Eat all the meat you want without breaking the bank: Affordable Korean BBQ spot – tender marinated pork ribs

Text and photos byLittle Dot Paine

In Korean BBQ restaurants, domestic pork/beef is usually more expensive, while imported pork/beef is often cheaper. The price difference can typically range from 1.5 to 2 times, and Korean beef can be even pricier. But from what I’ve observed, both expensive and budget options do well—it just depends on the clientele.

For example, the place I’m introducing today—“Heartflutters Pork Belly 1989 레드로즈 1989.” On the day I visited, I saw a big group of what looked like high schoolers still growing into their bodies? They were dressed in sports uniforms, probably athletes. This kind of BBQ spot where you can load up on protein cheaply is definitely their top pick. Later on, there were also a few young women who seemed like university students, plus a large group of office workers who had made reservations.

I’d also like to mention that the place I introduced last time—[Seoul] 240 Sinchon "Flame-grilled BBQ Embracing Nature" (새남터 화로구이) = Hapjeong Fire Meat—was also relatively affordable but still a bit pricier than this one. This spot is the cheapest, but among all the BBQ I’ve tried so far, I’d say the meat quality here is the most average. You really get what you pay for.

The location of Heartflutters Pork Belly 1989 레드로즈 1989 isn’t where the map shows the building to be—you have to enter from this alley. Otherwise, you’ll end up at the back door, which is off-limits. I made that mistake my first time.

So just a heads-up: make sure to come in through this entrance. It’s right next to the alley of o:z, which I ate at before.
[Seoul] 239 Hongdae 'Made by [O:Z] Adorable Dishes with Varied Cheeses (涸囚窜?囚皮?)

This is the entrance—the restaurant is on the second floor.

Knife-cut noodles for one person cost 4,500 KRW—seems tasty?

As soon as you walk in, the table already has a grill—it’s a real BBQ spot, no set meals here.

I got here right when they opened, so I was the first customer. But by lunchtime, it was about 80% full, and there was also a large group that had reserved a big table.

Here’s the menu, which is really cheap—and it’s also in Chinese, making ordering easy. Pork belly is 5,000 KRW, pork neck is 5,000 KRW, and marinated pork ribs are just 7,000 KRW.Because it’s super cheap here, “you can’t just order one portion.” Even if you’re alone, you have to order two types of meat.

For the meat, everything is imported except for the “pork skin,” which is domestic. All the rest comes from overseas.

For the side dishes, you can help yourself to more if you want.

Food came out pretty quickly—just like any other BBQ joint, it had all the basics.

After you order the meat, it’s “sliced fresh” on the spot.

Here it comes—two portions, and wow, the portions are really generous. But it’s also cheap, so finishing both only cost 12,000 KRW. On the left is pork neck, and on the right is marinated pork ribs.

Are the sizes not amazing?! One portion is enough for a girl, and having both meats is honestly way too filling. I took forever to finish them, stuffing myself.

I grilled the pork neck first because it wasn’t seasoned, so it wouldn’t burn the grill as easily.

I’d say the meat quality is just average—it was a bit dry and slightly tough. Personally, I’m not a big fan of pork neck.

Then I grilled the marinated pork ribs.

Probably because the ribs are marinated, the texture changes a bit—they’re softer, and the seasoning is pretty sweet. These are tastier than the pork neck.

Even though there was a lot of meat and I got pretty full, especially with the sweetness of the ribs becoming a bit overwhelming toward the end, I still wanted something cold to refresh my palate. Cold noodles, being sweet, sour, and icy, are great for cutting through the richness.

I ordered cold noodles to balance out the heaviness of the meat, and it really helped. The cold noodles aren’t expensive either, just 4,500 KRW. Overall, if you’re coming here, I’d actually recommend going to [Seoul] 240 Sinchon "Flame-grilled BBQ Embracing Nature" (새남터 화로구이) instead—it’s tastier.

Exciting Pork Belly 1989 Hongdae Branch Korean blog
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Address: 21, 12-6, 2F, Eoulmadang-ro 21-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (Naver Map/ Daum Map)
Phone: 02-332-2228
Business Hours: 11:30~02:00
Coordinates:37.552469, 126.923235 I marked the entrance at the alley entrance so you can find it(Google review)
Map Source:Korean Map by KakaoMap China Edition(authorized use)

Exciting Pork Belly Sinsa Branch
Address: 31, 5-gil, Eoulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul (Naver Map)
Phone: 02-3144-1727

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