Gyodae Station Korean BBQ set with scallion kimchi: Sodangkkae

I was in Seoul for a training session and got a craving for meat, so I stopped by Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip, a Gyodae Station Korean BBQ spot. I was excited to hear it's a cauldron-lid grill place where you cook meat and vegetables together, and since the staff grill it for you, it seemed like an easy, relaxed way to eat, haha.

Where is Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip Gyodae Main Branch, and when is it open?

This Gyodae Station Korean BBQ restaurant is located on the 2nd floor at Seocho-daero 50-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul. It's open from 11am to 11pm, with a break time from 3pm to 5pm, and last order is at 10pm.

Being close to Gyodae Station probably helps with foot traffic — there were quite a lot of customers when we visited. Even though it's on the 2nd floor, the place was buzzing, which made me think it's a well-known Gyodae Station Korean BBQ spot, haha.

What is the second-floor dining room like?

The restaurant was clean overall and the tables had decent spacing, so despite being a BBQ place, it didn't feel cramped — great for dinners with colleagues or friends. It's nice for having a drink with your meat, and since you don't have to grill it yourself, it's easy to keep chatting while eating.

Sodangkkae combo set at 81,500 won: how it differs from the meat-only set

The menu had quite a range, from individual cuts of meat to combo sets to various sides. We wanted to try a bit of everything, so we ordered the Sodangkkae combo set (₩81,500). The difference between the Sodangkkae combo set and the regular meat combo set seems to be whether yukhoe (raw beef tartare) is included. Since I love yukhoe, I didn't hesitate to pick the Sodangkkae set.

You could also choose your stew — between crab doenjang stew and Korean pork kimchi stew — and we went with the kimchi stew.

The side menu was also really varied.

From grilled cheese to fried rice, cold noodles, and steamed egg, there were plenty of dishes that pair well with meat — great for ordering a bunch of extras if you're there with a group.

The banchan spread, plus kimchi and vegetables grilled with the pork

After ordering, we waited a bit and the table setting arrived nicely arranged. The side dishes were neat and looked great, haha.

Kimchi and vegetables to grill alongside the meat also came out — of course, meat needs kimchi, haha. I love grilling kimchi together with meat, so I was already looking forward to it.

Pork belly, neck and jowl grilled by staff on the cauldron lid

Pork belly grilled on a cauldron lid can't taste bad, haha.

Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip says it uses domestic Duroc pork, and even the color of the meat looked fresh. Being able to try pork belly, pork neck, and pork jowl all at once made the combo set a great choice for people like me who love sampling a bit of everything.

And best of all — the staff grill the meat for you! At most BBQ places you're too busy grilling to relax, but here the staff grilled it to the perfect point for eating, which made things so much easier. Thanks to that, we could enjoy the meal chatting comfortably without worrying about the grill.

With meat and vegetables piled high on the cauldron lid, the presentation looked quite generous too.

Once the meat was cooked through, they cut it into bite-sized pieces for us right away, so we could just dig in, haha.

How did it taste? Scallion kimchi with the pork, and the yukhoe

I started with the pork belly as it turned golden brown, and it was more tender than I expected, with plenty of juiciness — really good.

It paired especially well with the scallion kimchi. I'd put a piece of scallion kimchi on top of the meat, then try it with the well-fermented kimchi too, haha. The meat itself was tasty, but with so many vegetables to grill alongside it, it was fun mixing and matching to my taste.

As we kept eating, the Korean pork kimchi stew arrived. Spicy and warm, it was nice to spoon up in between bites of meat.

And then the yukhoe I'd been looking forward to finally showed up! I dropped an egg yolk on top and mixed it all together — eating yukhoe on top of all that meat made for a truly filling meal, haha. If you love yukhoe, I'd definitely recommend ordering the combo set like I did.

Is one combo set enough for two at Sodangkkae?

Overall, being able to enjoy meat, yukhoe, and stew all at once made this way more convenient than ordering separate dishes for two people — going with the set worked out well. Best of all, since the staff grill the meat for you, this seems like a great spot for a date or for finding a place near Gyodae Station for a group dinner. If you're looking to enjoy cauldron-lid grilled meat with a variety of sides near Gyodae Station, I'd recommend giving this Gyodae Station Korean BBQ spot, Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip, a try, haha.