Yangyang Korean barbecue restaurant: Yeoyejeong’s pot rice lunch

During a summer trip to Yangyang, I stopped at Yeoyejeong (여여정) with my family for lunch. On the way to Hajodae, we ordered meat sotbap (pot-cooked rice), meat naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), and galbitang (beef short-rib soup). Since we did not need to grill the meat ourselves, it made for an easy meal while traveling.

Where is Yeoyejeong, and when can you order the lunch special?

Yeoyejeong is at 49 Ssangsolbaegi-gil, Seo-myeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon State, South Korea. There was a large free private parking lot in front of the restaurant, which made parking easy.

At the time of the original visit, the restaurant was open from 11:30 AM to 9 PM, with a break from 3 PM to 5 PM. The lunch special could be ordered on weekends as well, but last orders were at 2 PM.

What was the atmosphere like for a family meal?

The area felt relatively quiet, but the restaurant still had many customers even at a late lunch hour. There were families with children and larger groups as well. The interior was neat and comfortable, and the service was friendly despite the bustle.

What are the lunch-special menu items and prices?

The menu included both beef and pork, along with a range of dishes to have with the meat. We mainly chose from the lunch-special menu.

The meat sotbap and meat naengmyeon we ordered were ₩13,000 each, and galbitang was ₩15,000. Naengmyeon on its own was ₩9,000. Given the portions, I felt the lunch sets with meat were reasonably priced.

Did the side dishes go well with the meal?

Scissors and tongs for the galbitang, along with bowls for serving the sotbap, arrived first. The side dishes that followed were neatly presented too.

The side dishes had flavors that went well with rice. I especially liked the seasoned vegetables, and thought I could have eaten a bowl of rice with those alone.

How was the galbitang my child chose?

The galbitang my child chose arrived bubbling hot. It had a generous amount of short rib, and the broth tasted good without needing extra seasoning. My child enjoyed it too.

What did the meat naengmyeon taste like?

The meat naengmyeon came with meat, making it filling enough for lunch. It also suited a hot day of traveling.

The naengmyeon was mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth) topped with a special sauce. Once I mixed in the sauce, it became spicy and tangy, and I kept reaching for it. If you prefer naengmyeon with a seasoned flavor over a mild broth, it would likely suit you.

Do you need to grill the meat for the meat sotbap yourself?

The meat sotbap also came with cold bean-sprout soup. Served in a ttukbaegi (earthenware bowl), the soup was slightly spicy and savory, making it good alongside the rice.

The lunch-special meat felt like a substantial portion even for one person. The pork, marinated in a special galbi sauce, was sweet and savory, and came fully grilled so we could eat it right away.

The freshly made sotbap was tasty on its own and quite generous in portion. After eating it with the seasoned meat, finishing with the savory nurungji (scorched rice) left me feeling full.

Everyone in my family enjoyed the dish they chose. The pre-grilled meat made the meal convenient, and being able to choose either rice or noodles meant I would like to stop by again on another trip to Yangyang.