Dakgalbi set for two at Urban Grove Mall, Pyeongtaek: Semo Dakgalbi

How was Semo Dakgalbi at Urban Grove Mall in Godeok, Pyeongtaek?

I went to Semo Dakgalbi Pyeongtaek Godeok Urban Grove Mall Branch (세모닭갈비) with my younger sibling for the dakgalbi set, and the short version is: it was the most delicious dakgalbi I'd had in a long time. I'd been looking for somewhere to go when a dakgalbi craving hits in Pyeongtaek, so I gave this place a try.

The dakgalbi itself was tasty, but I also liked that the set comes with makguksu (buckwheat noodles) and a potato pancake, and the restaurant was clean too, so I was happy with the whole meal.

Semo Dakgalbi Godeok: hours, location and parking

The restaurant is open from 12:00 to 23:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00, last order at 22:00, and it is closed every Monday. It's inside Urban Grove Mall on the same floor as Ashley Queens, so if you follow the signs inside the building it isn't hard to find.

• Hours 12:00 – 23:00
• Break time 15:00 – 17:00
• Last order 22:00
• Closed every Monday

For parking, you use the Urban Grove Mall parking lot, and it's free for 4 hours once you register your car, so driving there is no worry.

What are the atmosphere and seating like at Semo Dakgalbi?

The restaurant is set up with tables for four, and the inside was bright and pleasant. From the moment I walked in, I noticed how clean and well kept everything was, which made it easy to relax and eat.

There are also outdoor tables. On a nice day, sitting outside for your meal seemed like it would be lovely.

What's on the self-serve side dish bar?

The basic side dishes are at a self-serve bar, so you can take as much as you need. There was a good variety: corn salad, salad, lettuce wraps greens, garlic, cucumber kimchi, ssamjang (wrap sauce) and more, and the bar itself was neat and well maintained. The ssamjang in particular tasted homemade rather than store-bought, and I really enjoyed it.

What's in the Semo Dakgalbi set for two, and how much is it?

The set menu is 2 servings of dakgalbi + makguksu + a potato pancake for ₩41,000. Ordered separately, Semo Dakgalbi is ₩15,000 per person, makguksu ₩6,000 and the potato pancake ₩10,000, but we wanted to try several dishes, so we went with the set.

• Semo Dakgalbi set (2 servings dakgalbi + makguksu + potato pancake): ₩41,000
• Semo Dakgalbi, per person: ₩15,000
• Makguksu: ₩6,000
• Potato pancake: ₩10,000

The set is made up of dishes that go especially well with dakgalbi, so I thought it was a great order for two. The portion was also more generous than I expected, and my sibling and I were both completely full.

Dakgalbi spice levels explained

The restaurant lists its spice levels as Level 1 Shin Ramyun, Level 2 Buldak and Level 3 Yeopdduk (Yupdduk). To keep things easy, we ordered Level 1.

Is Semo Dakgalbi kid-friendly? The free kids' mini meal

Semo Dakgalbi has a kids' mini meal for preschoolers only, and it costs ₩0. I spotted it while looking at the kiosk: seaweed, side dishes, rice balls, seaweed soup and more, all free of charge.

A table next to us had kids, and I got to see the little meal come out neatly on a tray. I'd assumed a dakgalbi place would be hard to visit with children, but with a free kids' menu for preschoolers, eating out with a little one seems fine. Parents don't have to fuss over preparing a separate kids' dish, and the kids get rice, side dishes and even seaweed soup, all on their own tray, which seems lovely.

Table side dishes and the mini steamed egg

Before the main dish arrived, the basic side dishes were set out one by one: dongchimi (radish water kimchi), salad, assorted wrap greens, corn salad and more, along with a mini steamed egg (gyeran-jjim). The egg was so soft and moist, perfect for eating a little at a time before the dakgalbi. Every side dish was good, and I liked how well they work alongside the dakgalbi.

How does Semo Dakgalbi's dakgalbi taste?

The dakgalbi comes already cooked, and the staff told us we could eat right away. Since it arrives cooked just right, you don't have to wait around while it cooks at the table, which was convenient. It came with rice cakes, sweet potato, cabbage, cheese rice cakes, enoki mushrooms and more, and it looked appetizing from the first glance. They also turned the heat on low so we could keep eating it warm.

And now the most important part: the taste! I've tried plenty of dakgalbi in Pyeongtaek, but this one I truly enjoyed. Above all, there was no gamey smell at all from the chicken, and the meat was moist and tender. The seasoning wasn't overly harsh but matched the chicken well, so I kept reaching for more. It's good on its own, but putting dakgalbi, garlic and ssamjang in a lettuce wrap gave me a whole different flavor.

Dakgalbi on crispy potato pancake: how is it?

The potato pancake (gamjachaejeon, made of shredded potato) in the set was super thin and crispy, and personally I felt it was the kicker of the set. I'd heard it comes with the set, so I was looking forward to it, and after we'd been eating the dakgalbi for a while, a piping hot pancake arrived. It looked crispy from the start, and it wasn't soggy or greasy at all, just crunchy outside and nutty, so I kept going back for more.

I put a piece of dakgalbi on the pancake and ate them together, and the nutty, crispy potato pancake and the moist chicken went together much better than I expected. My sibling and I both loved this combo so much that we devoured the pancake.

Makguksu: cold broth or spicy mixed noodles

The set's makguksu can be either mul (in cold broth) or bibim (spicy mixed), and after some hesitation we went with the cold broth version. It tasted cool and clean, so it was great to eat between bites of the spicy dakgalbi.

Instead of eating only dakgalbi, you can have it in lettuce wraps, with the potato pancake, and with the icy makguksu, so you get to enjoy one meal in several ways. That's why the set doesn't feel like a random bundle of dishes; it feels well put together from things that go well with dakgalbi.

Is Semo Dakgalbi worth going back to?

My sibling even said, "We have to come here again," while eating, so we were both very satisfied. The dakgalbi and potato pancake combo was especially great, and one set for two was hearty enough to leave us full. On a day when I crave dakgalbi in Godeok, Pyeongtaek, I'd happily go back to Semo Dakgalbi.