Danpungnamujip 단풍나무집

Danpungnamujip Itaewon is a large Korean charcoal-grill restaurant on Itaewon-ro 27ga-gil, serving beef and Jeju pork. The Itaewon branch opened in 2009 and uses numerous timber posts and wood surfaces, placing the visual language of a wine bar around Korean barbecue tables. Its signature cheongyeop refers to pork jowl. Multiple seams of fat run through the meat, so charcoal heat crisps the edge while the center remains elastic. Aged hanwoo sirloin cooks a thick section of red beef and fat together. Marbled seasoned galbi absorbs a soy-based marinade across its close grain. Maple bulgogi simmers thin beef and vegetables in a sweet and savory liquid, while beef brisket uses thin sheets whose fat renders quickly on the grill. Jeju black-pork ogyeopsal shows skin, fat, and lean meat in visible layers. Black-pork neck has a broader lean grain and is cut thickly. Seasoned pork neck adds marinade to the surface, separating it from the unseasoned charcoal cuts. After grilling, meat can be wrapped in soy-pickled perilla leaves, adding fermented salinity and a strong leaf aroma. King prawn is cooked in its shell over the brazier, retaining firm flesh beneath the fire-darkened exterior. Hot-stone bibimbap forms a toasted rice crust against the vessel before vegetables, rice, and seasoning are mixed. Wang galbitang places a large beef rib and clear broth in an earthenware bowl, creating a complete meal without using the grill. The spacious room contains numerous tables with charcoal braziers. Set menus spread several meat cuts and banchan across one table, while individual soup and stone-pot dishes occupy their own vessels. Pork jowl, sirloin, galbi, belly, and neck differ in thickness and fat distribution, so they remain on the same charcoal grate for different lengths of time. The wood-heavy interior and extensive seating make the restaurant physically different from a compact alley barbecue shop despite its location just off Itaewon's main road.