Guwol-dong, Incheon beef BBQ C Set for four siblings: Sip Sam Dae

Where is Sip Sam Dae and when is it open?

Sip Sam Dae (십삼대) is a beef BBQ restaurant at 32 Inju-daero 623beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon, on the 1st floor, a 10-minute walk from Yesulhoegwan Station. On weekdays (Mon–Fri) it opens 11:30–22:30, with a break from 14:00 to 16:00 and last order at 21:30. On Saturday it's 16:00–22:00 (last order 21:00), on Sunday 17:00–22:00 (last order 21:00), and parking is available.

I finally got together with my younger siblings on a weekend and we wanted some seriously good meat, so we went to Sip Sam Dae, which has a great reputation as a Guwol-dong beef spot. It's near Yesulhoegwan Station so it was really easy to find, and there are plenty of places for a second round nearby, plus it's close to the Rodeo Street area, so getting around was convenient too, haha.

What's the atmosphere like at Sip Sam Dae? Good for a group?

The inside has a cozy wood-tone look, and every table is nicely divided by partitions, so we could chat and eat comfortably. With the soft lighting and private feel, it looked just as good for a date or a group gathering.

The Premium Ugalbi C Set we picked for four

The menu we ordered at Sip Sam Dae with four people was the Premium Ugalbi C Set. It comes with 500g ugalbi (prime beef rib), 300g special-cut pork belly, 150g jin-galbi-sal (beef rib meat), 150g flower pork neck, and doenjang sul-bap (soybean paste rice stew). We went through the menu slowly. Since there were four of us we wanted a set, but every set looked so good that we agonized for a while before settling on the C Set.

What side dishes come with the meal?

The basic sides are seasoned scallion salad, potato salad, pink radish wraps (mussam), pickled vegetables, lettuce, chili peppers, and garlic. From the zingy scallion salad to the fluffy, sweet potato salad and the fresh pink radish wraps, they were all perfect with meat. The vegetables used for the sides are apparently grown by the owner's own family.

The seasoning on every side was just right, so they were really tasty, haha. The lettuce and garlic even came with the ends trimmed off. Full marks!!

Then the highlight of the meal arrived: the ugalbi and an assorted plate of meat, looking magnificent! The moment I saw the big rib bones with their beautiful marbling, I couldn't help gasping. True to its reputation as a Guwol-dong beef spot, the freshness and bright red color of the meat were outstanding!

Does Sip Sam Dae grill the meat for you?

At Sip Sam Dae, a professional staff member grills the meat for you from start to finish on a charcoal grate with strong heat. This was the biggest plus of the place. Even better, half of the grill has no charcoal, so finished meat stays warm without overcooking. The owner's thoughtfulness is amazing, lol.

They seal in the juices by gently searing the surface, then cut it into bite-size pieces and grill it to the best doneness, and just waiting comfortably was honestly moving. To be honest, grilling beef over charcoal is hard to control and you worry about burning it, so having it grilled just right was the best! Without worrying about burnt meat, we could chat and eat comfortably through the whole gathering, haha.

Sip Sam Dae's ugalbi flavor and special soy sauce

The ugalbi had a crisp-coated outside and a juicy, moist inside. I picked up a perfectly golden piece for the first bite, and the moment I chewed, rich, juicy rib flavor burst through the crisp coating and filled my mouth, melting softly! The texture was chewy yet tender, and the deep, nutty beef flavor kept building, so I couldn't put my chopsticks down.

I especially dunked the ugalbi deep into Sip Sam Dae's special soy sauce, which gets warmed on the grill alongside the meat. Salty, sweet, and bursting with deep savory flavor, the sauce blended with the ugalbi's rich fat for an even more layered taste, and it was crazy good! Eaten with sweet grilled pineapple and fragrant mushrooms, it never felt greasy and I enjoyed it to the last bite.

Jin-galbi-sal with just salt

After the ugalbi, the staff grilled the jin-galbi-sal (beef rib meat). I barely seared it over the charcoal and popped it straight into my mouth. No need to chew hard: it pulled apart softly along the grain, and deep, rich beef aroma flooded my mouth! The meat quality is so good that a light dip in salt alone delivered a heavy, nutty savoriness at once. It was the perfect cut for enjoying the true flavor of beef.

How were the special-cut pork belly and flower pork neck in the C Set?

The thick special-cut pork belly and pork neck in the C Set were also grilled golden over Sip Sam Dae's charcoal. True to its selected Korean pork (hanjeon), the ratio of lean meat to fat was spot on, and the subtle charcoal aroma clung to the surface, so even the smell of it cooking whetted our appetite.

I tried a piece of the finished belly with scallion salad: crisp outside, with a burst of nutty fat juice inside, and that chewy, bouncy belly texture got better with every bite. Its crispy-outside, juicy-inside flavor was different from the beef and doubled the fun of the meal.

The flower pork neck especially impressed me. Even though it's a neck cut, the meat wasn't dry or tough at all, and the texture was amazingly soft and moist.

With every bite, nutty, clean juices trapped between the grains of meat filled my mouth. I wrapped it in fresh lettuce with scallion salad and ssamjang (seasoned bean paste) plus garlic, and the tangy, nutty bite was totally my taste.

Sip Sam Dae's doenjang sul-bap: too much for four

The C Set's finisher, Sip Sam Dae's doenjang sul-bap, comes in a huge earthenware pot, and there was so much that four of us shared it and still had some left. The pot was seriously enormous... Rice, meat bits, and big chunks of tofu filled the pot in a rich, savory broth.

Honestly I was already full from the meat and thought I couldn't eat more, but once the hot, deep doenjang broth went in, it cleaned up the grease in my mouth and my stomach felt totally settled. Nutty rice soaked in broth together with beef (hanu) bits made it an incredibly generous finisher!

Who should go to Sip Sam Dae in Guwol-dong?

From the staff grilling service that takes all the work off your hands to the juicy premium ugalbi, the ugalbi-and-special-sauce combo, jin-galbi-sal, pork belly, flower pork neck, and the huge doenjang sul-bap, every dish and the whole set composition were perfect at this beef restaurant! If you want a special meal with high-quality beef in Guwol-dong or near Yesulhoegwan Station, do pay it a visit!