Dish guide · Meat
Yukhoe
육회
Korean beef tartare
Raw beef cut into thin strips and seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and a little sugar, usually topped with an egg yolk and served with Korean pear.
What it is
- Lean beef is cut into strips rather than minced and mixed with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and sugar.
- It usually comes with slivers of Korean pear and a raw egg yolk, and sometimes pine nuts.
- Yukhoe bibimbap puts it on top of rice and vegetables.
How to eat it
- 1Break the yolk and mix it into the beef.
- 2Eat it with the pear for sweetness and crunch.
History
- Hoe means raw dishes in Korean, and yukhoe is the beef version. Its exact origin is debated.
- It spread to Japan, where it is known as yukke.
Allergies and diet
Usually contains
- The beef and egg yolk are raw. Health authorities usually advise pregnant women, young children, older people and anyone with a weak immune system not to eat raw meat.
- Soy sauce usually contains wheat.
Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.
🗣️ Allergy card for the staff
Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.
📍 Where to try it
- 🥞
Bakganae Bindaetteok 박가네빈대떡
Market food · Jongno
One of Gwangjang Market's two famous mung bean pancake houses. You can watch the beans being ground in a stone mill out front, then sit upstairs for crispy bindaetteok, beef tartare and makgeolli.
Try: Mung bean pancake (bindaetteok)
Short wait - 🥩
Buchon Yukhoe 부촌육회
Market food · Jongno
The best-known shop on Gwangjang Market's yukhoe (beef tartare) alley, run by the same family for about 60 years. Order the beef tartare bibimbap, or go bold with yukhoe and live octopus chopped together.
Try: Beef tartare bibimbap (yukhoe bibimbap)
Short wait - 🍚
Mokmyeoksanbang 목멱산방
Home-style meals · Myeongdong
A Michelin Bib Gourmand bibimbap restaurant at the foot of Namsan, an easy stop before or after Namsan Tower. Choose from neat bowls of seasoned vegetables topped with raw Korean beef (yukhoe), bulgogi or soy-dressed wild greens, and add chili paste as you like. You order at a kiosk and collect your tray.
Try: Yukhoe bibimbap (with raw Korean beef)
Short wait - 🥩
Samwon Garden 삼원가든
Korean BBQ · Gangnam
Gangnam's landmark galbi house: a big traditional restaurant with a garden and waterfall, where Seoul families have celebrated for decades. Order the house marinated beef short ribs or plain prime Korean beef ribs, grilled at your table, or come at lunch for a bowl of galbitang and cold noodles.
Try: Samwon traditional marinated galbi
Short wait - 🥩
Yeongcheon Yeonghwa (Cheongdam) 영천영화 청담점
Korean BBQ · Gangnam
A Cheongdam house for hanwoo, Korea's prized native beef, open around the clock. It is best known for yukhoe bibimbap, rice topped with seasoned raw beef, and for grilled hanwoo rib meat. Foreign visitors, especially from Japan and China, fill the tables alongside locals.
Try: Hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef bibimbap)
30-60 min wait
Sources
We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-26.