Yangju galbi restaurant with baby-friendly private room: Manpo Garden

After swimming with the family at Island Castle water park in Uijeongbu, we had to eat some meat, right? So we headed to Manpo Garden, famous as a Yangju galbi (pork rib) spot.

• 28-37 Godeok-ro 355beon-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Daily 11:00–22:00

Saturday 7pm, waiting even with a reservation

Oh, it's bigger than I expected! We arrived around 6:50pm on a Saturday, and there were quite a few people waiting even though we had a reservation. We had booked ahead but still walked in a bit nervous!

A private room for two babies, complete with baby chairs

The owner set us up in a private room, and the side dishes were all laid out already! We'd noted two babies when booking, and they had baby chairs, a baby spoon, and even a fork ready. I was worried eating in the main hall with babies would be chaotic, so this was really touching 🥹🥹 The owner is so kind 👍

The room was upscale and clean, perfect for a family gathering or an important meal with guests. Of course, the main hall also has quite wide seating spacing, so you can eat comfortably there too!

What we ordered and the prices

We were hungry after swimming so we ordered right away 🍗🍖

• Hanwoo-style pork galbi, 5 servings (₩19,000 each)
• Chadol dwenjang jjigae (₩6,000)
• Rice (₩1,000)
• Pudding steamed egg (₩3,000)

Basic side dishes — with yukhoe and yukjeon included

The side dishes were arranged so neatly it put me in a good mood before I even started eating, haha. Pickled gungchae (aster stems), garlic scape jangajji, potato salad, dwenjang-seasoned chili mix, mu-saengchae (radish salad), and baek-kimchi samchae mix all came out — great with the meat.

⭐️And get this, yukhoe (raw beef tartare) and yukjeon (pan-fried beef) come as basic side dishes too!! Wow, I think this is the first place I've seen give out yukhoe and yukjeon for free, haha. My hungry niece polished off the yukjeon and half a bowl of rice in no time.

The hanwoo-style pork galbi is real rib meat

The hanwoo-style pork galbi is genuinely rib meat!! A lot of places give you pork shoulder or meat stuck onto a pork bone instead, but this is the real thing, haha. Truly living up to its reputation as a Yangju galbi spot~~~

It sizzles away over charcoal~~ Since it's marinated, it burns fast, so you have to flip it often!

We ate it with pickled onions and fresh vegetable salad, and the pork galbi wasn't dry at all — really moist.

Pudding steamed egg and chadol dwenjang jjigae

The steamed egg and chadol dwenjang jjigae came out together. Wow?! It really does look like pudding, matching its name perfectly, haha 🍮🍮 So soft and smooth, easy to slurp down.

The dwenjang jjigae was loaded with chadol (beef brisket). It was spicier than I expected, which the adults appreciated for that kick 🌶️

We happily worked through all the side dishes and wraps too, haha.

Refill side dishes at the self-serve bar

If you run out of any side dish, you just grab more from the self-serve bar. Salad refills at other places can sometimes feel awkward to ask for, but since it's self-serve here, you can help yourself freely 🥗

Free handmade naengmyeon for everyone

After eating our fill without a break, haha — the best thing about Manpo Garden!! ⭐️They give free handmade naengmyeon (cold noodles) to each person. Where else does that~~~

The bibim (mixed) naengmyeon is sweet-and-salty and pairs perfectly with the pork galbi, while the mul (broth) naengmyeon is tangy-sweet and totally resets your stomach after all that meat, haha. It's about the size of a dessert portion but still quite filling. What a treat 😆😆

Dessert: beontugi ice cream and an ice cup

For the final dessert, there's an ice cup too, so you can take out an iced Americano ☕️ and there's also beontugi (puffed rice) ice cream 💥💥🍦🍦

The puffed rice keeps popping out of the machine one after another, haha, which is fun to watch too. You take a piece of puffed rice, put ice cream on top, and you've got beontugi ice cream 🤗

The ice cream is a nice quality vanilla!! It's my first time trying it with puffed rice, but it goes together surprisingly well, haha. We really enjoyed even the dessert 👍👍

How the family reacted

Everyone in my pork galbi-loving family was happy with the atmosphere, taste, and hospitality overall, which made me proud, haha. My dessert-loving dad seemed to really love the beontugi ice cream... ha. If you're looking for a great Yangju galbi restaurant, I highly recommend this place.