Samgyeopsal is thick-cut pork belly grilled at the table over charcoal or gas, wrapped in perilla leaf with garlic, ssamjang and doenjang paste.

Samgyeopsal (literally three-layer flesh) refers to the three layers of fat and meat visible in a thick-cut pork belly slice. It became a staple of Korean restaurant culture in the 1980s when refrigeration made fresh pork belly widely available outside rural areas. The dish is inseparable from the social ritual of the Korean grill table: small gas burners or charcoal grills built into every table, shared with a group, the meat cut with scissors when cooked. Jeju Island's heuk dwaeji (black pork) produces a particularly celebrated samgyeopsal: the Jeju black pig, a heritage breed, has higher fat marbling and a distinctive flavour compared to mainland pork.

1 editor pick for Samgyeopsal in Seoul, ranked by editorial score. All Seoul signature dishes · Samgyeopsal across every city.

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