally cold noodles with beef for 5,000 KRW.

If you want more BBQ, there are options too.

There’s also a very rich BBQ set meal for just 6,000 KRW. Super good value!

Acorn jelly (dotori guk) served with... (text cut off), it’s a very authentic Korean side dish, but not commonly found in regular restaurants, probably because it’s a bit labor-intensive to make (compared to kimchi, I mean).

For the sides, I still really love the slightly Taiwanese-style sweet and sour fish cakes – you can order more!

This is grilled by the owner himself. Here you don’t have to grill your own meat – how great is that!

The portion size isn’t small either!

The pork at Dongdaegu Pork King is pre-marinated, giving it a slightly sweet taste – not spicy.

The meat texture is pretty tender, though a few pieces are a bit fattier. Paired with rice and wrapped in lettuce with kimchi, it’s delicious.

This is the super friendly owner, explaining the menu kindly to a foreign customer.

The owner even takes a seat at one table to grill meat for customers ordering set meals!

My take: While dining, I saw two foreigners (arriving separately) looking at the sign. The owner was so nice, he went out to invite them in (the two ended up sitting separately at two four-person tables – the place was nearly full by then). He used pretty broken English to greet the foreign guests (one Asian, one Black? I just mean, the owner had to speak some English). I really want to say, this is a fantastic foreigner-friendly restaurant!

In terms of flavor, I feel all BBQ places are somewhat similar – each with their own style, but none are bad. The key point is I highly recommend the friendly owner. Oh, and if you’re dining with a group, you can all order the same 6,000 or 8,000 KRW set meals and combine them onto one big plate – it looks even more lavish!

Dongdaegu Pork King Chi?? Jjup
Address: ?? ??? 44? 21
Coordinates:37.565073, 127.006472
Naver Map
Business hours: 10:00–24:00
Phone: 02-2265-6933

Little Dot’s World ★ Fun Adventures in Korea
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