Myeongdong Korean barbecue with grilled black pork: Yuktongnyeong

After walking and sightseeing around Myeongdong all day, I stopped by Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch for a filling dinner. It was a large Korean barbecue restaurant with a traditional old-restaurant atmosphere, and that day I had omija-aged black pork yukgyeopsal and mul-naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth).

Is it easy to reach from Myeongdong?

The restaurant is across from the Myeongdong UNIQLO and close to Shinsegae Department Store. It was easy to get there from central Myeongdong, so stopping for dinner after shopping or sightseeing was not difficult. At the entrance, I saw six Blue Ribbon markers.

What are the atmosphere and seats like?

I liked the familiar atmosphere you get at an old Korean barbecue restaurant. The restaurant uses an entire three-story building, so it had more seats than I expected. It was also convenient to be able to pay on each floor right after finishing the meal.

What else is on the menu besides black pork?

Besides omija-aged black pork, the meat menu included pork ribs, samgyeopsal (pork belly), flower sirloin, fresh ribs, yanggopchang (lamb intestines), and seasoned king ribs. There were also Korean beef yukhoe (raw beef), yukhoe bibimbap, kimchi stew, and naengmyeon.

What banchan and sauces come with the meat?

The banchan included salad, pa-chae (green onion salad), baek-kimchi (white kimchi), myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves), oi-sobagi (stuffed cucumber kimchi), and seasoned perilla leaves. The six sauces and seasonings for the meat were salt, wasabi, salted shrimp, sesame oil, salted hairtail-gut sauce, and ssamjang.

Does the restaurant grill the omija-aged black pork yukgyeopsal?

We ordered two servings of omija-aged black pork yukgyeopsal. It had gone through an omija aging process, and we chose it because it was described as Yuktongnyeong’s signature menu item.

The staff grilled the meat for us, so we did not have to worry about when to turn it. We could talk comfortably while waiting for the meat to cook, then eat it as soon as it was well grilled.

The meat was quite thick overall.

How did the thick yukgyeopsal taste?

The outside was nicely browned, while the inside was juicy. I could feel the meat’s juices as I chewed the thick pieces. After walking all day and working up a big appetite, I found it satisfyingly filling.

I also liked the banchan. Eating the meat with myeongi namul or seasoned perilla leaves was a nice way to vary the flavors.

The grilled king oyster mushrooms also stayed in my memory. I found it interesting that the staff dipped the mushrooms into the meat juices once in a while as they grilled. The cooked mushrooms were delicious with a light dip in salt.

How was the mul-naengmyeon with the meat?

We also had mul-naengmyeon. After eating the thick meat, it was nice to finish with the cool broth.

The traditional atmosphere and thick black pork were what I remembered most from this dinner. After walking around Myeongdong, it was comfortable to eat without having to grill the meat ourselves.

What are the hours and visitor details?

The address listed in the original article is 37-2 Myeongdong 8na-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea, and the hours are daily from 11:30 to 23:00. The listing says group visits, reservations, and takeout are available, and that baby chairs are provided.