No-wait 5pm weekday beef grill house in Banpo, Seoul: Ugojip

Ugojip, a beef grill restaurant near Express Bus Terminal in Banpo

I was looking for somewhere to eat dinner near Express Bus Terminal and ended up at Ugojip. I let Nyong pick the dinner menu and, of course, he said beef again lol, so we headed to Ugojip since it's close to the terminal and reasonably priced. The meat quality and taste were great for the price — left very satisfied!

Where Ugojip is and when we went: basement of Banpo Shopping Town Building 5

Ugojip is on the basement level (B1) of Banpo Shopping Town Building 5. It's really close to Express Bus Terminal, so it's great for a meal while shopping or running errands nearby, or right before/after catching an intercity bus.

It opens at 3pm, and we visited on a weekday just before 5pm, so it was still fairly quiet. Being a bit early meant we could eat at a relaxed pace, but I noticed a waitlist sign-up sheet at the entrance — seems like a popular spot with a wait during peak meal times.

Friendly service that made Ugojip even better

The moment we walked into Ugojip, what struck me was how friendly the staff was! They greeted us warmly from the start and kept checking in throughout the meal to make sure we had everything we needed, which made for a very comfortable dining experience.

Ugojip's menu and the price of the 400g couple set

Here's the Ugojip menu — I also liked that you can get wine at a reasonable price. We ordered the couple set 400g for 49,000 won, perfect for two, plus a bowl of rice for 1,500 won. 400g of beef for 49,000 won is such a good deal!

Side dishes and what comes with the Ugojip couple set

Every one of the side dishes served alongside was solid. I especially loved that they had myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves), which paired really nicely with a piece of grilled meat.

The couple set is made up of woo samgyeop, galbisal, and tosisal along with vegetables, and it comes with doenjang jjigae as well.

How do the woo samgyeop, galbisal and tosisal taste?

Starting with woo samgyeop — the best thing about it is that it cooks quickly, so you can dig in fast lol. The meat quality was good, tender and savory.

Next they grilled the galbisal and tosisal for us. The grill and heat were both great, so the meat cooked up beautifully in no time. Both cuts were delicious, but the chewy texture of the galbisal was especially good!

They also grilled up some zucchini and king oyster mushrooms.

The doenjang jjigae included with the Ugojip set

The doenjang jjigae that comes with the set was super hearty too. It was loaded with tofu and beef brisket, which went perfectly with rice, and the broth was rich and tasty — we really enjoyed it.

Final verdict on Ugojip, a Banpo beef grill restaurant

Overall, the meat quality and taste were great, but what stood out most was the fair pricing. Ugojip is easily accessible from Express Bus Terminal, the staff were friendly, and everything from the meat to the side dishes was satisfying. If you're near Express Bus Terminal looking for good, reasonably priced Korean BBQ, I'd recommend this Banpo spot!

• Address: Basement, Building 5, Banpo Shopping Town, 195 Sinbanpo-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 15:00–23:00
• Last order: 22:00