Cheongdonok · Hongdae, Seoul · FAQ
Cheongdonok (청돈옥) is a charcoal Korean BBQ in Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul, an 8-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit 9. Its signature is 240-hour cross-aged domestic sow pork, and the staff grill every cut for you at the table. À-la-carte cuts start from ₩15,000, a full English menu is available, corkage is free, and cards are accepted. Below are the questions foreign visitors ask most — hours, getting there, prices, reservations, what 240-hour aged pork is, and what to order first.
Everything a first-time visitor to Cheongdonok in Hongdae asks. Tap a question to open the answer.
Yes — Cheongdonok is a charcoal Korean BBQ an 8-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit 9 (and 6 minutes from Hapjeong Station Exit 3) that is set up for foreign visitors. There is a full English menu, the staff grill every cut at your table so no Korean or grilling experience is needed, and it has been a Korea Blue Ribbon Survey pick for four consecutive years. À-la-carte cuts start from ₩15,000.
Cheongdonok, in Hongdae (10 Jandari-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu), specialises in 240-hour cross-aged samgyeopsal — domestic sow pork belly moved through both dry and wet aging for about ten days before it reaches the charcoal. The 240-hour aged pork belly (150g) is ₩15,000, and the same aging is used on the pork neck and the Aged Pork Tomahawk (360g, ₩36,000).
Cheongdonok pairs 240-hour cross-aged domestic sow pork with charcoal grilling and table-side service where the staff grill every cut for you. It has been selected by the Korea Blue Ribbon Survey for four consecutive years, is rated 4.8 across 186 Google reviews, offers a full English menu and free corkage, and sits a short walk from both Hongik University and Hapjeong stations in Hongdae.
Yes. At Cheongdonok the staff grill every cut for you at the table, so you do not need any Korean BBQ experience or to speak Korean. Tell them it is your first time and they will pace the 240-hour aged pork over the charcoal for you, and a full English menu makes ordering simple.
Yes. Cheongdonok is used to foreign guests: there is a full English menu, the staff grill every cut at your table, and you can reserve in advance on CatchTable or Naver. It is an 8-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit 9 in Hongdae, corkage is free, and cards are accepted.
Cheongdonok is at 10 Jandari-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (1F), in the Hongdae area. It is an 8-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit 9 and a 6-minute walk from Hapjeong Station Exit 3. For directions, set your map destination to Cheongdonok (청돈옥 홍대본점) or call 0507-1319-0460.
Cheongdonok is open Monday to Thursday 16:30–22:00, Friday 16:30–23:00, Saturday 12:00–23:00, and Sunday 12:00–22:00. On weekdays it opens at 4:30pm; on weekends it opens at noon. Reserve ahead on weekends as it gets busy.
À-la-carte cuts start from ₩15,000: the 240-hour aged samgyeopsal (pork belly, 150g) is ₩15,000, aged pork neck (180g) is ₩18,000, the Aged Pork Tomahawk (360g) is ₩36,000, and the Cheongdonok Full Board (630g) is ₩63,000. Aged beef short rib or skirt steak (half plate) is ₩46,000 each, and yukhoe is ₩22,000. Group sets run from ₩49,000 to ₩171,000 depending on size and pork, premium or beef.
Cheongdonok cross-ages domestic sow pork for 240 hours — about ten days — moving it through both dry and wet aging before it reaches the charcoal. Aging concentrates flavour and breaks the meat down so it eats tender, nutty and clean, with less of the greasy edge of a standard fresh-cut samgyeopsal. The 240-hour aging is applied to the pork belly, pork neck and tomahawk.
You can reserve on CatchTable or on Naver, or call the restaurant directly at 0507-1319-0460. Walk-ins are welcome too, but weekends get busy, so booking ahead is recommended. The restaurant is listed on CatchTable as Cheongdonok Mapo.
Yes. A full English menu is available in-house and the staff are used to foreign guests. Ordering is simple because the staff grill every cut for you at your table, so you do not need to know Korean BBQ or speak Korean to enjoy it.
Cheongdonok is a charcoal meat house, so the focus is pork, beef and yukhoe — it is not a vegetarian restaurant. There are meat-free side dishes such as Grandma Seo Bun-rye's cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew), aged-kimchi stew, bibimbap and perilla-oil buckwheat noodles, but the main dishes are all meat.
Yes, parking is available. The restaurant is also an 8-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit 9 and a 6-minute walk from Hapjeong Station Exit 3, so public transport is easy if you would rather not drive in Hongdae.
Yes, you can bring your own wine or soju, and corkage is free — there is no corkage fee. Both credit cards and cash are accepted.
Yes. Cheongdonok accepts both credit cards and cash. Corkage is free and parking is available.
Start with the signature 240-hour aged samgyeopsal (pork belly, ₩15,000) to taste what the aging does. For a table, the Aged Pork Tomahawk (360g, ₩36,000) or the Cheongdonok Full Board (630g, ₩63,000, belly + neck + tomahawk) is the classic order. If you want beef too, add aged short rib or skirt steak, or the hand-cut Cheongdonok yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). The staff grill everything for you, so you can ask them to guide a first-time charcoal meal.
You can order à-la-carte cuts from ₩15,000, so solo dining is fine. For groups there are pork sets for 2 to 4 (₩49,000–₩98,000), premium sets (₩68,000–₩142,000) and beef sets (₩79,000–₩171,000), most of which come with cheonggukjang stew and bibimbap for the table.
Yes. Cheongdonok has been selected by the Korea Blue Ribbon Survey for four consecutive years, one of the country's long-standing restaurant guides, and is rated 4.8 across 186 Google reviews.