Roomy, well-ventilated shaved pork buffet in Jamsilsaenae: Muhan Paldo

On a day when I wanted to eat my fill of meat in Jamsilsaenae without worrying about the bill, I went looking for a good spot and ended up at Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch (무한팔도대패 잠실새내점).

Location and hours of Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae

The restaurant is at 57 Baekjegobun-ro 7-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Unit 102 on the 1st floor, and it was an easy walk from Jamsilsaenae Station. Once I turned into the alley the shop was easy to spot, so access is pretty good if you are looking for a meal near the station.

It is also not far from the Sports Complex, so it looked like a good stop before or after a baseball game, or when you have a get-together around Jamsil. The restaurant is open daily from 11:00 to 24:00, and parking and group seating are reportedly available.

A roomy restaurant: what about the meat smell?

The inside was bigger and cleaner than I expected. There were plenty of tables, so it looked fine for a meal with friends or a group gathering.

Since it is a place where you grill meat, I worried about the smell, but the ventilation was good and it did not bother me much during the meal. If you are looking for a place in Jamsilsaenae where a group can eat meat together, the atmosphere is worth a look.

₩18,900 for 6 kinds of all-you-can-eat shaved pork

The biggest draw of Muhan Paldo Daepae is that you can bring over as much meat as you like, in many varieties. For ₩18,900 per adult, you get a nice range of shaved meats: Handon shaved pork (daepae, thinly sliced pork), beef brisket (usamgyeop), frozen pork belly, shaved pork neck, flower pork belly and shaved pork belly, 6 kinds in total.

You do not order the meat; you just fetch whatever kind you want yourself. So rather than piling up one kind at the start, it works well to take a little of each and taste around. With all-you-can-eat you might worry about the quality of the meat, but grilling it myself it was better than I expected, so I happily went back for refills several times.

True to the strength of shaved meat, the slices are thin and cook fast. You do not have to wait long over the grill, so you can eat right away. The nutty flavor of the thin meat was good too, and swapping between the different cuts really made the all-you-can-eat format shine.

What are the 8 Paldo sauces?

Muhan Paldo Daepae has 8 sauces themed around the eight provinces (paldo), so you can pick to your taste. It is not just the meat that comes in variety; the sauces do too.

• Basic soy sauce
• Cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste)
• Gochujang (red chili paste)
• Saeujeot (salted shrimp)
• Makjang (thick soybean paste)
• Mustard
• Perilla oil soy sauce
• Maeljeot (salted anchovy dip)

Dipping each bite in a different sauce changes the feel of the same meat, and trying out combinations turned out to be surprisingly fun.

Lettuce wraps and various side dishes were also free to grab at the self-bar. There were vegetables that grill well alongside the meat, which made it easy to keep the grill full.

Not just unlimited meat: the self-bar and Han River ramyeon

What made Muhan Paldo Daepae feel like even better value was how much you can enjoy besides the meat. There were sides like bean sprouts, shredded scallions, wrap vegetables and kimchi, plus mushrooms and onions that are great grilled with the meat.

Han River ramyeon (한강라면, instant noodles cooked yourself) was also unlimited. There were different kinds, such as Jin Ramyeon, Yeol Ramyeon and Chamkkae Ramyeon, perfect for when you start craving noodles mid-meal. At many all-you-can-eat meat places, ramyeon or rice can cost extra, so I liked that Muhan Paldo Daepae lets you use several sides too.

Finishing with shaved pork fried rice

After you have eaten a fair amount of meat, fried rice is hard to skip, right? You can chop up the meat you were grilling and fry it with rice, so it stayed hearty all the way to the end.

With the nutty flavor from the meat and a bit of sauce, the rice and shaved pork went together well as a closer. Because the meat is thin, the texture was not heavy in the fried rice either. I was already quite full, yet it was a combination I kept reaching for, and I cleaned it up happily.

Soju price and time limit

At Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae, soju is ₩3,000 per bottle, and there is also an unlimited soju option, which suits people who like meat with a drink. These days eating out and ordering alcohol with the meat adds up quickly, but with so much variety from the meat to the sides, the cost felt lighter.

The time limit is reportedly 120 minutes on weekdays and 100 minutes on weekends. Eating there myself, it did not feel tight for going back several times and enjoying the sides. After the meal you can also have a slushie, which was a nice cool finish after a hearty meat meal.

Overall verdict on Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae

What I liked about Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae is that for ₩18,900 you get unlimited access to 6 kinds of meat, plus side dishes, sauces, ramyeon and fried rice. With so many kinds of meat, it did not feel like eating one thing over and over; it was fun taking a little of each and picking by taste.

If you want to eat lots of meat in Jamsilsaenae without worrying about the price, or need a spot for meat and soju with friends, give Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae a try. From meat to sides to the slushie finish, it is a place worth remembering when you want a filling meal.