Jeju Black Pork Street

Jeju's black pig is a native breed, small, dark-bristled and slow to grow, and the island treats its meat as a different thing from ordinary pork. In central Jeju City a short street is lined with grill houses doing nothing else. The meat comes thick-cut, usually belly or neck, grilled over charcoal at the table and cut with scissors once the outside has set. The local part is the dip: melonjeot, a salty fermented anchovy sauce warmed in a small pan on the edge of the grill, which visitors either take to immediately or not at all. It is sold by weight and it is not cheap.

What you actually see

• Thick-cut belly and neck - grilled over charcoal and cut at the table with scissors.
• Melonjeot - the warmed anchovy sauce used as a dip, particular to the island.
• The dark skin - the breed's bristled hide left on some cuts.
• The street itself - one lane of grill houses with an extractor pipe over every table.

When to go

Evenings, when the street works as intended and every extractor is running. Weekends and the summer holiday weeks fill it, and half-hour waits are normal at the busier doors. Lunch is quieter but fewer places open. Reserve if you are four or more, since the tables are sized for sharing rather than for couples.

Honest expectations

Prices run high by mainland standards and the meat is sold by weight, so a table for two adds up fast. Not everything advertised as Jeju black pork is, and the difference is hard to judge once it has been grilled. The smoke gets into your clothes and stays there. Vegetarians have effectively nothing to eat on this street.

Nearby

Gwandeokjeong and the Dongmun traditional market are a few minutes away on foot.