Yeoju restaurant for chewy rice cakes and dakgalbi: Seorak Makguksu

Looking for charcoal-grilled dakgalbi by Yeoju IC?

If you want properly charcoal-grilled dakgalbi in Yeoju, I’d recommend this place 🔥 I had only thought of dakgalbi as something stir-fried on a hot plate, but grilling it over charcoal gave it such a distinctly different flavor.

The place I visited this time was Seorak Makguksu Chuncheon Dakgalbi Yeoju IC Branch (설악막국수 춘천닭갈비 여주IC점). It is right in front of Yeoju IC, so it was really easy to get to. It is also about a 5-minute drive from Yeoju Premium Outlets, making it a nice meal stop before or after shopping.

There is also a large parking lot in front of the restaurant, so driving is convenient—and even beginner drivers or beginner parkers can park comfortably.

Seorak Makguksu Chuncheon Dakgalbi Yeoju IC Branch is a restaurant selected by Mommom, a parenting platform! It was chosen as a place worth visiting with children, and when I went, there were lots of families dining with their kids.

Inside, the atmosphere was clean and spacious. It is a large restaurant that can seat up to 100 people, so the tables were nicely spread out too. It is easy to reach whether you are looking for somewhere to eat after shopping at Yeoju Outlets or stopping by after a round at a nearby golf course.

There is a Naver receipt review event going on too! The free item is either a buckwheat pancake or a drink, so be sure to join in and try the pancake~!

Dakgalbi, makguksu, and side dishes

The menu centers on charcoal-grilled dakgalbi, with spicy-marinated and soy sauce versions, plus makguksu (buckwheat noodles) and sides that go well with the chicken. There were also dishes such as buckwheat pancakes, steamed buckwheat dumplings, and buckwheat kimchi dumplings, which would be great sides if you come as a group. We ordered dakgalbi and makguksu together ✌🏻

The banchan (Korean side dishes) included wrap vegetables, garlic, ssamjang, fresh shredded radish, pickled perilla leaves, young radish kimchi, dongchimi radish-water kimchi, and shredded cabbage. You can help yourself to as much extra banchan as you need at the self-serve bar!

Soy sauce and spicy dakgalbi filled with charcoal aroma

And then, finally, the charcoal-grilled dakgalbi arrived! Unlike typical dakgalbi cooked on a hot plate, you grill this directly over white charcoal, and a subtle charcoal aroma rose up as soon as we started grilling.

Seeing the dakgalbi turn beautifully golden, I was reminded again that food grilled over charcoal just tastes different. The charcoal aroma went so well with the sweet-salty seasoning, and the chicken was tender too, so I really enjoyed it.

A staff member grilled the dakgalbi for us, and they were reaaally thoughtful: they used two separate sets of tongs so the soy sauce and gochujang-based marinades would not get mixed together. 👍🏻

Thanks to the separate tongs, I could enjoy the soy sauce dakgalbi as soy sauce dakgalbi and the marinated dakgalbi as marinated dakgalbi, with each flavor clearly distinct. I was very satisfied.

I also liked that they did not remove the charcoal right away; they adjusted the grill so we could eat warmly until the end without burning anything! The sweet-salty soy sauce dakgalbi had sooo much charcoal aroma soaked into it that the smoky flavor burst through my mouth with the first bite. Its sweet-and-savory charm made it a true rice thief—I kept reaching for more rice.

It has another delicious side to it with cabbage too, so give that combination a try 🥢

And the spicy-marinated dakgalbi! Of course it was delicious on its own because it was seasoned, but it was even tastier with the other side dishes too, haha. The skin crisped up beautifully over the charcoal while the meat stayed moist and super tender!

The vegetables were fresh too, so it was good wrapped in ssam!

Included rice cakes and refreshing cold broth makguksu

To finish, the rice cakes 💕 We did not add them, but it seems a few pieces come as standard! Still, I am definitely adding extra rice cakes next time~ They were wonderfully chewy, and as the little bit of sauce on them grilled, the savory flavor became incredible.

You cannot leave out makguksu when eating dakgalbi, either! We ordered mul makguksu, or cold broth buckwheat noodles, and the broth was seriously sooo refreshing while the noodles were springy. Taking a sweet-and-tangy bite of makguksu between bites of chicken made my mouth feel cleansed. The rich dakgalbi and tangy makguksu went so well together that I thought, once again, you really cannot go wrong with the dakgalbi-plus-makguksu combo.

There are many golf courses in Yeoju, so plenty of people look for somewhere to eat after a round. It is also in a decent location for stopping by after visiting nearby courses such as Yeoju CC or Nam Yeoju CC.

Even dessert coffee 🤎 Above all, I loved how easy it was to get to, right by Yeoju IC and close to Yeoju Outlets. If you are looking for dakgalbi near Yeoju Outlets, it would be a nice place to stop before or after shopping; it is also a great choice when you want charcoal-grilled dakgalbi and makguksu together in Yeoju. This is my recommendation for a hearty dakgalbi meal at Seorak Makguksu Chuncheon Dakgalbi Yeoju IC Branch ◡̎