Euljiro Korean restaurant for pork hot pot with soju: Baekok Euljiro

Today I'm writing about my visit to Baekok Euljiro (백옥 을지로), a Korean restaurant near Euljiro-ipgu Station.

Where is Baekok Euljiro?

Baekok Euljiro is in the basement 2 food court of Mirae Asset Center One, by Euljiro-ipgu Station. Ride the escalator down and it's right there on your right.

Baekok Euljiro atmosphere and evening crowds

Baekok Euljiro has a clean, tidy Korean restaurant feel that makes it easy to just sit down and eat. I enjoyed the food a ton, and I really liked the neat atmosphere. There are lots of retro-style bars in Euljiro these days, but Baekok is less about that and more a comfortable, clean place for a meal.

The staff and the owner were all kind, so it was a very satisfying meal. But maybe people just want to get away from the office area as fast as possible after work? Haha, there weren't many customers in the evening.

Since it's a Euljiro Korean place known for good gukbap (rice soup), I'd guess it gets crowded at lunchtime.

How to order and menu prices at Baekok Euljiro

At Baekok Euljiro, you scan the QR code at your table and order on your phone. Pork gomtang (pork bone soup) is the main menu item, and meals start at ₩12,000.

I came in the evening for a casual drink, so instead of a regular meal I ordered the Baekok Donbok Jaengban.

What is the Baekok Donbok Jaengban?

The Donbok Jaengban (돈복쟁반) at Baekok Euljiro is a Korean hot pot (jeongol) with several cuts of pork cooked until soft and tender, and it cost ₩49,000.

Both the ingredients and the taste felt so premium, seriously.. you can have high expectations!

For some reason that day I wasn't craving anything spicy or heavy, just something hot and Korean. But gukbap alone felt a bit lacking for an evening out. So this bowl of Donbok Jaengban, perfect with drinks, arrived.

Lion's mane mushrooms are real! So puffy and cute, right? Eat the meat in the pot first, and once there's some room, blanch the mushrooms briefly later!

Donbok Jaengban portion and pork cuts

The Donbok Jaengban comes with short ribs, cheek meat, pork jowl and pork belly all at once. The portion was pretty,,, no, really generous, and I wondered how I'd ever finish it..?

The charm of hot pot is cooking it as you eat, after all. You cook everything to your preferred doneness, and the staff kindly told us which cuts get tough if cooked too long! The water dropwort (minari) in it was my favorite part. I'm a total minari killer, you know.

How did the broth and meat taste?

Once the broth started boiling, the smell of meat and fragrant minari rose up, and it had a truly rich, nutty flavor and aroma with no gamey smell.. Every piece of meat was incredibly tender too.

Honestly I thought, wouldn't the ribs be tough?!? But with just chopsticks and a little tug of the mouth, the meat came off softly, which I loved.

A lot of hot pots these days are heavily seasoned, but Baekok Euljiro has none of that harsh, strong taste. It's a totally clean, mild Korean restaurant, so I think it would be great to bring your parents too.

The pork jowl was chewy but not tough. The pork belly was rich and nutty, and the cheek meat had a nice clean flavor.

Look at the color of this tender pork jowl.. no tomorrow, the soju just goes down, haha. It's all pork, but each cut has a different taste and texture, so picking among them is half the fun.

Is Baekok Donbok Jaengban good with soju?

The Baekok Donbok Jaengban was great with soju. I'd planned on just one bottle, but chatting over this delicious Korean dish, two bottles vanished in no time... haha.

Baekok's meat sauce

The red sauce for dipping meat at Baekok was seriously amazing.. the Baekok meat sauce is a total hit. Normally I just eat meat with a sprinkle of salt, and even at a grill restaurant I only have salt and wasabi,, but this sauce was so, so good. I'm dying to know the secret.

Finishing with vegetable shabu, and a small letdown

The meal that never ends.. there was still lots of meat left, but we had to try the mushrooms, tofu and vegetables too, right? I set the meat aside and finished with vegetable shabu.

The puffy-looking lion's mane mushrooms are just so cute. I was a tiny bit disappointed that there's no option like kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) to add at the end, but I was stuffed from the meat alone anyway, so I left some, sob, hahahaha.

Parking and visit tips for Baekok Euljiro

Parking is available at Baekok Euljiro. I went in the evening for a drink, but I'd bet there's a huge wait at lunchtime.. Anyway, if you're looking for a delicious, filling Korean restaurant near Euljiro-ipgu Station, I recommend Baekok Euljiro!

Full menu and prices at Baekok Euljiro

• Pork gomtang ₩12,000
• Yeol gomtang (spicy gomtang) ₩13,000
• Yak gomtang (herbal gomtang) ₩16,000
• Cabbage dumpling soup ₩13,000
• Cabbage dumplings ₩10,000
• Mung bean pancake (nokdujeon) ₩13,000
• Bulkkorangji ₩16,000
• Boiled pork salad (suyuk muchim) ₩13,000
• Donbok Jaengban ₩49,000
• Pork gomtang set ₩17,000
• Yeol gomtang set ₩18,000
• Yak gomtang set ₩21,000