Korean BBQ date after Express Bus Terminal shopping in Seoul: Ugojip

Ugojip, a BBQ spot at Express Bus Terminal where I met my fiancé after shopping

Ugojip is a beef BBQ restaurant in the basement of Banpo Shopping Town Building 5, near Express Bus Terminal Station. I was spending a lazy afternoon shopping nonstop at "Gotter" (the Express Bus Terminal shopping area), and my fiancé said there was a BBQ place among the good restaurants here and we should go. So I waited for him by shopping a bit longer, and then we headed there.

Where is Ugojip, and what are the hours?

Ugojip is at the basement of Banpo Shopping Town Building 5, 195 Sinbanpo-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, about 97m from Exit 8-2 of Express Bus Terminal Station. Come out of the exit, walk past the KFC you'll see, and head down into the basement of Building 5. You can also reach it just by crossing the street from the main entrance of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam, and it's about a 10-minute walk from Banpo Hangang Park.

• Hours: daily 15:00–23:00
• Last order: 22:00

Finding Ugojip from the shopping area wasn't hard at all. It's close to Exit 8-2, so you can just pop out while shopping. I met him at the BBQ place mid-shopping, ate, and hopped on a bus home.

Ugojip menu and what's in the couple set

The menu isn't as wide as I expected, but it has everything you'd want, and there's even chadol samhap (brisket with side toppings), so it's a perfect place for a glass of soju.

We debated what to eat and picked the couple set. It comes with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), so we only added one more bowl of rice, and we were happy with that. The couple set is a whole 400g, which I thought was a better deal than ordering single items. Meat alone always feels like something's missing, so I always order doenjang jjigae. That's me.

What are Ugojip's side dishes like?

The sides at Ugojip were a really solid spread: seasoned scallion salad, a salad, myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic-chive leaves), kimchi and a sauce. I don't know how BBQ places make so many delicious sides.

• Seasoned scallion salad (pa-chae muchim) - Really tangy and delicious
• Salad - Perfect to eat before the meat. The tangy flavor is great (it tastes like an oriental dressing)
• Myeongi namul - I loved that the leaves were cut up. Normally when you finish one, it's surprisingly tough and you keep chewing, but these are cut to the size of the meat, which I liked

• Kimchi - Young radish kimchi and napa cabbage kimchi together, with a properly deep savory flavor that was delicious
• Sauce - The sauce was truly an art. It has chopped Cheongyang chili peppers and plenty of minced garlic, which cuts the richness perfectly

How do the galbisal, tosisal and woosamgyeop in the couple set taste?

The couple set comes with three cuts: galbisal, tosisal and woosamgyeop. A description of each cut comes out with the meat, which showed the restaurant's kindness.

Plenty of galbisal, plenty of tosisal, and the woosamgyeop really matched the stated weight and came out generous.

The vegetables to grill on the side also came already sliced, which I was happy about.

The galbisal gets nuttier the more you chew, and the tosisal is tender with a rich beefy flavor.

The woosamgyeop is thin so it cooks fast, and the savory fat spreads through your mouth, so it was delicious. Alternating the three cuts, each had a different texture, so I never got tired of it. Grilling onions and mushrooms alongside was also a perfect match with the meat.

Doenjang jjigae, the must-have with BBQ

The doenjang jjigae included in the Ugojip couple set has a savory, slightly salty broth, great for a spoonful between bites of meat. Eating it with rice was filling, and it fills in that slightly lacking feeling when you eat only meat. Doenjang jjigae really is a must with BBQ. I finished it all with the rice and wrapped up happily.

Is Ugojip a good date spot at Express Bus Terminal?

Shopping at Express Bus Terminal and then eating good meat made for a full day. Ugojip is close to the station so it's easy to find, and it was a good place to stop by on a couple's date. It has a variety of meats and a hearty doenjang jjigae, so I was satisfied with Ugojip! If you're looking for a good restaurant at Gotter, or a place in Banpo for a family gathering or a wedding invitation meal, it's worth a visit.