Table Notes · written by a restaurant owner
Nonhyeondon, Nonhyeon — thick pork belly on a cast-iron lid grill, grade-1 Korean pork, football on the TV
Visited 30 Sept 2026 · Nonhyeondon Nonhyeon
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.
- Place
- Nonhyeondon Nonhyeon · Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul — between Nonhyeon and Sinnonhyeon stations
- Nearest station
- Nonhyeon Station (Lines 7·Sinbundang) or Sinnonhyeon Station (Lines 9·Sinbundang) — about 480 m from either
- Where and when
- 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 I 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 an 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 visitors
- 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.
- One scene
- 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.
See this restaurant → Nonhyeondon · Nonhyeon · Sinnonhyeon · Samgyeopsal on a cast-iron lid
📍 Google Maps ↗ · Naver Place ↗
Quick answers about this visit
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).
Where is Nonhyeondon Nonhyeon?
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.
Is Nonhyeondon Nonhyeon easy for a first-time visitor to Korea?
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.
Who wrote this note?
Harrison Hong, who runs four restaurants in Seoul and edits Korea on a Plate. The visit on 30 Sept 2026 was unannounced and unpaid; the restaurant did not know a note would be written.
Prices and details as of 30 Sept 2026.
Written by Harrison Hong, who runs four restaurants in Seoul. Notes are unpaid and unannounced. Restaurants are not told in advance and cannot buy a note.