Korean BBQ near Sinyongsan, Seoul: 1++ Hanwoo beef tartare at Yukmong

Yukmong Yongsan Direct Store (육몽 용산직영점), near Samgakji and Sinyongsan stations in Seoul, is a Korean pork (hanbon) BBQ restaurant where staff grill the meat for you from start to finish. The signature Shrek galbi is a one-of-a-kind marinated galbi (short rib) with minari (water dropwort) pesto for extra flavor, and you can only get it at Yukmong! The hanbon assorted set lets you try galbi samgyeopsal (pork belly), snowflake pork neck and galmaegisal (pork skirt) all at once, so it's a popular company dinner spot too. With parking and free corkage, it's also a favorite for dates and group dinners on Yongridan-gil.

This is my review of an open-run on a weekday lunch, where I ate a ton of Yukmong's signature dishes!

• Location: 34 Hangang-daero 62-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, floors 1–2
• Hours: daily 12:00–24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Parking: 1 space in front of the restaurant; when full, use the public parking lot next to Woori Bank

Where Yukmong Yongsan Direct Store is and how to join the waitlist

This Yongsan Korean BBQ favorite is a 3-minute walk from Samgakji Station Exit 1. You can join the waitlist remotely through Catch Table, and advance reservations are possible too! There are also simple chairs in front of the restaurant for people waiting.

Yukmong menu and prices

• Hanbon assorted set, Shrek galbi, snowflake pork neck, galbi samgyeopsal
• Hanwoo 1++ snowflake chuck flap, sirloin, beef short rib finger meat
• Caviar cheese egg custard, thick honeycomb pork skin, Yukmong jjolmyeon (chewy spicy noodles)

Yukmong Yongsan Direct Store specializes in Hanwoo (Korean beef) 1++ and hanbon pork, so you can enjoy both pork and beef. Besides wine, there are traditional liquors like Igangju, Solsongju and makgeolli (rice wine), so it's a place that could win over your team leader at a company dinner... ^^

Inside the 1st and 2nd floors, plus group seating

This Samgakji BBQ restaurant is split into floors 1 and 2.

Floor 1 has several tables, mostly for 4 people.

Floor 2 also has mostly 4-person tables, plus terrace seats with an outdoor-street-stall feel where you can eat in the breeze in spring and fall.

At the back of floor 2 there's a connected table that seats up to 12, which is perfect for group gatherings and company dinners! You can keep your bags under the chairs.

The staff sets the table with the basics first, and if you want more side dishes afterward, use the self-serve bar. The big plus of this place is free corkage! One bottle per person is free, whether wine or whiskey, so it would also be great for a wedding invitation get-together~

Plenty of celebrities have already visited this Sinyongsan BBQ restaurant. The restrooms are inside on floor 2, separated by gender, and there's Wi-Fi too! They even have dental floss, mouthwash and fabric deodorizer, so you can feel they think about their guests.

They're also running a review event: leave a review and get a beef brisket ramyeon, egg custard and a glass of wine, so don't miss it!

The country-of-origin sign shows all the meat is domestic, so that's reassuring haha

What we ordered at Yukmong

• Shrek galbi for 2: ₩49,900
• 1++ Hanwoo beef tartare: ₩25,000
• Caviar egg custard: ₩13,000
• Premium doenjang stew: ₩8,000
• Rice bowl: ₩1,000
• Zero cola: ₩2,000

The basic side dishes were lettuce, marinated scallions, pickled radish wraps (ssambu), radish salad (mu-saengchae), napa cabbage kimchi and pickled onions. For dipping, there were seed jeotgal (salted seafood), wasabi, ssamjang (dipping paste), salt, and a soy-based sauce topped with chopped green onions.

Shrek galbi (250g): matcha-minari marinated galbi found only at Yukmong

The signature Shrek galbi, 250g, which you can only eat at Yukmong Yongsan Direct Store, arrived. You need to order at least 2 servings, and after that you can add 1 serving at a time.

Yukmong's signature Shrek galbi is pork galbi aged in a matcha and minari marinade, and it turns out it's a super hot item in Yongsan and Samgakji! I heard it's sold in limited daily quantities, so we rushed over for the open-run.

I'd never seen this dish anywhere else, so I was so, so excited. Visiting Yongsan just for the Shrek meat... At this pork specialist, the owner grills the meat for you, so you can eat comfortably.

Marinated galbi burns easily, so it's kind of tricky to grill, right? At Yukmong the owner grills it well over charcoal, so you can really taste the juicy, tender meat.

Caviar steamed egg, 13,000 won

While I was watching the matcha-minari galbi sizzle away over the charcoal... the violently good-looking caviar egg custard arrived. The caviar egg custard is a special dish only at this Yongsan pork BBQ favorite, Yukmong Yongsan Direct Store.

The fluffy, soft egg custard is piled with cheddar cheese and caviar. Rich cheese melts softly over the airy egg, and the salty caviar makes it a treat. Recommended! It was my first time trying caviar, and for ₩13,000 I felt rich lol pretty good lol

Premium doenjang stew and the 1,000 won mushroom rice

The premium doenjang (fermented soybean paste) stew is packed with meat, tofu, onion and zucchini. I couldn't resist the savory doenjang stew, so I ordered a bowl of rice.

But the rice wasn't plain white rice, it was mushroom rice?! That's the moment I seriously fell for Yukmong. A heaping bowl of rice with mushrooms for just ₩1,000? Yongsan office workers, can you resist this? I'd also recommend it as a super filling lunch spot for office workers.

1++ Hanwoo beef tartare, 25,000 won

Next came the 1++ Hanwoo beef tartare (yukhoe). It's fresh tartare in a gochujang-based seasoning, topped with sprouts that make it look classy.

Topping it with sliced cucumber made it crunchy, chewy, nutty, and spicy-sweet, so good! But the portion of tartare was big, and this is... for this price? My companion and I were baffled and ate it clapping. The portion is really big, and it's fresh and tender, a great-value spot for Yongsan office workers.

What does Shrek galbi taste like?

While I was marveling at the side dishes, the meat was already fully cooked.

For the first bite I tried the Shrek galbi on its own. It's a moderately sweet marinated galbi with a subtle, fragrant minari aroma.

The galbi quality is so good that it's a perfect match either on its own or on top of rice. The balance of moderately fatty flavor and tender lean meat is really even.

If it feels a little rich, I recommend having it with wasabi. Lots of side dishes came out, but the Shrek galbi was great on its own too!

I also recommend loading the soy-based sauce that came with it with plenty of chopped green onions. It seems to be a special sauce, and it went well with the meat!

With a clean menu, a very kind owner and generous portions, I highly recommend Yukmong Yongsan Direct Store as a great-value spot for Yongsan office workers. Whether it's a Yongsan company dinner, a Samgakji wedding-invitation get-together or a Sinyongsan group meetup, it should suit any purpose. Judging by the quality of the tartare, the beef is surely delicious too, but I really, really recommend trying the Shrek meat you can only have at Yukmong.

FAQ

What are the signature dishes at Yukmong Yongsan Direct Store?

The hanbon assorted set and the signature Shrek galbi are the most popular, and the snowflake pork neck and galbi samgyeopsal are also often ordered.

Does Yukmong grill the meat for you?

Yes. Staff grill the meat from start to finish, so you can eat comfortably with the meat cooked just right.

Is Yukmong good for company dinners or group gatherings?

It's a spacious restaurant using both floors 1 and 2, so it suits group gatherings and company dinners, and visiting with a reservation is recommended.

Who is Yukmong Yongsan Direct Store best for?

It's recommended for anyone looking for a BBQ restaurant with a good atmosphere on Yongridan-gil, and for those planning a date, company dinner or get-together with friends.