Nonhyeondon, Nonhyeon — thick pork belly on a cast-iron lid grill, grade-1 Korean pork, football on the TV | koreaplate.com
Full note with photos, map link and the Korean name card → https://koreaplate.com/notes/2026-09-30-nonhyeondon-nonhyeon/
Restaurant page: hours, address, prices → https://koreaplate.com/restaurants/nonhyeondon-nonhyeon/
Nonhyeondon, Nonhyeon — thick pork belly and grilled kimchi on a cast-iron lid in 25 seconds
Nonhyeondon is a pork-belly (samgyeopsal) restaurant on Gangnam-daero 122-gil in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul, roughly halfway between Nonhyeon and Sinnonhyeon stations. On 30 September 2026 the editor, who runs four restaurants in Seoul, ate thick-cut pork belly grilled on a round cast-iron lid (sotttukkeong) together with kimchi, bean sprouts, fernbrake, whole garlic and onion, then a soybean-paste stew in an earthenware pot, with Kelly beer and Saero soju. A sign on the wall says the pork is grade-1 Korean pork (1등급 한돈). Prices and opening hours were not recorded, so none are given here.
Full note with photos, map link and the Korean name card: https://koreaplate.com/notes/2026-09-30-nonhyeondon-nonhyeon/
Where
39 Gangnam-daero 122-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (ground floor, unit 102), Nonhyeon-dong — about 480 m, six or seven minutes on foot, from either Nonhyeon Station or Sinnonhyeon Station. Address from its Google Maps listing, checked 30 September 2026. Visited on Wednesday 30 September 2026 in the evening.
What we ordered
Samgyeopsal — thick slices of pork belly, lightly salted, laid raw on a round black cast-iron lid grill with a drain in the middle. The kimchi, bean sprouts, fernbrake (gosari), garlic cloves and a thick slice of onion go on the same grill and cook in the pork fat. The meat is cut with scissors once it browns. After the meat, a doenjang-jjigae (soybean-paste stew) in a black earthenware pot, with Kelly beer and Saero soju.
What it cost
The editor did not photograph the bill or the menu, so no prices are listed. The wall posters also advertise doenjang-jjigae and cold noodles (naengmyeon) — ask for the price per portion of belly when you sit down.
What a restaurant owner notices
Two things an operator notices. First, the lid grill: the banchan cook on the same iron as the meat, so the kimchi and sprouts soak up the pork fat — that is the whole point of the sotttukkeong style, and it only works if the kitchen keeps the lids seasoned. Second, the room: round steel tables on black barrel bases, exposed ducts, Edison bulbs and a football match on the TV. It is built for a weeknight after work, not a date — loud, quick, and easy to walk into without a booking.
Tip for first-timers
Let the belly brown fully on one side before turning; staff or your table will cut it with scissors. Eat the grilled kimchi with the pork. Hours are not confirmed — check its Google or Naver listing before you go late at night.
The moment I remember
Pink pork belly and grilled kimchi on a black iron lid, scissors in the pan, a football match on the wall and a cold Kelly on a steel table.
On the day (only on this blog)
Wednesday evening, 30 September 2026. A weeknight after work in Nonhyeon, a football match on the TV and most of the round steel tables still free.
Planning your visit
Walk from Nonhyeon or Sinnonhyeon Station — about six or seven minutes. Order pork belly first; the kimchi and sprouts cook on the same lid. Ask the price per portion before ordering, and check the hours if you go late.
Before you go: questions visitors ask
What does it cost?
Not recorded on this visit — the editor did not photograph the bill or the menu, so no prices are given. Ask for the price per portion of pork belly when you sit down.
What are the opening hours?
Not confirmed. Google lists no hours; check its Google or Naver listing before you go.
How do I get there?
39 Gangnam-daero 122-gil, Gangnam-gu (ground floor, unit 102), about 480 m — six or seven minutes on foot — from Nonhyeon Station or Sinnonhyeon Station.
Is the pork Korean?
A sign on the wall says the pork served is grade-1 Korean pork (1등급 한돈).
Restaurant page: hours, address, prices: https://koreaplate.com/restaurants/nonhyeondon-nonhyeon/
koreaplate.com — restaurants in Korea, visited and written up by a Seoul restaurant owner. https://koreaplate.com/restaurants/nonhyeondon-nonhyeon/ · https://koreaplate.com
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