Smokeless Korean BBQ room near Jonggak Station for 3 friends: Yukrab

This is my story about Yukrab Jongno (육랩 종로점), a beef and lamb spot near Jonggak Station with a private room, good for group dinners, get-togethers and a Cheonggyecheon date course.

I had plans with friends in Jongno, so I headed there for the first time in a while! Cheonggyecheon (the stream walk) is close by for a stroll after eating, and while searching I found Yukrab Jongno. It's a BBQ restaurant, but it has private rooms, and the black-toned interior felt way more stylish than a typical BBQ place.

You can enjoy lamb chops as well as beef, so I thought it would work for friends' get-togethers, company dinners near Jonggak Station, or even a date. Let me tell you about my visit to Yukrab Jongno!

Private-room Korean BBQ near Jonggak Station: where Yukrab Jongno is and how the seating works

Yukrab Jongno is about a 5-minute walk from Jonggak Station. Cheonggyecheon is close too, so it's a nice spot for a walk after the meal.

The building has no dedicated parking, so I'd recommend public transport over driving. I booked on Naver and was shown to a private room.

Each room has a ceiling-type air conditioner, so we ate in cool, quiet comfort, which I really liked.

If rooms feel stuffy to you, there are also hall tables by big windows, so pick whichever mood you like. Overall, the black-toned interior and soft lighting felt upscale and trendy, which left an impression.

What comes in the Yukrab Jongno 3-person set?

The 3-person set at Yukrab Jongno includes jingalbisal (prime short rib meat), toshisal (chuck flap), and lamb chops, with mushrooms, vegetables and cheese to grill alongside. There were three of us, so we ordered the 3-person set.

Yukrab is a place where you can enjoy lamb chops as well as beef. With jingalbisal, toshisal and lamb chops all in the set, there was no need to agonize over the menu. With the mushrooms, vegetables and cheese too, the table was loaded.

We also added bibim naengmyeon, the noodles you can't skip with meat, and it was the perfect way to finish the meal.

From jingalbisal to lamb chops: grilling order and taste

At Yukrab Jongno, a staff member explained the grilling order, starting with the jingalbisal.

We started grilling in the order the meat was laid out. The staff don't keep grilling for you here, but with beef, grilling it yourself at your own pace was actually more comfortable.

That let us chat with my friends and eat slowly.

Jingalbisal with pink salt and wasabi

The signature jingalbisal was juicy and really tender. As the first cut, I liked it best with pink salt and wasabi, which brought out the clean flavor of the meat.

Lamb chops with the bones trimmed by staff

For the last item, the lamb chops, you can call a staff member when they're about done and they'll help trim the bones, so I could eat comfortably to the end. The lamb was clean with no gamey smell, and with the dedicated seasoning it had a different charm.

They also showed us how to grill cheese on top of the vegetables, and the nutty cheese with grilled veggies was another great flavor.

Yukrab Jongno sauces and the smokeless grill

Each person gets chili sauce, a lamb-only seasoning, curry powder and pink salt as standard.

On top of that there's wasabi, whole-grain mustard, garlic jang (pickled garlic paste) and ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste), so mixing and matching to your taste was fun.

And notice there's no smoke in the photos! For a BBQ restaurant, how little smoke there was really stood out. At first I wondered why I couldn't see any vent hood on the ceiling, but the grill itself has a suction system, so almost no smoke rose while we cooked.

The smell didn't soak into our clothes, and with no hood blocking the view it was easy to talk, so I think it would score high for company dinners too.

Is Yukrab Jongno good for a group dinner or date near Jonggak Station?

I liked that you can enjoy tasty beef and lamb chops at a reasonable price, but above all, I loved the atmosphere. With private rooms, it works well for friends' get-togethers, family meals and small company dinners. My friends liked how comfortable a room is for eating, too. The black-toned interior also made it a pretty good date spot.

It's an easy 5-minute walk from Jonggak Station, and after eating you can stroll to Cheonggyecheon for a relaxed time, which makes a nice course.

If you're looking for a good restaurant for a group dinner near Jonggak Station, or want beef and lamb chops together in a private-room BBQ place with good atmosphere, I recommend Yukrab Jongno!