Hwaseong Korean BBQ for company dinners: Jipbul Taebaek

The place I visited this time was Jipbul Taebaek Dongtan Flagship Branch, a Korean BBQ restaurant in Yeongcheon-dong, Dongtan! It is near the 11ja commercial district, an area where nearby office workers gather for after-work dinners, so I saw lots of groups having company meals. It is already a well-known Dongtan favorite, and starting with this flagship branch, it even has quite a few nearby branches.

The rib meat was so nutty and full of juices, and nothing—from the side dishes to the hospitality—fell short, so it made total sense that the place was packed! Everything was neat and clean with a subtle straw-fire aroma, so I would recommend it if you are looking for a Korean BBQ spot for a Dongtan company dinner.

Jipbul Taebaek Dongtan Flagship Branch: location and parking

• Location: 11-8 Jisan 2-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor
• Parking: space for 3 cars in front of the restaurant; nearby public street parking is free for 1 hour 30 minutes
• Deokhoe P Tower: 2 hours of parking support per table
• Hours: daily 12:00–23:00; last order 22:30

This is what the restaurant sign looks like. The lettering glows softly, and maybe it is the font, but it gives off the aura of a true meat master.

It is already a well-known favorite, so even though I went at an awkward time on Tuesday, the restaurant was full and there was a waiting machine. If you are planning to visit during Friday or weekend peak hours, I recommend making a reservation. The menu was displayed outside too, which was nice because you could think over your order properly before going in.

The weather was cool that day, so they had opened every window. Thanks to that, there was no meat smell at all and I could eat very comfortably. It had that outdoor-dining feel, and somehow the meat seemed even tastier. It was hard to photograph the seating with so many people around, but there are roomy tables and comfortable, cushioned chairs.

A menu from premium ribs to raw beef

Udaegalbi (premium beef ribs) is, of course, the main item here. If you order “udaegalbi,” you get marinated ribs; you need to order “udaegalbi-sal” for unmarinated ribs. They sell pork as well as beef, which was great because you can have both.

The meat is so fresh that they sell it raw too. Places that are not truly good do not sell raw beef at all, but this one offers not just one type but three: yuk sashimi (raw sliced beef), salchisal (boneless rib-eye cap), and yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). I did not get to try them this time, but I definitely want to next time!

There are also pork rind, tortillas, and triple-cheese steamed egg to have alongside your meal. You can get the triple-cheese steamed egg or tortillas by taking part in the receipt-review event, so I really recommend doing it. The steamed egg, seriously… 👍 As I will explain below, it was the best steamed egg of my life!!

They also sell sake and wine that pair well with the meat. I liked having such a varied selection of drinks to choose from.

Staff-grilled meat and substantial banchan

You get a guacamole tortilla for leaving a receipt review! Wrap beef in it and it seems like it would become an incredibly luxurious tortilla unlike anything else. Steamed egg was an option too, so we chose that.

The grill was clean from the start, designed so grease drains downward, and there was nothing for us to fuss with. Since they grill the meat themselves, all you have to do is eat comfortably—this would be so convenient for a company dinner.

The banchan (Korean side dishes) that come in the basic set! There are many kinds, but every single one is substantial and delicious.

There was a lettuce-and-perilla-leaf salad to freshen things up as soon as the meat started to feel rich. Personally, I find eating it with chopsticks like this much easier and nicer than making wraps. The shredded radish salad and green-onion kimchi were not ordinary napa-cabbage kimchi; they stood out and went incredibly well with the meat.

The japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) was high quality, with wonderfully springy, savory noodles. It was too good to be a mere side dish, so I even got one refill! The potato salad was really good too. Waiting while hungry for meat to cook can be a little rough, but it was nice to snack on potato salad while we waited.

The assorted pickles included every ingredient that makes a great jangajji (soy-marinated pickle): radish, celery, gosari stem lettuce, chili peppers, and more. They had a crisp bite and a sweet-tangy flavor that made the meat feel even tastier. The issue with these side dishes is that they are so good, you get fairly full before the meat even arrives. The meat portion is much bigger than expected too, so I recommend pacing yourself.

There were lots of sauces too: wasabi, neungi mushroom pesto, angelica pesto, and ssamjang (savory soybean dipping paste). The neungi mushroom and angelica pestos were foods I had never seen before, but even a small dip filled your mouth with their distinctive aromas and made the meat taste completely different. The angelica pesto in particular was so delicious that I wanted to eat it with meat at home too. I do not usually eat much angelica greens, but this was truly a special advantage you can only get at this restaurant.

Bracken fern and napa-cabbage kimchi, both perfect with meat, also came out. They had been grilled once in oil and were really delicious later on.

They strategically place them on the lower section like this and grill the meat above. There is no way it could not be delicious!

Ribs can be a little tricky to grill, but an incredibly kind staff member does it all for you. They were so kind that I thought they were the owner, but they were not… ^^ This person truly deserves double pay! They cut the meat so quickly and beautifully. I could never cut it like that… ^^

The beef sizzling away. It looked so delicious just sitting there. Even though it was marinated ribs, they grilled it expertly without burning it.

While the meat was cooking, I thought this bone rack was going to be discarded, but the meat between the bones was all edible too, so there was a second round of meat later! Not all the meat is on top of the grill!!

When it was at its warmest and best-grilled point, the staff member put one piece at a time on our small plates and told us to eat. So thoughtful—I was touched.. 🥹

The black sesame salt and angelica pesto combination

First, I tried it with black sesame salt. This black sesame salt is another signature here! Unlike ordinary sesame salt, it had a gentle nuttiness and distinctive black-sesame aroma.

This time, I tried it topped with angelica pesto. As soon as I ate it, the distinctive angelica aroma came through in the nicest way, and it paired so well with the ribs. You have to taste this to understand it. This was my favorite combination, so I kept dipping in angelica pesto until the end.

The meat was nicely pressed and cooked crisp. They set it over the bone rack so it would not burn. That is two servings, and it is a huge amount..

The moment I took a bite, it was incredibly tender and packed with meaty flavor, while the rib meat's characteristic chew was something no Korean could dislike. I cannot forget that classic sweet-and-salty galbi flavor.

Triple-cheese steamed egg and beef cheonggukjang stew

The triple-cheese steamed egg came free through the review event. The photo does not capture its size at all—there was seriously so much... It was the same size as the ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) that the cheonggukjang comes in. It overflowed above the pot, and my companions and I guessed how many eggs it took, saying it must have been at least five. We were so full by the end that we even had to leave a little behind.

It had cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan, making it number one among every steamed egg I have ever had. You absolutely have to try this.. The egg was puffed up so soft and fluffy.

The beef cheonggukjang stew we ordered as a side, with its savory beef-bone broth, made it feel like we had enjoyed a proper full meal with the meat.

Rather than the distinctive pungency of cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste), it was simply deeply nutty and so delicious. There was especially lots of beef and tofu inside, so it really felt like a full meal! If they sold just this at lunch, I would want to come eat it. Having it hot from the bubbling ttukbaegi cut right through the richness of the meat. I definitely recommend ordering this!

The meat is partially grilled in the kitchen first, so it is full of rice-straw aroma. They put on a fire show right out in the open like this, so I could not not film it! I was letting my guard down, saying I was so full, when they suddenly split the bone rack and grilled the meat inside. I already felt like I was about to burst, so finding out there was more was shocking!

But the meat attached in there is the real star.. It was like picking out only that chewy yet tender meat clinging to the rib bones in galbitang (beef short-rib soup)! It was a day filled with nothing but meat until I was too full to eat another bite.

From the meat and banchan to the sides, every single thing at Jipbul Taebaek was delicious, and I left completely full! Since the staff grill the meat themselves from start to finish, you can eat comfortably, and the tables are spacious, making it look especially good for company dinners in Yeongcheon-dong, Dongtan. It is a place where you can generously enjoy straw-fire-scented premium ribs along with a variety of side dishes.