Yeouido charcoal BBQ Saturday-night booking for two: Yuk Lab Yeouido

Yuk Lab Yeouido Location: 42 Yeouinaru-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, #238, #239 (1 min walk from Yeouido Station Exit 5) Hours: 4 PM–11 PM (last order 10 PM) Amenities: Naver reservation, parking

One minute from Yeouido Station Exit 5: every seat a private room at Yuk Lab

I was craving beef and couldn't decide where to go, and the reviews for Yuk Lab Yeouido were so good I ended up here. Every seat is a private room, so it's perfect for company dinners, family gatherings, or dates. The entrance had bottles of traditional liquor and whiskey on display.

Why Friday same-day booking failed and Saturday dinner worked

Walking through the door feels like stepping into a completely different world, with dark interiors. I originally wanted to go Friday evening, but same-day reservations on a Friday were just too hard to get. So I rebooked for Saturday dinner instead. If you're planning to go, I'd recommend booking well ahead!

What comes in the 67,000-won two-person Yuk Lab set?

Orders are placed on a tablet in each room. The meat types, sets and drinks were all really varied. Since the set menu comes with a jjigae (stew) as well, it seems like great value.

We ordered the two-person Yuk Lab set (jingalbisal 120g + lamb ribs 230g + tosisal 120g + cheese 3pcs + doenjang jjigae) for ₩67,000. The set composition is great, so I'd recommend going with the set.

It was so hot that we also ordered a Yeontae highball and a beer to cool off haha

Side dishes and dipping sauces at Yuk Lab Yeouido

Since we'd booked ahead, the table was already set when we arrived. The sauces were wasabi, whole-grain mustard, minced garlic, and ssamjang. The side dishes were pickled vegetables, spicy chili pepper mix, marinated king oyster mushroom, pickled perilla leaves, pickled onion, and cabbage salad. There were so many side dishes that I kept nibbling one after another, and the meat just disappeared..

The individual plates were these stone plates..? which gave off great vibes. In front of each of us was curry powder, salt, cumin salt (jiran), and soy sauce. Picking which sauce to try each time is half the fun.

The doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) arrived. It came out boiling hot in a stone pot.

Since it was just part of the set, I didn't expect much from the doenjang jjigae, but it was packed with ingredients. It tasted rich and savory too, with deep doenjang flavor.

Jingalbisal, tosisal, lamb ribs: grilled left to right in order

The meat finally arrived! From left to right: jingalbisal (thick-cut beef short rib), tosisal (skirt steak), and lamb ribs. A few vegetables like zucchini, paprika, and mushrooms came along too. I expected a modest portion, but it turned out to be quite a lot — plenty to fill up two people.

First up, jingalbisal with wasabi and salt

The staff told us to eat in order, starting from the left, so they grilled the jingalbisal first. Even at a glance you could tell how fresh the meat was, and the marbling was insane..

Beef shouldn't be overcooked, and you need to eat it warm right away, so we only put on 2 pieces at first.

The charcoal had just been put in, so the heat was really intense.

As it grilled it was a bit too big for one bite, so they cut it into 2-3 pieces. The first bite was the wasabi-and-salt combo! The moment I ate it, the rich fatty flavor of the beef spread through my whole mouth. It melted away instantly and was just so good. If you want beef in Yeouido, Yuk Lab is totally recommended!!

This time they grilled the garnish vegetables together too. The jingalbisal was so good that I considered ordering more after finishing it, but I was too full to add on..

Eating so eagerly, I forgot about the sauces, so partway through the staff set each sauce onto my individual plate. Every single sauce was delicious, but I think the wasabi-salt combo, which let me fully taste the meat, was still my favorite.

Second, tosisal with cheese melted over the vegetables

Next up was tosisal! After clearing away the vegetables and cheese, there turned out to be quite a lot of meat.

The tosisal was really thick. Grilling too much at once seemed like it would outpace how fast we could eat, so they grilled it one piece at a time.

The two-person Yuk Lab set includes grilled cheese, so we put cheese on top of the tosisal. The staff explained that if the cheese is grilled directly on the grill it just melts and drips away, so it needs to be placed on top of the vegetables instead.

Review event: 10,000 won off for a table of four

While eating I noticed a review event on display. ₩10,000 off if all 4 diners participate...! Honestly, being able to eat beef at this price in Yeouido and get a discount on top of that — there's really no reason not to come, ㅠㅠ

This time I tried it with the pickled perilla leaves. Tangy and salty, it paired perfectly with the meat.

Last, lamb ribs cut as thick as steak

Finally they grilled the lamb ribs! They were so thick that grilling would take a bit longer, so we put both on at once.

We ate so slowly that the fire had weakened a bit, but it was nice because nothing burned haha

They separated the bone first and grilled just the meat. It was so thick it felt like eating steak. My husband, who came with me, said the lamb ribs were even tastier than the beef. But for me, the jingalbisal was still the best. Both were delicious though~

Does the meat smell cling to your clothes at Yuk Lab?

Another thing I really liked: the smoke coming off the grill gets fully absorbed right beside the grill, so even without a visible ventilation duct, we could eat comfortably without the smell of meat clinging to our clothes. And each room has its own air conditioner, so even in this hot weather we could grill and eat in cool comfort.

Verdict on Yuk Lab Yeouido

• A private room restaurant in Yeouido where you can eat away from other diners
• Each room has air conditioning, so you can eat comfortably even when it's hot
• The atmosphere is great too — perfect for dates as well as family gatherings
• Both the beef and lamb were fresh and delicious
• A wide variety of sauces made it fun to try different combinations