Manpo Galbi vs Manpo Garden: Yangju rib house at 11 a.m. opening

This is Eyenoonoon, a certified meat lover~^^

You know those days when galbi (grilled short ribs) just won't leave your head, haha. That's exactly the kind of day I had, so I headed to a Yangju galbi restaurant, Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch, for lunch.

Where is Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch, and what are its hours?

Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch is on the 1st and 2nd floors at 65 Songnang-ro, Yangju, Gyeonggi. It's open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, and there's a parking lot on site, so no stress there — it's Yangju after all, haha, plenty of room. I already knew going in that yukhoe and naengmyeon come as complimentary extras.

For anyone deciding on a Yangju galbi restaurant, here's the play-by-play in the order I ate: side dishes → yukhoe → seasoned galbi → naengmyeon. I went on a Friday, timed right for the 11 a.m. opening. Even writing this now, looking at the photos, I'm smacking my lips ^^

I ordered handmade LA galbi, 2 servings.

Six side dishes that land on the table first

The side dishes at Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch came in white bowls, six plates lined up neatly on a brown tray. Having it laid out like that the moment I sat down really caught my eye.

Top left was pickled vegetables, with green stalks and thinly sliced radish soaking in broth. Top right was a red-seasoned vegetable side. In the middle row was seasoned green chili peppers with peanuts, and a potato salad piled high with a nutty topping.

At the bottom were two kinds of seasoned scallion salad — one soaked red with sauce, the other a deeper green.

Even before the meat came out, my chopsticks kept reaching for the side dishes — trouble, haha. You're not supposed to fill up before the galbi arrives, you know~

Complimentary yukhoe at Manpo Galbi, carefully plated

After the side dishes came Manpo Galbi's complimentary yukhoe. It was mounded up in such a pretty round shape that I took a photo before anything else, haha.

Every strand of the red meat looked alive, dotted with sesame seeds, finely chopped scallion, and pepper. It sat on a plate with a brushstroke-like swipe underneath and greens laid beneath it — you could tell they'd put thought into the plating.

Nibbling on the yukhoe while the galbi cooked made the wait fly by, haha. Getting this much as a complimentary side made me feel weirdly grateful ㅠㅠ

Two servings of handmade LA galbi over charcoal

The seasoned galbi at Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch comes grilled on a charcoal grate. It didn't take long for the ribs to hit the grill after the side dishes and yukhoe arrived. Waiting while hungry is basically torture, haha.

This photo shows the seasoned galbi on the grate — several bone-in ribs layered and cooking together. You can see the gray charcoal underneath and the red embers still glowing, right?

The seasoned surface browned up nicely and glistened with a little rendered fat. Even the white bit next to the bone got cooked to a mouthwatering finish — I couldn't take my eyes off it, haha.

One bite in and it was seriously so good. Wrapped in a lettuce leaf or eaten plain, both ways were delicious — my chopsticks wouldn't stop ^^

Doenjang sulbap arrives midway through the meal

But we gotta eat that galbi~~~

Finally~ let's eat, let's eat~~^^

Free naengmyeon to finish at Manpo Galbi

After you finish the galbi, Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch also gives you naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) as a complimentary extra. A cool bowl of noodles to slurp down after meat was the perfect way to end the meal, haha.

Galbi, yukhoe, and naengmyeon all as extras — I wondered if the service could really be this generous.

What to know before visiting Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch

They said Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch also takes group bookings and reservations, so if you're planning a larger Yangju work dinner or family gathering, it's worth calling ahead. Lunchtime can get busy too, so it's better to go with some time to spare.

From the side dishes to the naengmyeon, nothing about this meal fell short. Every single side dish kept pulling my chopsticks back, so I was already in a good mood before the galbi even started, haha. If you're still deciding on a galbi restaurant in Yangju, this one's worth putting on the list. I'd love to go back again ^^

Don't you kind of look forward to the complimentary extras whenever you go to a galbi restaurant, haha? What's your favorite galbi restaurant side dish?

Manpo Galbi or Manpo Garden? The difference explained

Oh right! Turns out Manpo Galbi and Manpo Garden share the same owner. Since the food and the names are so similar, I got confused too, so I asked directly, haha.