Charcoal BBQ in Masan for a date with tender beef top blade: Shashlik

If you want good meat in Masan, Shashlik Masan Branch (샤슬릭 마산점), a BBQ spot that grills over direct charcoal fire, is a must-visit. I was happy with everything from the atmosphere to the food, and it suits both dates and family meals.

Shashlik Masan Branch location and opening hours

• Address: 7 Deokdong nam 1-gil, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon, Gyeongnam, South Korea (2nd floor)
• Closed: every Tuesday
• Hours: 11:00 - 22:00

What's the vibe? Free campfire and camping mood

From the entrance, this Masan meat restaurant feels like a campsite.

The biggest draw is the free campfire. After a good meal, sitting in front of the fire and staring into it (what Koreans call "bulmeong") feels so healing. The campfire runs from the evening on weekdays and from the daytime on weekends, so you get a different mood depending on when you visit.

The interior is cozy yet airy, so you can eat comfortably without feeling cramped, and the green view through the window makes it even more relaxing.

Menu and ordering tips for two

The menu offers many kinds of meat, including pork belly and neck, chicken thigh, lamb, prime rib, T-bone and Hanwoo (Korean beef) striploin, in regular or extra size. The regular size is about 1 to 1.5 servings, so for two people one regular plus one extra size is about right.

If you love meat, the agonizing starts the moment you open the menu. You can choose to your taste, so it's a happy kind of dilemma, and ordering by headcount is easy.

How is the Special Shashlik? Chicken, pork neck and flank in one

This time I ordered 2 Special Shashlik at ₩25,000 each. With shashlik you get side dishes plus three sauces: garlic, sweet chili and spicy.

With three sauces you can eat to your taste, and switching sauces makes even the same meat taste different. I liked that.

I usually prefer trying several things over eating just one, so I went with the Special Shashlik.

The Special Shashlik lets you taste chicken, pork neck and flank steak at once, and each cut has its own texture and flavor, which makes it fun to eat.

Flank steak that melts in your mouth

I tried the flank first, and the very first thing I noticed was the tender texture that seemed to melt in my mouth.

It was full of juice, with a nutty flavor spreading the more I chewed, and a faint charcoal aroma lifted the taste even further.

Grilled pineapple, pork neck and chicken

The golden grilled pineapple is a treat too. It was extra juicy, and its gentle sweetness cleaned up the greasy taste, so it was nice to eat in between bites.

The pork neck had an impressively chewy texture, and the chicken was light yet moist. It was only grilled over charcoal and still tasted this good, so their grilling skill is clearly something special, and I could really enjoy the meat's natural flavor.

Is Shashlik Masan Branch a good date spot?

This Masan meat restaurant is comfortable and cozy rather than noisy, so it's great for eating while talking at ease. Besides the tasty charcoal BBQ, the camping-style atmosphere makes for a different kind of date, and I recommend it.