Yangyang mountain restaurant for kimchi stew pot rice: Yeoyejeong

I was looking for a place to have lunch with friends in Yangyang and ended up going to Yeoyejeong for the sotbap (pot rice) lunch special. When I first saw the location, it looked more mountain-side than I expected, and I thought 'do people really come all the way out here?' But actually being tucked in the mountains made the drive there really healing, and somehow other guests kept coming in the whole time we were eating.

If you're looking for a Yangyang meat restaurant with easy parking that also serves lunch, Yeoyejeong is worth keeping in mind.

Where is Yeoyejeong? A mountain hideaway near Yangyang IC

Yeoyejeong is at 49 Ssangsolbaegi-gil, Seomyeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do — a restaurant that feels like a small mountain lodge pension once you drive far enough into the hills.

The parking area in front is pretty spacious, so it was easy to park with a car. I saw a large vehicle parked there too, so it looks like they may do pickups.

From the outside it looks like an old restaurant at the foot of a mountain, but inside it's more spacious and clean than expected. The tables aren't cramped together, and on a nice day the big windows show a green view, giving the whole place a quiet, relaxed feel. I'd actually been keeping this place in mind to grill meat for dinner, but with no time left I had to leave Yangyang after just the lunch special — a bit of a shame. The owner mentioned it had been chaotic the day before with so many guests, and said I'd picked a good time coming during a quiet lunch.

Yeoyejeong menu: grilled meat cuts and the 13,000-won lunch special

Yeoyejeong is basically known for charcoal grilling and Korean beef in Yangyang. Here are the prices on the menu board when I visited.

• Pork: marinated ribs ₩18,000 / fresh ribs ₩17,000 / pork tail ₩11,000 / pork jowl ₩18,000 / pork belly ₩15,000
• Beef: flower galbi (marinated short rib) ₩29,000 / chuck flap tail ₩26,000
• Lunch specials: meat sotbap ₩13,000 / meat naengmyeon ₩13,000 / sotbap kimchi jjigae ₩13,000 / sotbap galbitang ₩15,000

With no time to spare, we only had the sotbap dishes, but the deep, rich kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) and fragrant rice made the lunch special a solid choice.

What we ordered from Yeoyejeong's lunch special pot rice sets

We ordered three dishes: meat sotbap ₩13,000, meat naengmyeon ₩13,000, and sotbap kimchi jjigae ₩13,000.

The basic side dishes come out first.

Meat naengmyeon (cold noodles)

Meat and naengmyeon (cold noodles) are inseparable. The seasoning sauce comes pre-portioned, so you can adjust it to taste — if you add it all, the flavor gets really strong. The naengmyeon comes with broth, noodles, egg and radish, with the meat and chives served separately on their own plate.

Meat sotbap (pot rice)

This comes with meat, sotbap, and doenjang guk (soybean paste soup). Since the other dishes tend to be quite strongly seasoned, this is the one I'd recommend for kids.

Sotbap kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew with pot rice)

The sotbap kimchi jjigae comes with hot kimchi jjigae alongside sotbap. The stew has tofu and kimchi in it, and since the rice is sotbap rather than a regular bowl of rice, it felt like a properly satisfying meal.

The sungnyung (scorched rice tea) was so good.

At around ₩13,000 each, it wasn't a heavy price for a lunch during a Yangyang trip. If you're hunting for a good Yangyang lunch spot and want something hearty with meat included, the lunch special is a solid choice.

Worth coming back to Yeoyejeong for charcoal-grilled meat?

Honestly, the reason I picked Yeoyejeong that day was because I originally wanted to eat grilled meat. I'd seen a lot of praise for how good it is, and I'm super curious about the unusual pork tail dish 🐖🐷

Why Yeoyejeong works for families with kids

Yeoyejeong is quiet around the area and spacious inside, so it's comfortable for a relaxed meal. They also had baby chairs ready.

There are lots of drawings kids have made on the walls, with plenty of traces left by long-time regulars. Because of that, it has a warmer, more neighborhood-regular feel than just an ordinary BBQ restaurant.

On one side there was also a gacha (draw) event you can use after leaving a review, packed with prizes kids love. Seems like a popular event given how many families and group diners come through.

Cafés near Yeoyejeong for after lunch

Yeoyejeong sits a bit inland rather than right in the middle of the coastal tourist area. Instead of hunting for a café after your meal, here are two worth visiting beforehand.

• 01 Farm11 Café — a café I genuinely love and highly recommend, with a truffle salt bread and gorgeous scenery. Note: it's only open on weekends.
• 02 Café Dunchi — a café affiliated with Yeoyejeong, located in downtown Yangyang.

Verdict: a hidden Yangyang meat restaurant with easy parking

Yeoyejeong is close to Yangyang IC, has easy parking, and offers everything from grilled meat to a lunch special — a hidden gem among Yangyang meat restaurants. It's a great stop before heading home on your last day, like I did. If you're craving meat over seafood in Yangyang and looking for a Yangyang meat restaurant to enjoy comfortably with friends or family, this one's worth keeping in mind.

• Hours: 11:30–21:00
• Lunch meat orders close at 13:30
• Lunch specials close at 14:00