Jongno Korean BBQ: galbi set for 2 and Earl Grey highball, Yukrab

Today I'm introducing Yukrab Jongno (육랩 종로점), a Jonggak Station restaurant in Jongno where you can enjoy beef and lamb chops in a great atmosphere. There are so many meat restaurants around Jonggak Station that it's hard to decide where to go, right? Especially when you're looking for a place for a dinner meetup, a date or a company dinner, you care about the atmosphere and seating as much as the taste. Yukrab Jongno impressed me with its set menu that lets you try several kinds of meat at once, and its stylish interior.

Where is Yukrab Jongno, and what are the hours?

Yukrab Jongno is on the 3rd floor of 42 Ujeongguk-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, about 188m from Exit 4 of Jonggak Station. It's open Mon–Fri 16:00–23:00 and Sat–Sun 15:00–23:00, with last order at 22:00.

• Parking: no dedicated parking
• Reservations: available via Naver Reservation
• Seating: regular tables, group seating, private rooms
• Signature menu: beef, lamb chops, galbi sets
• Drinks: highballs, beer, soju, wine and more
• Amenities: Wi-Fi, separate men's and women's restrooms
• Recommended for: Jonggak dates, Jongno company dinners, family meals

Yukrab Jongno atmosphere and private rooms

Yukrab Jongno is in the middle of Jongno, easy to reach by public transport. It's close to Jonggak's Youth Street (Jonggak Station Street of Youth), so it works well for after-work dinners or meetups with friends. Jongno is full of offices, so in the evening it buzzes with people out for company dinners and get-togethers. Yukrab Jongno sits right in that area, so access was great.

One side of the restaurant has a display space for all kinds of liquor. Bottles of wine, whiskey and more are lined up neatly on the shelves, with soft lighting behind them that makes the colors of the bottles pop. It felt less like a simple liquor cabinet and more like part of the interior. With the light shining through the wine and whiskey bottles, it felt like I'd walked into a stylish dining space.

The overall palette of dark black and gray felt calm and upscale. When you open the window, it even feels like eating at an outdoor drinking spot (yajang).

Private rooms for company dinners and family gatherings

What impressed me most at Yukrab Jongno was the private room area. Several rooms line a long hallway toward the back of the restaurant. They're set up so you can eat in a separate, independent space from the main hall. The hallway leading to the rooms also had a calm mood, with dark walls and lighting. A private space like this is great for chatting comfortably over a meal, right? Having private rooms is especially nice for company dinners with coworkers, family gatherings or important dinner appointments.

With spaces like this, I thought Yukrab Jongno suits people looking for a company dinner spot near Jonggak Station, too.

Yukrab Jongno menu and the price of the galbi set for two

The galbi set for two at Yukrab Jongno is ₩64,000, or ₩32,000 per person. I also ordered an Earl Grey highball on top.

• Jingalbisal (beef short rib meat)
• Lamb chops
• Marinated galbi (yangnyeom galbi)
• Doenjang stew (soybean paste stew)
• Grilled cheese

Pretty great lineup, right? Galbi set for two, rice and a highball: order done!

Side dishes and sauces

Yukrab Jongno serves several side dishes together, like geotjeori (fresh-tossed kimchi), kimchi and jangajji (pickles). It's a side dish lineup that goes well with meat, so I was satisfied. There was a wide variety, starting with myeongi namul (wild garlic-chive greens).

Yukrab Jongno also had several sauces to eat with the meat. When you taste the meat for the first time, dipping it lightly in just salt lets you enjoy its natural flavor. After that, adding different sauces makes the same meat feel totally different. With beef especially, eating it with salt lets you taste the savory flavor more directly. After enjoying the juices and charcoal aroma, you can add other sauces and notice the flavor change.

Even the charcoal is perfect! Let's grill the set for two.

How did the Yukrab Jongno galbi set for two taste?

The galbi set for two at Yukrab Jongno lets you enjoy jingalbisal, lamb chops and marinated galbi together. It also includes doenjang stew and grilled cheese, so the lineup felt generous. When you're eating meat you start wanting other dishes alongside, so I liked that the stew and cheese were part of the set.

Eating just one kind of meat can feel a little monotonous, but the galbi set lets you enjoy several flavors, which I liked. It's a lineup that works well for two people sharing a variety of meats.

A combo that even includes lamb? Lamb and beef lovers were happy with this set.

Doenjang stew and Earl Grey highball

The doenjang stew that comes as standard was so good that I could finish a bowl of rice with the stew alone.

The Earl Grey highball was sweet and tasty, too. You'd need five or more glasses to feel tipsy, but… I held back.

Jingalbisal: salt first, grilled just right

The first item in the Yukrab Jongno galbi set to catch my eye was the jingalbisal. It's a cut that gives you beef's distinctive savory flavor and tender texture. Once you put the meat on the charcoal, it turns golden and looks delicious. Watching the meat cook over the glowing red charcoal naturally made me hungry.

Picking up a piece that's cooked just right, you get that savory beef flavor. Rather than grilling it too long, cooking it just enough seemed best for a tender texture. Jingalbisal is a cut that's great with just a little salt to taste the meat itself. Start by dipping it in salt to enjoy the savoriness, then eat it with sauces to your taste for more variety.

It melts in your mouth. Charcoal-grilled beef really is the best!

With the window open it was cool, and the meat smell barely lingered.

Grilled cheese

The galbi set for two at Yukrab Jongno also includes cheese to grill. It's a welcome addition for anyone who likes meat and cheese together. Grill the cheese lightly and eat it with the meat, and the savory flavor takes it somewhere different. The charm of the cheese is how the surface texture and the soft inside come together once grilled.

Marinated galbi: rich flavor that pairs with rice

The marinated galbi was a total winner, too! Its charm is the savory depth of the marinade added to the flavor of the meat itself. Marinated galbi turning golden on the charcoal looked delicious just to look at. Marinated meat goes so well with rice, right? If jingalbisal and lamb chops are for enjoying the meat's own flavor, I think the marinated galbi is the one for a slightly richer taste.

Juicy marinated galbi, and this one melts in your mouth too.

Being able to enjoy three different meats at once kept the meal from getting monotonous. It was fun eating them with grilled vegetables, too.

Lamb chops: a different charm after the beef

Lamb chops have a flavor unlike beef and are popular with people who love lamb, right? I liked that I could enjoy several meats at once. Tasting the lamb chops after the beef, I could definitely feel a different charm. Lamb chops, grilled just right, give you both savory flavor and a tender texture. Their rich, distinctive taste also goes well with spices and sauces. Add a spice like zira (cumin) or curry powder and you get yet another flavor.

A generous galbi set for two with beef and lamb chops in one go! Yukrab Jongno at Jonggak Station won me over with its fragrant Earl Grey highball and private atmosphere. A full, tasty meal after a long time, done!

Yukrab Jongno: overall verdict

• Meat: satisfied with the variety of beef and lamb chops!
• Galbi set for two: generous lineup of 3 kinds of galbi, cheese and doenjang stew
• Price: ₩64,000 for the galbi set for two
• Earl Grey highball: fragrant and refreshing, goes well with meat
• Atmosphere: soft lighting and an upscale interior
• Seating: private rooms and group seating, good for gatherings
• Recommended for: Jonggak dates, Jongno company dinners, family meals
• Would I return: a Jongno meat restaurant I'd gladly visit again!