New Yangju charcoal dakgalbi spot with bibim makguksu: Seorak

Grilled charcoal dakgalbi with makguksu — a perfect combo

Seorak Makguksu Chuncheon Dakgalbi is a charcoal dakgalbi spot I'd been recommended as a Gapyeong favorite before, but when I heard a Yangju branch had just opened, I went right away haha

First impressions of the newly opened Yangju branch

Maybe because it's a new place, the first thing I noticed walking in was how clean everything felt overall. The tables and interior were neatly arranged and the space itself was pleasant, making it easy to eat comfortably. You might picture dakgalbi restaurants as a little chaotic and smoky, but this one was cleaner than expected, so the first impression was great. It also seemed like a good spot for family meals or dinner with friends or a partner 🖤

What we ordered: charcoal dakgalbi for two

What we ordered that day was charcoal dakgalbi for two! And once we'd worked our way through most of the meat, we added bibim makguksu to eat alongside it.

Once the charcoal dakgalbi arrived, I was already excited since it's grilled directly over charcoal. But even though charcoal dakgalbi tastes great, grilling it yourself is honestly tricky. The meat is coated in sauce, so if you look away even for a second the outside can burn, and since it's chicken you have to keep checking that it's cooked through — meaning you're stuck watching the grill the whole time. That's why when I go for charcoal dakgalbi, I prefer places where someone grills it for you lol

Staff grill it for you, start to finish

Here, a staff member grilled it for us completely from start to finish, which was such a relief. They put it on the grill at the start, kept flipping it throughout, and moved pieces around so nothing burned. It wasn't just a quick check at the beginning and then leaving — they kept monitoring almost until everything was fully cooked, so we didn't have to worry about a thing. Instead of being busy grilling meat over charcoal, we got to sit back, chat, and just eat once it was ready — this was honestly my favorite part haha

They grilled it exactly to the point of being perfectly ready, so all we had to do was wait and then dig in!

The dakgalbi, grilled to a nice golden brown, had a subtle charcoal aroma rising off it and the meat was really tender. It's chicken, but there was almost no dryness — the inside was moist, and one bite in, it felt softer than I expected.

Adding bibim makguksu — a perfect pairing with dakgalbi

Once we'd eaten a good amount of the dakgalbi, we ordered bibim makguksu. Honestly, if you're eating dakgalbi, isn't makguksu the perfect pairing haha. Especially when eating charcoal dakgalbi, I love the combo with tangy-spicy makguksu, so I planned from the start to have it as a kind of dessert course. As soon as the bibim makguksu arrived, I tried the noodles alone first, then right away tried them with the dakgalbi — and sure enough, they went really well together.

After eating meat for a while, your mouth can end up feeling a bit greasy, and that's when a bite of bibim makguksu completely revives your appetite. Thanks to the tangy-spicy sauce, your palate resets and then — magically — you're reaching for the dakgalbi again lol

What I enjoyed most of all was piling a piece of charcoal dakgalbi on top of the bibim makguksu and eating them together. The spicy-tangy makguksu combined with the moist, charcoal-scented dakgalbi — the two really complemented each other.

The seasoning wasn't overly intense either, so you could enjoy the charcoal aroma and chicken flavor together, and it felt less likely to get old even after a while of eating. There really is a special charm to dakgalbi grilled over charcoal!

Looking for dakgalbi in Yangju?

This was my first visit to the Yangju branch of Seorak Makguksu Chuncheon Dakgalbi, and I loved that being a newly opened store, it was clean and comfortable — but most of all, having staff grill the charcoal dakgalbi from start to finish made things so easy ⭐️ Charcoal dakgalbi is honestly a tricky dish to grill yourself, but since they grilled it right to the perfect moment, the meat came out much juicier, I think. If you're looking for a place to eat dakgalbi in Yangju, or if you just love charcoal dakgalbi, this place is worth a visit 〰️👣