Korean BBQ in Seoul: Samgyeopsal, Galbi and Bulgogi
Grilling meat at the table is one of the best ways to eat in Seoul: pork belly with soju, marinated beef short ribs for a celebration, and old-style bulgogi. Here are the barbecue places in our guide, with what to order and how to wrap each bite.
24 places in our guide
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Hanilkwan (Apgujeong) 한일관 압구정점
Korean BBQ · Gangnam · Since 1939
Seoul's grand old name for bulgogi, serving since 1939. Its Seoul-style bulgogi is thin, sweet-savory marinated beef cooked at the table in a little broth, and the lunch sets add grilled galbi, rice and a spread of side dishes. A polished, family-friendly dining room where Koreans celebrate birthdays and meet in-laws.
Try: Seoul-style bulgogi
Short wait - 🍚
Jingogae 진고개
Home-style meals · Myeongdong · Since 1963
A classic Korean restaurant in Chungmuro since 1963, where Seoulites take parents, clients and out-of-town guests. The signature is galbi-jjim, beef short ribs braised until they fall apart, served as a set meal with rice and side dishes; eobokjaengban hot pot and its stuffed-cucumber kimchi are other favorites.
Try: Galbi-jjim set (braised beef short ribs)
No wait - 🥩
Joseonok 조선옥
Korean BBQ · Euljiro · Since 1937
A tiny alley restaurant serving marinated beef short ribs grilled over coal briquettes since 1937. It is one of the oldest galbi houses in Seoul, now run by the third generation.
Try: Marinated beef short ribs (yangnyeom so-galbi)
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Mapo Jinjja Wonjo Choedaepo 마포진짜원조최대포 본점
Korean BBQ · Yeouido & Mapo · Since 1956
Keeper of Mapo's old pork barbecue tradition since 1956. Marinated pork ribs and salt-grilled pork are cooked at the table with chewy pork skin on the side, the meal this neighborhood has been known for since the 1950s. It recently moved to a new site by Daeheung Station.
Try: Dwaeji-galbi (marinated pork ribs)
Short wait - 🍜
Woo Lae Oak 우래옥
Noodles · Euljiro · Since 1946
Open since 1946, Woo Lae Oak is one of Seoul's oldest and most famous Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle) houses. Its beefy broth makes it a friendly first bowl for naengmyeon beginners.
Try: Traditional Pyongyang naengmyeon
1 hr+ wait - 🥩
Yeokjeon Hoegwan (Mapo) 역전회관 마포본점
Korean BBQ · Yeouido & Mapo · Since 1962
The home of bassak bulgogi: thin marinated beef pressed flat and seared until the edges crisp. This multi-generation Michelin Bib Gourmand is also known for spicy stir-fried octopus, and its large dining rooms make it a comfortable place for a full Korean meal.
Try: Bassak bulgogi (crisp-seared beef)
Short wait - 🥩
Dadogine Sutbul-gui 다독이네숯불구이
Korean BBQ · Noryangjin
A hugely popular charcoal grill in Noryangjin. Bone-in pork belly and marinated pork ribs are cooked over charcoal, and staff help with the grilling. Lines start early and can reach a couple of hours on Friday nights.
Try: Ppyeo-samgyeop galbi (bone-in pork belly)
1 hr+ wait - 🥩
Dosan Jeongyuk (Cheongdam) 도산정육 청담본점
Korean BBQ · Gangnam
A busy pork barbecue house in Apgujeong Rodeo where staff grill aged pork belly and neck at your table from start to finish. Celebrity visits have made it a favorite with foreign visitors, and the evening line shows it.
Try: Aged samgyeopsal (pork belly)
30-60 min wait - 🥩
Geumdwaeji Sikdang 금돼지식당
Korean BBQ · Dongdaemun
Seoul's most famous pork barbecue, near Yaksu Station, and one of the hardest tables in the city to get. Staff grill thick bone-in pork belly and marbled "snowflake" pork neck over a hot grill until crisp, and you wrap it with fresh basil. Join the queue as early as you can.
Try: Bon-samgyeop (bone-in pork belly)
1 hr+ wait - 🥩
Haengbokhan Sikdang 행복한식당
Korean BBQ · Seongsu
An old-school pork belly joint under an orange awning near Seongsu Station, untouched by the area's cafe makeover. Thick fresh samgyeopsal comes by the 'pan' (500 g, or a half pan), with a doenjang stew for a couple of thousand won. At lunch it serves a home-style set meal instead.
Try: Fresh samgyeopsal, a full pan (500 g) or half pan (250 g)
Short wait - 🍚
Halmeoni's Recipe 할머니의 레시피
Home-style meals · Seongsu
Neat, home-style Korean set meals by Seoul Forest, the kind of 'grandmother's cooking' its name promises. Choose a ssambap set (rice with leafy wraps), bibimbap with bulgogi or a hanwoo tteokgalbi (grilled beef patty) set, each with a spread of side dishes.
Try: Ssambap set (rice, wraps and sides)
Short wait - 🥩
Jamsugyojip (Haebangchon) 잠수교집 해방촌 직영점
Korean BBQ · Itaewon
Retro Korean barbecue in Haebangchon, the hillside neighborhood above Itaewon. The specialty is naengsam, thin slices of frozen pork belly that crisp up in seconds on the grill, served on an old-fashioned tray with sides. Finish with kimchi fried rice or a spicy squid stew, and stay late: it's open until 2 a.m.
Try: Naengsam (frozen pork belly)
30-60 min wait - 🥩
Mongtan 몽탄
Korean BBQ · Itaewon
The barbecue that turned Samgakji into a food destination. Its signature is ude-galbi, a giant beef short rib on the bone, first smoked over burning rice straw for a deep, smoky flavor, then grilled at your table by staff. Finish with fried rice made in the drippings. Expect one of Seoul's longest lines.
Try: Jjipbul ude-galbi (straw-smoked beef short rib)
30-60 min wait - 🍜
Nampo Myeonok 남포면옥
Noodles · Myeongdong
A decades-old North Korean-style restaurant tucked in the Da-dong alleys between City Hall and Myeongdong. Come for eobokjaengban, sliced beef and offal simmered on a wide brass platter at your table, then cool off with Pyongyang naengmyeon in a light radish-kimchi broth and a plate of dumplings.
Try: Eobokjaengban (beef hot pot on a brass platter)
Short wait - 🥩
Namyeongdon 남영돈
Korean BBQ · Namdaemun & Seoul Station
One of Seoul's most talked-about pork barbecue houses, in Namyeong-dong near Sookmyung Women's University. Special cuts like hangjeong-sal (pork jowl) and gabeuri-sal (a marbled shoulder cut) go over real charcoal. Expect to queue.
Try: Hangjeong-sal (pork jowl)
30-60 min wait - 🥩
Onmigwan (Anguk) 온미관 안국점
Korean BBQ · Seochon & Bukchon
A Korean restaurant by Bukchon, popular for Seoul-style beef bulgogi set meals, clear beef soup and eobok-jaengban. The food is mild rather than spicy and the menu has photos, so it's an easy choice for visitors after walking the hanok lanes.
Try: Seoul-style beef bulgogi
Short wait - 🥩
Pul Tteunneun Dwaeji 풀뜯는돼지
Korean BBQ · Hongdae
A Yeonnam-dong barbecue place whose name means "the pig that eats grass": thick pork belly grilled for you with heaps of minari (Korean water parsley), eaten wrapped in pickled radish instead of lettuce. Nearly everything on the short menu comes with minari, and it is a regular stop for foreign visitors exploring Yeonnam-dong.
Try: Minari samgyeopsal
30-60 min 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 - 🥩
Taehyeong Sikdang 태형식당
Korean BBQ · Jamsil
A cheerful old-school pork grill in the Bangi-dong food alley, not far from Lotte World. Order frozen pork belly (naengsam) or fresh samgyeopsal, and grill whole-leaf kimchi beside it. A pot of kimchi stew rounds it off.
Try: Naengsam (frozen pork belly)
Short wait - 🥩
Useong Galbi 우성갈비
Korean BBQ · Dongdaemun
An old pork-rib joint by Yaksu Market that sells just two things: marinated pork galbi and pork skin. The ribs are first seared over charcoal briquettes in the kitchen, then finished at your table. On warm nights everyone eats outside on oil-drum tables in the alley.
Try: Dwaeji-galbi (marinated pork ribs)
Locals' pick - 🥩
Wangbijib (Myeongdong main branch) 왕비집 명동본점
Korean BBQ · Myeongdong
The Korean barbecue restaurant most first-time visitors to Myeongdong end up at. Staff grill marinated pork ribs, beef and pork belly over charcoal at your table, so you don't need to know what you're doing. Wangbijib has several branches around Myeongdong; this is the main one, near Myeongdong Station.
Try: Dwaeji-galbi (marinated pork ribs)
Short wait - 🥩
Wolhwa Sikdang (Mapo) 월화식당 마포본점
Korean BBQ · Yeouido & Mapo
A polished pork barbecue restaurant between Mapo and Gongdeok stations. Aged pork belly and neck go on a heavy cast-iron lid, and staff cook them for you from start to finish. It holds a Blue Ribbon and draws plenty of foreign visitors.
Try: Beeswax-aged samgyeopsal (pork belly)
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 - 🥩
Yukjeon Sikdang (Sinseol-dong main branch) 육전식당 신설동본점
Korean BBQ · Dongdaemun
The pork barbecue that made thick-cut pork famous in Seoul. Whole slabs of pork neck and belly, several centimeters thick, are grilled for you by staff until crisp outside and juicy inside. A steamed egg and kimchi jjigae round out the meal.
Try: Tong-moksal (thick-cut pork neck)
Short wait