11 banchan and dessert ice cream at a Yangju galbi lunch: Manpo Garden

I was looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Yangju on a weekday and ended up at Manpo Garden. Honestly, before visiting I just figured it was a big galbi (marinated short rib) place. But once I actually ate there, I found myself thinking, "I could bring my parents back here for Chuseok."

It wasn't just the meat that was good — the side dishes, the dwenjang sulbap, and even the final naengmyeon were all clean and delicious. This was a sponsored visit, but honestly this is somewhere I genuinely want to come back to on my own. If you can make it on a weekday lunch, I really recommend the ₩19,000 handmade galbi set •••

Where is Manpo Garden in Yangju? Hours, parking and high chairs

• 📍 28-37 Godeok-ro 355beon-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor
• ⏰ Daily 11:00–22:00
• 🚗 Large free parking lots in front and behind the restaurant
• 👶 High chairs available
• 👥 Group use and reservations available
• 🚪 Private rooms available

When I go out to eat with my kid, parking and high chairs are things I secretly care a lot about. Manpo Garden has plenty of parking — big lots in front and behind the store made it easy to visit by car, and there were high chairs inside too.

They also have private rooms for anywhere from 8 to 24 people, so it seemed like a good option not just for family meals but for Yangju work dinners or gatherings too. Perfect for bringing your parents when the family gets together, like for the upcoming Chuseok holiday!!

The 19,000 won handmade galbi set, weekdays only

I visited on a weekday lunch. I ordered the signature lunch menu, the handmade galbi set for ₩19,000. It comes with marinated handmade galbi + brisket dwenjang sulbap (soybean paste rice with beef brisket) + naengmyeon (cold noodles).

At first I just thought, "Oh, ₩19,000 for this is decent," but then the side dishes started arriving and I was surprised all over again haha.

All 11 side dishes that come with the set

I counted the side dishes served during my visit and there were 11: garlic scapes, potato salad, vegetable salad, geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi), deodeok (mountain root) muchim, radish salad, yukjeon (beef pancake), yukhoe (beef tartare), pickled onions, spicy pepper muchim, and baek kimchi (white kimchi). It didn't feel like they just threw a bunch of plates together to pad the table — each side dish was genuinely clean-tasting and delicious.

I especially liked that a lot of them paired well with the meat. Having yukjeon and yukhoe on the table made even a weekday lunch set feel like a proper full spread. I love galbi restaurants that come with a whole array of side dishes like a hanjeongsik (Korean full-course meal), and here the side dishes alone were already very satisfying.

Manpo Garden's galbi marinade is not too sweet

And then the main event, the handmade marinated galbi. When galbi marinade is too sweet, the first few bites are great but you get sick of it fast. Manpo Garden's galbi wasn't too sweet — just the right amount of marinade flavor. It wasn't overly strong, and the seasoning soaked into the meat well, so it stayed enjoyable bite after bite.

The restaurant says they make their marinade with fruit and use 100% pork galbi. Grilled over charcoal, the marinade gets a slight char that gives off a really good smell too.

I tried it with a side dish on top, then with baek kimchi, then with pickled onions… the galbi itself had such a solid foundation that it paired well with pretty much anything. So if you're looking for good galbi in Yangju, starting with the lunch set seems like a solid move.

Doenjang sulbap with beef brisket, done properly

The brisket dwenjang sulbap that comes with the set was delicious too. After eating meat you always crave dwenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) with rice — it's basically a national rule — so having it come as dwenjang sulbap with rice already mixed in was great haha. It was savory and filling since it already had rice in it, and it worked well as something to spoon up in between bites of galbi.

Eating through the meal, I noticed everything here has a similar quality — clean and delicious without excess. Not one dish stood out over the others; it just felt like they know how to get the basic flavors right across the board, from the side dishes to the galbi to the dwenjang sulbap.

Naengmyeon included in the lunch set?

One thing I really liked about Manpo Garden was the naengmyeon. They serve Hamhung-style naengmyeon with noodles made in-house. According to the restaurant, they prepare the dough every morning and make the noodles fresh when an order comes in.

I tried both mul-naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) and bibim-naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles), and both were good. Finishing off the galbi with a refreshing mul-naengmyeon works great, and if you like it with sauce, adding a piece of meat to the bibim version is delicious too.

Most of all, with galbi, dwenjang sulbap, and then naengmyeon on top, the set is seriously filling. I expected something simple for a ₩19,000 lunch menu, but I walked out having eaten way more than I expected haha.

Manpo Garden is also a place to eat Yangju hanwoo

I had the handmade galbi set that day, but Manpo Garden doesn't only serve galbi. The restaurant describes itself as a butcher-style restaurant carrying hanwoo (Korean beef) with traceable livestock records, and the menu ranges from hanwoo to marinated pork galbi, samgyeopsal, galbitang (short rib soup), and Hamhung-style naengmyeon.

So it looks like a good option both for people looking for good hanwoo in Yangju to properly treat their parents, and for family gatherings where everyone can order according to their own taste. That said, since I only tried the handmade galbi set this time, I'll leave the hanwoo review for my next visit haha.

Don't leave right after the meal: coffee, ppeongtwigi and ice cream

And after finishing the meal and heading out, it turned out that wasn't the end. There's coffee, there's ppeongtwigi (puffed rice snack), and there's ice cream too haha. Even stuffed from meat and naengmyeon, I'm the kind of person who can't skip dessert…

Especially if you're there with kids, the ice cream will probably keep you there a bit longer haha. Being able to wrap up the meal from main course to dessert in one place is also secretly convenient for family outings.

Why I'd bring my parents back to Manpo Garden for Chuseok

This visit was sponsored, but walking out after eating, the first thought I had was, "I could bring my parents back here." For ₩19,000 on a weekday lunch, you get handmade marinated galbi + brisket dwenjang sulbap + naengmyeon, and on top of that, 11 side dishes came out during my visit.

What I liked most wasn't just the number of side dishes but that everything overall was clean and delicious. The parking lot is spacious, there are high chairs, and there are even private rooms, so it seemed convenient for family outings with everyone from kids to parents.

So if you're gathering with family for this Chuseok, or looking for a place to eat or meet up in Yangju, this might be worth checking out. Next time I want to bring my parents and try the hanwoo too.

From people looking for good hanwoo in Yangju to people looking for good galbi in Yangju, Manpo Garden has a wide range of menu options, and on weekdays the good-value handmade galbi set makes for a solid Yangju lunch. I went as a sponsored visit and came away wanting to go back on my own — that's a win in my book haha.