Han Yang

Sit down at Han Yang in Okachimachi, and a generous mound of sliced pork belly quickly arrives to fill the tabletop. In this unadorned room, the meal revolves around hearty Korean comfort food cooked directly before you. Meat sears steadily across specialized tilted grill pans featuring a central well that channels away excess rendered fat. Wrapped in fresh sanchu lettuce with raw garlic and kimchi, the crisped pork slices eat surprisingly light, keeping chopsticks moving through the substantial platter.

House-made banchan holds equal weight alongside the pork, with deeply fermented garlic chive and napa cabbage kimchis cutting cleanly through the richness. Diners with remaining appetite often turn to the savory pancakes, notable for their impressive thickness and diameter. Griddled until crisp on the crust and tender within, they make an ideal centerpiece for sharing around the table.

Adding to the ease of the evening, diners retrieve their own bottles of cold beer or makgeolli straight from the refrigerator, lending the space the informal, communal energy of a back-alley Seoul eatery. The restaurant operates solely for dinner with limited capacity, making an advance reservation advisable for groups. Payment is cash only, and staff will kindly pack up unhurried leftover cooked meat to take home.