Korean BBQ in Seoul: where to go for pork and for hanwoo beef
Pork is the everyday Korean barbecue and beef is the splurge. Galmaegisal at Jeongdaepo Galmaegi near Gongdeok runs about ₩22,000, while Mongtan's straw-seared beef rib runs about ₩50,000 to ₩60,000 a head. Book the beef places ahead.
Korean barbecue means meat grilled at your table, eaten with lettuce, garlic, sauces and side dishes. Pork is the everyday version, and a pork dinner with soju is a normal night out. Hanwoo, Korean native beef, is the splurge. Our Korean restaurant basics guide covers side dishes and the two-portion rule; this post is about where to go.
Before you go
- Pork costs less than beef. Pork cuts like belly, neck and skirt are the budget choice. Hanwoo cuts cost several times more.
- Expect portions for two. Many barbecue places sell meat in servings of two or more, so it suits a pair or a group better than one person.
- Book the beef places. The beef-focused restaurants below fill within the week or are hard to get. Our reservation apps guide explains Naver and CatchTable. The market and alley pork grills take walk-ins, but the newer pork places also fill up.
- Your clothes will smell of smoke. Charcoal grills are smoky. Some places keep a bag or cover for coats.
Nine barbecue restaurants, pork to hanwoo
In no particular order; none of them paid to be here. Prices and hours are from our data as of Sep 29, 2026.
Nammae Deungsim 남매등심
A charcoal grill house inside Gwangjang Market that has been going since 1968, with big tables in one wide room. Order donggeurangttaeng: pork neck cut into rounds, marinated in sweet, spicy gochujang and grilled over coals, and there is hanwoo sirloin and grilled hagfish as well. The room is old and worn.
What to order: Donggeurangttang, gochujang-grilled pork neck (동그랑땡), Hanwoo sirloin (한우등심), Grilled hagfish (꼼장어)
- Hours
- Daily 10:30 am–midnight
- Booking
- Walk-ins welcome
Jeongdaepo Galmaegi 정대포 갈매기전문
A loud, smoky coal-grill place that three sisters run at the entrance to Mapo's galmaegi alley, a few minutes' walk from Gongdeok Station. Galmaegisal is pork skirt meat, at about ₩22,000, and egg is poured into a ring around the grill to cook with scallions and kimchi. Eat it in small batches, since it gets tough as it cools.
What to order: Galmaegisal (pork skirt / diaphragm meat), Egg-ring crust, Scallion kimchi (jjokpa / pa-kimchi)
- Hours
- Daily noon–midnight
- Booking
- Walk-ins welcome
Supgil Butcher (Yeonnam) 숲길정육점
A pork grill on the main road through Yeonnam, close to Yeontral Park. Guests sit at round tables made from drums, with a charcoal brazier in the middle. The house cut is thick cubes of pork jowl with the skin on, and staff do the grilling. The standard set is 510 g and feeds two to three people.
What to order: Kkakdug hangjeong (cube-cut pork jowl, skin-on), Samgyeopsal, Moksal (Iberico pork neck)
Good to know: Take a paper number at the door and stay close, since you must be there when it is called.
- Hours
- Daily 1 pm–1 am
- Booking
- Walk-ins welcome
Ppyeotanjip (Seochon) 뼈탄집 서촌본점
A pork belly house near Gyeongbokgung Station, split between a main building and an annex, where staff grill the meat for every table and show you how to eat it. The signature is bone-in aged pork belly, and a spicy charcoal-grilled bone dish is the other common order.
What to order: Ppyeotan Samgyeopsal, bone-in aged pork belly (뼈탄삼겹살), Spicy Charcoal-Grilled Bone (매운직화뼈구이), Gyetan-bap cheese fried rice (계탄밥)
Good to know: The bone-in belly needs at least two servings of the same cut, so it does not work for one person.
- Hours
- Daily 11:30 am–11 pm
- Booking
- Naver booking
Kim Sukseong (Itaewon) 김숙성 이태원점
A retro pork barbecue place in Itaewon that ages its pork both dry and wet, then serves the neck cut 2 cm thick. Finish with rice mixed with spicy marinated crab. Its listed hours are 24 hours a day, every day, which helps after a late night out.
What to order: 2cm-thick moksal (pork neck), Yangnyeom gejang bap, Kimchi jjigae (lunch)
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, every day
- Booking
- Takes reservations · Naver booking
Sukseongdo (Euljiro) 숙성도 을지로점
The Seoul branch of a Jeju chain known for aged black pork, on the second floor of the Four Points by Sheraton Myeongdong, a short walk from Euljiro 3-ga Station. Staff grill bone-in ribs and specialty cuts at the table. Every table gets kimchi stew plus dips of fermented anchovy and pollock roe.
What to order: Bone-in short rib (뼈갈비/뼈등심), Specialty cut premium (특수부위 프리미엄 / 가브리살), Aged pork belly (숙성 삼겹살)
Good to know: You can bring your own bottle for a ₩20,000 corkage fee.
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 11:30 am–10:30 pm · Sun 11:30 am–10:30 pm (Sat: not listed)
- Booking
- Naver booking
Songchu Gamagol In Urban (Jamsil) 송추가마골 인어반 잠실점
A newer offshoot of a marinated-rib chain founded in Mapo in 1981, down on the restaurant level under Tower 730 next to Jamsil Station. Staff grill beef short rib in a soy and garlic marinade at the table, and galbitang, a beef rib soup, is the other usual order. Private rooms with sliding doors suit families and groups.
What to order: Marinated beef short rib (송추갈비), Beef rib soup (갈비탕), Pork ribs (한돈명품구이)
- Hours
- Daily 11:15 am–9:45 pm
- Booking
- Takes reservations · Naver booking
Mongtan 몽탄
A barbecue restaurant near Samgakji Station, set in an old two-story house built in the Japanese style. The dish is udae galbi, a long dry-aged beef rib seared over burning rice straw, then cut at the table by staff, and onion fried rice made in the drippings ends the meal. Expect about ₩50,000 to ₩60,000 a head.
What to order: Udae galbi (straw-smoked long beef rib), Onion fried rice, Jipbul hangjeongsal (straw-smoked pork jowl)
Good to know: Tables are hard to get. Book well ahead, and expect a wait even then.
- Price
- ₩50,000–₩60,000 per person
- Hours
- Daily noon–10 pm
- Booking
- Reservation needed
Boreumsoe (Samseong) 보름쇠
A dry-aged beef house in Samseong, Gangnam, serving Jeju black cattle and hanwoo that staff grill at your table. Skirt steak, chuck flap and dry-aged sirloin are the main cuts, and raw beef bibimbap is the rice to finish with. It is a business-dinner kind of room, and the bill is steep at lunch and dinner.
What to order: Skirt steak (안창살), Chuck flap steak (살치살), Dry-aged sirloin (드라이에이징 등심)
Good to know: Book well ahead. Popular cuts can sell out by evening, so come early for a specific one.
- Price
- ₩40,000–₩150,000 per person
- Hours
- Daily 11:30 am–10 pm
- Booking
- Naver booking
What to order the first time
For pork, samgyeopsal (belly) is the default, and moksal (neck) is leaner. Galmaegisal (skirt) and hangjeongsal (jowl) are the cuts regulars look for. For beef, deungsim (sirloin) and galbi (short rib, often marinated) are the classic orders. End the meal the Korean way, with a stew, cold noodles or fried rice made on the grill. For more classic dishes, see what to order at a Korean restaurant.
How we picked these
Every place here is a Korean barbecue restaurant in our data. We aimed for a spread from market pork grills to hanwoo dining rooms, and noted who grills and how to get a table where our data says so. Hours and prices come from each listing and our own research, so check before you go.
Questions
Can I eat Korean barbecue alone?
It can be hard, because many barbecue places sell meat in portions for two. At Ppyeotanjip, for example, the bone-in pork belly needs at least two servings. A soup or noodle shop is easier for one; see our post on eating alone in Seoul.
Is there Korean barbecue open all night?
Kim Sukseong in Itaewon lists hours of 24 hours a day, every day. Jeongdaepo Galmaegi and Nammae Deungsim stay open until midnight.
Do I have to cook the meat myself?
Not at every place. At Supgil, Ppyeotanjip, Sukseongdo, Songchu Gamagol and Boreumsoe, staff grill the meat at your table, and at Mongtan staff cut the straw-seared rib at the table.
Sources
- SeoulSearch place data (as of 2026-09-29)
- SeoulSearch guide: Korean restaurant basics
- SeoulSearch guide: Reservation apps for foreigners