Anguk pork grill lunch: 13-min wait, briquette bulgogi, Eom Yongbaek

Gwanghwamun Branch. I had lunch in Gwanghwamun!

I stuffed myself with a full spread of charcoal bulgogi set at Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill (엄용백 돼지구이), a great lunch spot in Gwanghwamun.

Where is Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch?

Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch is between Anguk Station and Gwanghwamun Station, at 51 Yulgok-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Jogyesa Temple and Insadong are both nearby, so it works well as part of a date route.

How long is the weekday lunch wait at Eom Yongbaek?

There's a CatchTable waitlist at lunchtime. On a weekday I was 9th in line and got in after about 13 minutes. Lots of office workers come at lunch, but the restaurant extends far back inside and tables turn over fast, so I ate sooner than I expected.

Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill menu and prices

The meat menu is fist-cut pork (jumeok-gogi) ₩16,000, hangjeongsal (pork jowl) ₩20,000, moksal (pork neck) ₩18,000 and samgyeopsal (pork belly) ₩19,000, all ordered in portions for 2 or more. Good sides to grill alongside are pork skin ₩10,000, seasoned grilled special cuts ₩17,000 and truffle duxelles grilled mushrooms ₩11,000, and extra melchi-jorim (braised small fish) is ₩6,000.

For meals there's blue crab ramyeon ₩11,000, seafood pot rice ₩8,000 and village tofu doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) ₩6,000.

The lunch specials need a minimum of 2 servings, and you order one per person. The charcoal bulgogi set is ₩16,000 and the squid charcoal bulgogi set is ₩16,000. You can add more charcoal bulgogi or melchi-jorim, so you can eat as much as you like.

• Address: 51 Yulgok-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Daily 11:00 - 23:00
• Menu: Charcoal bulgogi set ₩16,000

What comes with the briquette bulgogi lunch set?

This is the lunch special spread at Eom Yongbaek. I heard the squid bulgogi is spicy, so I ordered 2 servings of the charcoal bulgogi, which is easier for a casual lunch. Along with the bulgogi you get ganghoenjang (thick doenjang), melchi-jorim, siraegi doenjang soup (dried radish greens soup) and plenty of side dishes.

The rice comes as pot rice, one per person. It's cooked at high heat, so the rice itself is fluffy and delicious.

Everyone also gets a separate rice bowl, so you can scoop out your share hygienically.

How does the soy-marinated briquette bulgogi taste?

The charcoal bulgogi is meat marinated in the signature house soy sauce, then grilled and brought to the table. Maybe it's because it's cooked over charcoal, but the smoky flavor is crazy good.

The pork is so tender that my chopsticks kept going back for more. The soy marinade is an umami bomb, and with the open-flame grilling on top, it's just so good.

There are three or four kinds of ssam (wrap) vegetables too, so you can wrap your meat in lettuce or perilla leaves, whichever you like.

Melchi-jorim, the standout of the lunch set

The melchi-jorim is especially good with the charcoal bulgogi. I'd say it's the kick of this lunch set.

It's great mixed into rice, and piled on a bulgogi wrap it gets salty and twice as tasty. The garlic and chili peppers inside the melchi-jorim are seriously good, so please try them.

Pumpkin leaves with gangdoenjang and doenjang soup

The lunch set comes with ganghoenjang made with pumpkin leaves. It's cooked as soon as you order, so it arrives piping hot.

This ganghoenjang really wakes up your appetite. It's savory doenjang with lots of tofu in it.

I piled the ganghoenjang onto the soybean sprout side dish that comes with it and mixed it into my rice.

The natural doenjang flavor that comes out of the zucchini is superb, so good I wanted to order extra.

A light doenjang soup comes alongside too, so I ate happily through the whole spread.

Seating and atmosphere at Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun

Overall the restaurant feels clean and modern. Since it's a place where you grill meat in the evening, the tables are big and well spaced, so I ate comfortably.

• Chair comfort: comfortable for eating
• Table setup: several 4-person tables, group tables available
• Who can come: solo diners, dates, groups of 2–4, group gatherings and company dinners