Korean BBQ near Everland, Yongin: pork neck & hanwoo brisket, Dongbaek

A Yongin Korean BBQ stop on the way to Everland

On our way to Everland, we wanted to eat a proper, filling meal before going in, so we stopped by Dongbaek Hanokjip. Once you're inside Everland you end up walking around all day, and snacking here and there adds up in cost more than you'd expect. So we figured we'd have a solid meal beforehand and then head in.

We found this place while looking up good restaurants in Yongin, and it caught our eye because parking is easy and it's a butcher-style restaurant where you pick the meat yourself. Both the pork neck and the hanwoo beef brisket were delicious, and the prices weren't as intimidating as you'd expect from a butcher restaurant.

What is the atmosphere like at Dongbaek Hanokjip?

True to its name, Dongbaek Hanokjip has a slight hanok (traditional Korean house) feel on the outside, but the vibe shifts a bit once you step inside.

With the overall wood-tone interior, green seating, and chandeliers together, I personally got a slight 1920s Gyeongseong-era feel. You might picture a butcher restaurant as a bit rough or chaotic, but this place was cleaner than expected. The tables weren't cramped together and the whole interior felt tidy, so it seemed like a good spot for families too.

Is parking easy at Dongbaek Hanokjip?

One thing I really liked was the parking lot. Head around to the back of the building and there's a pretty spacious dedicated parking area, so driving there wasn't a hassle. Most people stopping by on their way to Everland are probably driving too, and easy parking really matters for a place like this.

How do you pick your meat at the butcher showcase?

Toward the back there's a meat counter where you pick your own cuts. The showcase had everything from hanwoo to pork laid out, and the way it works is you see the cut and amount you want and choose accordingly. I liked being able to actually see the condition of the meat before choosing, and checking the price as you go made it feel more convenient than just ordering off a menu.

There's also a separate self-serve bar. It had the basic side dishes you need with grilled meat — lettuce, perilla leaves, bean sprouts, onion, kimchi — so if you run out you can easily grab more yourself. Since we tend to eat a lot of wrap vegetables, it was nice not having to keep asking the staff.

Charcoal-grilled pork neck and hanwoo brisket: how were they?

This time we picked pork neck and hanwoo beef brisket. Looking at the price, it seemed pretty reasonable even for a butcher restaurant. Even with hanwoo included, it didn't end up feeling as pricey as I expected — that was nice!

We started with the pork neck on the charcoal grill, and the charcoal heat here is seriously strong. It might not come across well in photos, but the fire is so intense that the meat starts cooking the moment it hits the grill. So the outside browned quickly while the juices stayed inside, keeping the pork neck from drying out.

We cut it into thick pieces, and it had a nice chew, with the meat itself being clean-tasting and savory enough to enjoy on its own. My favorite combo was pork neck on a perilla leaf with a bit of garlic and sauce.

The hanwoo beef brisket is thin, so it cooks quickly with just a light grilling. Eating it alongside the pork neck brought out a rich, savory flavor that worked really well together. Brisket is a fatty cut, so eating a lot of it can feel greasy, but pairing it with wrap vegetables or onion made it go down easily. Overall the meat looked fresh, and maybe because the charcoal was good, the flavor felt even better.

Hanwoo doenjang stew and rice are ordered separately

Just eating meat felt a little incomplete, so at the end we also ordered hanwoo doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) and rice separately. Soup or stew isn't part of the default set here, so you need to order it separately if you want it. The doenjang stew comes out bubbling hot, and it was perfect to eat after the meat. It leaned savory rather than overly salty, and had good ingredients in it that went well with rice.

I especially liked saving one piece of meat to eat with the rice at the end. Mixing the rice a bit into the doenjang stew broth and topping it with a piece of pork neck made for a satisfying finish to the meal.