Koreatown wasn’t always Koreatown. In the early 2000s, before local interest in Korean dramas and K-pop singers shot up, samgyeopsal specialist Tonchang was among the first few Korean restaurants to open in the area, leading to a proliferation of businesses that made Shin-Okubo what it is today. Though the restaurant chain – which has since set up about a dozen other outposts in the city over the last two decades – now has plenty of competition, it still thrives doing what it does best: offering cheap yet unequivocally delicious sets of barbecued pork belly.
The outpost on the main road, Okubo-dori, was recently updated to double down on its focus on the signature samgyeopsal sets, even using higher-quality pork than the other Tonchang restaurants, which all have expansive menus of Korean-style katsu curry, japchae and different variations of bibimbap. With a retro neon storefront sign adorned with Tonchang’s pink mascot pig and mosaic tiles on the interior, this small yet characterful streetside restaurant embraces the simple, rustic pleasures of sharing good, honest food at a round metal table with a group of pals.
The barbecue sets are priced from ¥1,580 per person and come with a generous heap of thick-cut pork belly slices to be cooked on a griddle at the table with a heap of sliced spring onions, kimchi, tofu and garlic cloves. This is paired with an assortment of banchan (Korean appetisers), lettuce for wrapping your pork, and sauces (sesame oil, ssamjang soy paste) for dipping. For an extra ¥300, you can add kimchi fried rice or mul naengmyeon (noodles in chilled broth).