Namak BBQ restaurant with three half plates and jjagyechi: Ubokgeum

Second night of our Mokpo trip. We'd heard there'd be fireworks at Peace Square that evening, so the plan was to grab dinner nearby and then catch the show.

But when we actually got to Peace Square, there were way more cars than expected. Parking alone looked impossible, so we decided to eat somewhere else first and head over later.

Looking around nearby, our kid said she wanted meat, and that's how we landed at Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Mokpo Namak Branch.

It wasn't on our original itinerary at all, but on trips, places you stumble into like this sometimes end up being the ones you remember most.

Where Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Mokpo Namak Branch is, and where to park

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Mokpo Namak Branch is on the first floor of a building on Daejukseo-ro in Samhyang-eup, Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do. Easy to find by address, and about 10–15 minutes by car from Peace Square and other major sights.

Parking was available in the building's basement. On a Saturday around 7pm, there were still 2–3 spots left.

Apparently this is a spot a lot of locals in the Mokpo area go to these days when they're craving meat in Muan!

Hours are weekdays 12:00–24:00, weekends 11:00–24:00. When we visited on a Saturday around 7pm, it was already busy even from outside.

Inside Ubokgeum Saenggalbi: clean dining hall and private rooms

Inside, tables were full of dinner crowds as expected, but the space was bigger and cleaner than I'd pictured.

A room happened to open up, so we were seated in the room shown in the photo.

There are separate private group rooms like this available.

Good for a family meal, but it also looks like a solid spot for group gatherings or work dinners.

We got lucky landing a room — since it doubled as our kid's birthday dinner during the trip, having a quiet, private space to eat was really nice.

Menu and prices at this Muan Namak galbi restaurant

As the name suggests, Ubokgeum Saenggalbi's main draw is fresh (unseasoned) galbi, but the meat menu also includes beef fresh ribs, beef seasoned ribs, pork fresh ribs, and seasoned pork ribs.

What stood out most was the half-plate option. Beyond full plates, there are half plates too, which made it easy to order and taste a little of several kinds.

Beyond meat, there's also a solid range of meal dishes: Korean beef tartare bibimbap, Korean beef tartare cold noodles, cold noodles, kimchi-wrapped noodles, bean sprout hangover stew, Ubokgeum doenjang stew, and steamed egg.

What the family ordered: three half plates

• Beef fresh ribs, half plate — 250g / ₩29,000
• Beef seasoned ribs, half plate — 250g / ₩29,000
• Pork fresh ribs, half plate — 270g / ₩21,000
• Jjagyechi — ₩5,000
• Rice — ₩1,000

From left: beef seasoned ribs half plate, pork fresh ribs half plate, beef fresh ribs half plate. We ate through all this, then ordered one more of the seasoned ribs, which our kid loved most.

Jjagyechi, the noodle dish that pairs best with the ribs

Our kid also wanted jjagyechi ramyeon, and it ended up coming out first!

It's a slightly spicy black bean noodle dish with cheese and egg added — the thick, savory black bean sauce plus cheese basically puts jjapaguri to shame when you eat it with meat.

Eating it with the mustard leaf kimchi that came as a side was pure gold.

A bit of a shame we couldn't eat it together with the meat since the meat came out late, but the melt-in-your-mouth beef ribs still paired with it perfectly as an appetizer.

Beef fresh ribs (250g half plate)

We started by grilling the beef fresh ribs, and I loved that staff grilled everything from start to finish.

Since it's unseasoned fresh galbi, it was great for tasting the savory flavor of the beef itself.

Grilling the fresh rib meat with the bone still on until golden brought out a rich meaty aroma, and it was tender enough that it was great to eat with the kid too.

Wrapped in green onion strips, it was soft, savory, and slightly sharp — really something.

The complimentary steamed egg

Steamed egg also came out midway, which was nice to have while the meat was grilling.

Beef seasoned ribs (250g half plate)

Next was the beef seasoned ribs. Despite the name, it wasn't overly sweet in style.

Seasoned just enough that eating it with the rice gave a sweet, savory depth and a soft texture — our kid ate it well too.

Switching back and forth between fresh and seasoned ribs made the flavor difference really clear — ordering several kinds together instead of just one was great for figuring out our preference.

Trimmed like LA galbi when staff grilled it, it was delicious plain or dipped in the various sauces.

Pork fresh ribs (270g half plate)

We also ordered pork fresh ribs, and they were genuinely clean and savory.

Compared to the beef, the texture was a bit chewier, and grilled crispy it was so good.

The crispy grilled pork rib meat looked just like samgyeopsal (pork belly).

Once the meat part was trimmed off while grilling, the remaining bones turned into back ribs — ta-da, and my husband and I split those between us.

Finishing off with the tasty doenjang stew and a bowl of rice made for a really filling ending.

A local hotspot Muan BBQ restaurant we discovered during our Mokpo trip, wrapping up dinner on our last night.

Is Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Mokpo Namak Branch worth a visit?

We found this place on a whim during our Mokpo trip and ended up eating comfortably and well at a restaurant that wasn't even on our plan — it shifted the whole flow of the trip a bit.

After finishing our meal, the timing lined up with the 8pm fireworks, so we headed to a nearby waterfront park to catch them from a distance.

We were able to watch the fireworks from a waterfront park close to the restaurant, which actually let us enjoy them comfortably while avoiding the crowds and traffic jamming up Peace Square. Good meat for dinner, fireworks with the family afterward — the second night of our Mokpo trip didn't go as planned, but it turned out to be a pretty perfect day in the end.