Sangwangsimni Korean BBQ date with a heaping rice bowl: Yukseong

Looking for a corkage-free BBQ place where they grill the meat for you? Yukseong in Wangsimni

These days lots of BBQ restaurants grill the meat for you, and I heard Yukseong in Wangsimni was the hot one, so we headed there for a date dinner! Corkage-free, a kind owner with great service, and a griller whose skills I loved. Let me tell you all about Yukseong (육성)!

Where is Yukseong in Sangwangsimni, and what are its hours?

Yukseong is at 1F, 97 Muhakbong-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, and opens at 16:00 Tuesday through Sunday. It closes at 23:00 Tuesday–Saturday and 22:00 on Sunday, and it's closed on Mondays. Parking is paid (the lot in front of the restaurant). The listing says reservations, group seating, corkage-free, organic menu items, high chairs, an indoor restroom and the high fuel price relief subsidy are all available.

Yukseong, known for grilling the meat for you, is a 4-minute walk from Exit 4 of Sangwangsimni Station, near the Homeplus Express!

Unlike the usual BBQ place, Yukseong uses corn as fuel, which cuts down on smoke and boosts the flavor of the meat! On top of that, the owner and staff are super kind.

Inside Yukseong: is it okay for groups and kids?

Yukseong takes groups and has high chairs for little ones.

The inside is pleasant, and with the hot weather the air conditioning was blasting. The wood-tone interior gives it a classy feel too.

If you reserve ahead, they hold a table for you like this, so for a date, family gathering or company dinner you can book and walk right in without waiting.

This is where the owner's thoughtfulness really showed! High chairs are hard to find at BBQ places, but Yukseong has them. Nice, nice.

Yukseong menu and prices: what to order for two?

The menu has the Yukseong-grade Set (800g, beef + pork) at ₩87,000, the Beom (Tiger) Set (480g, pork neck + beef skirt) at ₩53,000, the Beef Set (400g) at ₩54,000 and the Pork Set (550g) at ₩52,000. A la carte, beef skirt or rib meat (140g) is ₩20,000, Jin pork neck or skin-on pork belly (170g) is ₩17,000 and Jeong pork jowl (150g) is ₩17,000. There's also Yukseong doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) at ₩5,000, mul naengmyeon or bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles) at ₩5,500, a Yukseong-grade highball at ₩6,000, soju or beer at ₩5,000, and Mother-in-law's heaping rice at ₩1,000.

Yukseong, a corkage-free BBQ place in Wangsimni, has everything from set menus to single items, and my eyes went straight to the good-value sets. Can't decide between pork and beef? There's the Beom Set, great for two people.

They also serve all kinds of drinks and highballs, and since it's corkage-free, you can bring a nice wine or liquor to go with the meat. Perfection.

Yukseong side dishes and the free beef radish soup

Side dishes at Yukseong can be refilled, and they serve beef radish soup (soegogi mu-guk) as a free extra.

The basic side dishes come out looking lavish: wrap vegetables, various sauces, salad, fresh-cut radish salad and more, so eating them was fun in itself.

Especially the free beef radish soup, which I absolutely loved. It's a work of art...! I don't even like beef radish soup, but Yukseong's is the real deal. It's so refreshing I wondered if this should be a gukbap (rice soup) place instead of a BBQ place, and I polished off a bowl of rice.

It works as a hangover soup with soju, and if you come with kids, it's perfect for mixing into rice for them.

How is the Beom Set? The griller cooks it over corn smoke

That day I ordered the Beom Set (480g, pork neck + beef skirt) at ₩53,000, Yukseong doenjang stew at ₩5,000 and Mother-in-law's heaping rice at ₩1,000.

Both beef and pork looked delicious to us, so we ordered Yukseong's signature Beom Set. The thickness of the pork neck and the color of the beef skirt (tosisal)... wow.

Since Yukseong is a grill-for-you place, you can just relax with the side dishes, stew or soup while a professional griller cooks the meat right at your table!

They grill by smoking over corn, so now and then you catch a nutty corn aroma. The owner's idea is honestly so good.

The Yukseong doenjang stew I ordered as a side is good quality too. It was packed with chunks of meat, and the broth wasn't too salty, just mild and savory.

A welcome drink swapped from wine to soju

And another service from the owner: the welcome drink! Everyone who visits Yukseong gets one free glass of wine, but I can't really drink wine, so the owner swapped it for soju. Isn't that service legendary?!?

Mother-in-law's heaping rice: one bowl is enough for two

This is the part that will surprise everyone who comes to Yukseong: the rice!! There were two of us, so I was going to order two bowls, but they told us the portion is really big and to order just one. One bowl is nearly the size of 2.5 regular bowls. If they run the place this generously, won't regulars like me start piling up?

It's not just the meat quality but the generous amounts too, and I understood why Yukseong is packed every time.

They don't just grill the meat, they also cut it into bite-sized pieces for you, and I was drooling the whole time we waited.

First bite of beef skirt: dip it in salt

With a sight like this, how can you not drink?? So I immediately downed a glass of the soju the owner gave me as the welcome drink, and it was amazing.

The first bite of beef in salt is the golden rule, of course. I dipped it in the salt on the table, and the beef skirt was so soft it just melts, it melts.

Taking a bite of the doenjang stew and beef radish soup between pieces of skirt seemed to bring out even more savory depth. Anyway, I was totally satisfied with the meat and the sides.

It's good plain, good with salt, and even wrapped in a lettuce leaf the juices burst out.

I heard they insist on prime-grade meat only, and maybe that's why, beef or pork, there was nothing to fault in either the juiciness or the looks.

Crispy outside, juicy inside: the pork neck of my life

Like the beef skirt, the pork neck was the pork neck of my life!! It's grilled crispy outside and juicy inside, so anyone could enjoy it.

Is Yukseong in Sangwangsimni worth going back to?

Good value, taste, quality and service all covered: Yukseong, the grill-for-you BBQ place in Wangsimni. I plan to go back soon when I'm craving meat.