Seocho Korean BBQ: three black pork cuts compared at Yuk Tongryeong

Today I want to introduce Yuk Tongryeong, a well-known spot for black pork samgyeopsal near Gyodae in Seocho, Seoul. They personally select domestic Jirye black pork, process it in-house, and naturally age it for over 15 days in a low-temperature aging room. The quality and flavor have earned it coverage on multiple broadcast media, plus six consecutive years on the Blue Ribbon Survey — a genuine Gyodae favorite!

Where is Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store, and is there parking?

Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store is on the 1st floor of 69 Banpo-daero 20-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, open 11:30–22:30 (last order at 22:00). It's 425m, about 6 minutes on foot, from Exit 14 of Gyodae Station, and there's parking space beside the building.

Inside Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae and the reserved table setup

The interior of Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store is spacious with plenty of tables, and even though it's a BBQ restaurant, the floor was managed cleanly without that sticky feeling.

If you book ahead, they'll set the table like this for you — and if you check Naver Place, booking and leaving a review afterward gets you a coupon for stew.

The low-temperature aging room and Blue Ribbon awards at the entrance

Right as you walk in near the entrance, you spot the aging room! Superior-grade domestic black pork from their own farm goes through a careful selection process, is processed in-house, and is naturally aged for 15+ days in this low-temperature room before it's served to customers!

And at the counter were Blue Ribbon certifications from 2021 through 2026, three consecutive years of Red Ribbon, plus various other certification plaques and awards. With that much recognition, the taste has to be guaranteed, right?

What's on the menu at Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae

The black pork menu includes yukgyeopsal (six-layer belly), king axe-bone ogyeopsal (five-layer belly), original ogyeopsal, mokssal (pork neck); domestic pork options include handmade galbi and samgyeopsal; and beef options include Hanwoo flower sirloin, beef king galbi, seasoned beef king galbi, and Hanwoo yukhoe (beef tartare). Meal options include yukhoe bibimbap, kimchi jjigae, doenjang jjigae, mul naengmyeon, and bibim naengmyeon, plus a lunch special of jjigae sets (kimchi or doenjang), sesame oil yukhoe bibimbap set, and galbi set. Check the video for full details!

Ordering one serving each of samgyeopsal, yukgyeopsal and mokssal

I was curious about the differences between the cuts, so I ordered one serving of each of the three!

The basic side dishes were salad, seasoned lettuce, pickled perilla leaves, mountain leeks, aged kimchi, garlic stems, and pickled cucumber, along with dipping sauces of ssamjang, salted shrimp, wasabi, omija (schisandra berry) syrup sauce, salted seafood, and salt.

Ta-da! The aged meat definitely looks different, right? As soon as it arrived it went straight onto the grill, and staff grilled it right there — from left, samgyeopsal, yukgyeopsal, and mokssal, and the cuts were seriously thick.

Staff charcoal grilling service at the table

Even good-quality meat can lose its true flavor if it's not grilled well, but here an experienced staff member grills it for you — not only convenient, but it means you get to taste the meat's original quality exactly as it should be.

Plus, since it's grilled over charcoal, that distinctive smoky aroma soaks in, and while the surface crisps up golden brown, there was absolutely no off smell.

Here it is grilled partway, then cut and grilled further! You could see the juices welling up thick on the cut surface, just looking at it felt moist,

Can you see the charcoal aroma soaking into the meat? The staff member grills it carefully, timing it just right!

No photo of this part, but once grilled, they plated each cut separately, so it wasn't hard to tell which was which.

Black pork cuts compared: neck, belly and six-layer belly

First, the mokssal looked thick and juicy from the start, and true to that, there was zero dryness — clean but deep pork flavor plus the charcoal smokiness gave it real depth.

The samgyeopsal was also thick-cut, and being omija-aged, it had a distinctly clean umami and depth of flavor.

This was my first time trying yukgyeopsal, so I was curious about it from the moment I ordered — I'm not exactly sure which extra layer it includes, but the chewy skin and savory fat paired well with the lean meat, giving it a fun overall texture, and it was my top pick of everything I ate that day!

After enjoying the meat's own flavor, pairing it with the side dishes kept things interesting and even more delicious~

Verdict on Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store

• Already a recognized Gyodae favorite in Seoul
• You can try special black pork cuts
• Great accessibility, close to the station
• Parking is available
• Grilling service lets you eat comfortably

For these reasons, if you're looking for a Gyodae favorite in Seoul or craving black pork samgyeopsal, it's worth a visit.