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Samgyeopsal in Seoul: where to go and what to order

Updated

Samgyeopsal is Seoul's favourite night out: thick pork belly grilled at the table, about 18,000 to 19,000 won a portion, and wrapped in lettuce. Wangbijip in Myeongdong and Hanam Pig, with branches in Myeongdong and Hongdae, both grill it for you, which makes either an easy first time. Order pork belly for two, add a stew or fried rice at the end, and expect to stay about an hour.

Slices of pork belly browning on a dark grill plate next to kimchi, potato slices and a small bowl of chilli sauce. Similar to a Seoul grill, not from a restaurant named on this page.
Slices of pork belly browning on a dark grill plate next to kimchi, potato slices and a small bowl of chilli sauce. Similar to a Seoul grill, not from a restaurant named on this page. Photo by Sora kim Kim on Pexels

How it works

You sit at a table with a grill set into it. Order the meat by the portion, usually two to start for two people, and drinks. Side dishes arrive first: kimchi, dressed chives or green onions, lettuce, garlic and dipping sauces. At both places on this list a member of staff lays the pork on the grill, turns it and cuts it into bite-sized pieces with scissors once it browns. You build wraps and eat while the next batch cooks. When the meat runs low, order a meal to finish, such as kimchi fried rice, cold noodles or a bowl of soybean paste stew.

What to order

Saeng samgyeopsal (fresh pork belly). This is the dish. Fresh means unmarinated, so the flavour comes from the grill and what you wrap it with. Let it brown until the fat turns crisp at the edges, then wrap a piece in lettuce with ssamjang, a slice of raw or grilled garlic and a little kimchi. Hanam Pig serves 180 g portions of Korean pork cut about 20 mm thick, seared first over charcoal, and wraps it in myeongi, pickled wild garlic leaves, which cut through the fat.

Moksal or hangjeongsal. Moksal is pork neck and shoulder, leaner and chewier. Hangjeongsal is pork jowl, small, crisp and rich. A plate of either next to the belly shows how different the cuts taste.

A finish. At Hanam Pig, order the dosirak kimchi fried rice, served lunch box style, for about 6,000 won. Mul naengmyeon, icy buckwheat noodles, is the other choice after grilled pork. At Wangbijip, the marinated pork galbi is the house speciality and worth a portion alongside the belly.

What it costs

As of November 2026, Wangbijip's Myeongdong main shop lists fresh pork belly at 19,000 won a portion, marinated Korean pork at 24,000 won and marinated beef short rib at 44,000 won. A pork galbi lunch set is 15,000 won from 11:30 to 15:00 and 17,000 won after that.

Hanam Pig in Myeongdong lists 180 g of pork belly at 18,000 won and a 600 g mixed platter at 52,000 won. The Hongdae branch lists the same belly at 19,000 won and a mixed platter of belly, neck and rib at 55,000 won. Stews, fried rice and cold noodles are about 6,000 to 8,000 won. For two people with drinks, plan on about 50,000 to 70,000 won.

The national price survey put the average samgyeopsal serving in Seoul at about 18,154 won in September 2026.

The queue and when to go

Neither place is a long queue. Most recent Naver diners at Wangbijip and at Hanam Pig in Myeongdong walked straight in, and some at Hanam Pig waited under 10 minutes. For the shortest wait on a Friday or Saturday, go before 18:00 or after 20:30.

Wangbijip takes reservations on Naver Booking and has private rooms for groups of about 10 to 13, which makes it the easier choice for a family or a big table. Hanam Pig's Myeongdong branch also lists reservations on Naver, but most diners just walk in.

For a weekday lunch, only Wangbijip is open: Hanam Pig in Myeongdong opens at 16:00 on weekdays.

Hours and getting there

Search the Korean name in Naver Map or KakaoMap for the right entrance; both Myeongdong shops are on upper floors or side lanes that are easy to walk past.

What to expect

Wangbijip is a big, busy dining room on the second floor in the middle of Myeongdong's shopping streets, with plenty of visitors from abroad and staff used to them. It is a galbi house at heart, so many tables order marinated pork or beef with the pork belly. Cards are accepted.

Hanam Pig is a Korean chain that opened its first shop in Hanam, east of Seoul, in 2010. It does one thing: thick Korean pork, cut and seared before it reaches the table and finished on the grill by staff. The rooms are loud and smoky, and the side dishes are kept short on purpose: kimchi, dressed chives and myeongi leaves. Your clothes will smell of grilled pork afterwards, so leave a good jacket at the hotel.

If it is packed

Wangbijip has two more shops a few minutes away in Myeongdong: the second shop at 2F, 13 Myeongdong 9-gil, near Euljiro 1-ga Station exit 5, and the Jungang shop at 2F, 45 Myeongdong 8na-gil, near Myeongdong Station exit 5. If you are staying west of the centre, the Hanam Pig branch in Hongdae is the easier trip, and recent diners there mostly walked straight in.

Where it fits in a trip

Pork belly is an evening meal. In the Korea 7-day itinerary, Myeongdong fits the evening of Day 3 after the Changdeokgung Secret Garden, and Hongdae suits Day 4. For quick meals between sights, see the Korean convenience store guide, and the rest of the Seoul food guide.

In Busan. Pork belly costs less in Busan: the September 2026 national survey put 200 g at about 18,175 won, against about 21,321 won in Seoul. If you take the KTX to Busan, try dwaeji gukbap, the city's pork soup, too.

From Singapore. Hanam Pig trades as Hanam BBQ outside Korea and lists branches in Malaysia, with a Singapore opening marked as in progress.

Sources

Updated 4 November 2026.

Questions

What is samgyeopsal?

Thick slices of pork belly grilled at your table, cut into pieces with scissors and eaten wrapped in lettuce with garlic, sauce and kimchi. The name means three layers, for the stripes of fat and meat.

How much is samgyeopsal in Seoul?

About 18,000 to 19,000 won for one portion as of November 2026. Wangbijip in Myeongdong lists fresh pork belly at 19,000 won, and Hanam Pig lists 180 g at 18,000 won in Myeongdong and 19,000 won in Hongdae.

Do I have to grill the meat myself?

Not at Wangbijip or Hanam Pig. Staff grill and cut the meat at both, so you only wrap and eat. At many neighbourhood places you grill it yourself.

Do I need a reservation for Korean BBQ in Seoul?

Usually not. Wangbijip takes bookings on Naver, which helps for groups and Friday or Saturday dinner. Most recent diners at Hanam Pig in Myeongdong and Hongdae walked in or waited under 10 minutes.

Wangbijip or Hanam Pig?

Hanam Pig if pork belly is the whole point: thick Korean pork, a charcoal first sear and pickled wild garlic leaves for wrapping. Wangbijip if you also want marinated galbi, a lunch set or a private room for a group.

How do you eat samgyeopsal?

Take a lettuce leaf, add a piece of pork, a dab of ssamjang, a slice of garlic and some kimchi, fold it and eat it in one bite. A pinch of salt in sesame oil is the other classic dip.