Gwangmyeong Korean BBQ with table grilling: Sammokjip

There’s a Korean BBQ place near Gwangmyeong Sageori that I go to often. The meat is delicious, but the space is not very comfortable, so I’ve felt a little awkward taking my parents there or going with friends who are sensitive about that kind of thing.

So this time, I looked for a Korean BBQ restaurant near Gwangmyeong Sageori Station that was both delicious and clean and comfortable, and I visited Sammokjip Gwangmyeong Sageori Station Branch (삼목집 광명사거리역점). I went because I liked the space, but once I ate there, the meat was even better than I expected, and every side dish was good too! Best of all, the staff grilled the meat beautifully for us, so we had such an easy, relaxed meal ( ˶’ᵕ‘˶)ෆ

If you’re looking for a meal with your parents, a get-together with friends, or a company dinner spot around Gwangmyeong Sageori, this is one to keep an eye on. Let me show you!

How to get to Sammokjip near Gwangmyeong Sageori Station

Sammokjip, a popular restaurant in Gwangmyeong-dong, is within a three-minute walk from Exit 5 of Gwangmyeong Sageori Station on Line 7. It is in the Gwangmyeong Sageori dining alley, so it is easy to reach by subway, and the area is packed with everything from BBQ restaurants to bars, making it convenient to move somewhere else after dinner.

A comfortable seating atmosphere for group gatherings

One of the reasons I came to Sammokjip this time was the comfortable space. Once I stepped inside, I liked how neat and clean the whole restaurant felt.

On the day I visited, a group of more than ten people were gathered at the side. Seeing a large group dining together made me think it would work well not only for get-togethers with friends and family meals, but also as a place for a company dinner around Gwangmyeong Sageori.

Reservation setting and accompaniments

Since I had made a reservation, they had set our table by the window in advance. There were grilling tools, a chilled water bottle, and clean water cups, with meljeot (fermented anchovy sauce) and kimchi for grilling placed to one side.

Along with fresh lettuce and whole garlic cloves, I loved that there was rinsed aged kimchi and myeonginamul (pickled wild garlic leaves) for wrapping the meat.

I also liked that they gave us nicely chilled water!

There was a great variety of dipping sauces too: ssamjang (savory soybean paste), salt, fresh wasabi, and a meat sauce generously filled with scallions. Everything was neatly arranged in individual portions.

Sammokjip’s meat menu and our order

Let’s look at the menu at Sammokjip, which specializes in direct charcoal grilling!

There were five kinds of meat: Sammok pork belly, special pork neck, whole skirt meat with green onion, whole skirt meat, and whole pork jowl. The lineup included lots of tasty, popular cuts, and prices looked reasonable at ₩16,900–₩18,900 for 150–180 g depending on the cut.

The Sammok whole skirt meat with green onion looked so unusual that I really wanted to try it! But sadly, it was sold out that day ㅠㅠ There happened to be a group of more than ten people at the next table, so I wondered if they had ordered lots of it, haha. I was a little disappointed because I was curious about it, but it just gave me a reason to return! We ordered Sammok pork belly and Sammok special pork neck, 180 g each at ₩16,900, plus Sammok whole skirt meat, 150 g for ₩17,900.

Staff-grilled pork belly, pork neck, and skirt meat

Some excellent-looking charcoal arrived, and they put the meljeot and grilling kimchi on first. Then, ta-da, the meat appeared~! You can tell how fresh and high-quality it looks, right? The plump pork belly, special pork neck, and whole skirt meat looked gorgeous.

One of Sammokjip’s strengths! This was the part that felt so convenient: the staff grill the meat for you. When you go to chat or gather with a group, it can be a bit of a shame if one person has to stay busy grilling the whole time. At Sammokjip, they cook it to the perfect point, so we could just talk comfortably while waiting and then eat.

Especially for a meal with parents or a gathering where conversation matters, the grilling service is a bigger advantage than you might expect. We just ate warm steamed egg while waiting for the owner to expertly grill the meat, haha.

They placed the perfectly grilled skirt meat in front of us first. Such attentive service!

I first tried it with just a little salt and fresh wasabi, and wow, the tender charcoal-grilled flavor was no joke.

For my second bite, I dipped it in the scallion meat sauce, and that was another treat. With meat this good and such skilled grilling, it was pure happiness.

Next, I put meat on a myeonginamul leaf, added the grilled shishito pepper garnish they gave us, and wrapped it all up.

This time, I had visited specifically to find somewhere more comfortable than the BBQ place I usually go to. So I thought I would be satisfied if the meat was only reasonably good. But after trying it, the meat was far better than I expected! Good enough that my favorite BBQ place might change? Haha.

I was trying to hold back on drinking, but the meat was so excellent that I had a drink after all... haha.

More wraps and scallion salad from the self-serve bar

There was a self-serve bar.

Various side dishes, wrap vegetables, and sauces were neatly laid out, so you could bring back more whenever you needed them.

Scallion salad does not come as a standard side, but it was at the self-serve bar! I made some seasoned scallion salad and ate it with the pork belly they had just grilled for us.

The pork belly was big, plump, and seriously delicious.

Next, they grilled the whole pork neck too, and we ordered extra pork belly because it was so good. Having everything grilled for us was truly convenient, and because it was grilled so professionally, it tasted amazing too, haha.

We came in saying we would just have a simple meal, but the food, atmosphere, and comfortable space were all so good that we ended up eating a lot, haha. We even ordered cold buckwheat makguksu (buckwheat noodles), ₩9,000. The thick buckwheat noodles were cool and spicy, and it went so well with the meat.

I diligently wrapped and ate every bite of the well-grilled pork neck, and even the final piece was delicious. Pork neck can turn dry if it is grilled badly, but Sammokjip’s special pork neck was cooked beautifully by the staff, so it was tender and easy to enjoy. It was leaner and let me appreciate the meat itself in a different way from the rich pork belly, so I was glad we ordered all three cuts.

Why I recommend it for meals with parents and company dinners

After visiting, I felt that Sammokjip was more than just a delicious restaurant in Gwangmyeong-dong for its meat; the space and service were comfortable too, making the whole meal highly satisfying. I had experienced feeling a little uncomfortable taking my parents or a larger group to a BBQ restaurant I usually visited because of its space, so Sammokjip’s neat, comfortable setting stood out as an even bigger plus.

On top of that, the meat was more delicious than expected and the side dishes were good too. More than anything, because they grill the meat for you, nobody in your party has to keep watching the grill, and everyone can eat while chatting comfortably together.

Since there was actually a group of more than ten diners there when I visited, it also seemed well suited to family outings with parents, gatherings with friends, and company dinners around Gwangmyeong Sageori. If you look beyond low prices when choosing Korean BBQ and also consider meat quality, a comfortable space, and service—or if, like me, you want to properly enjoy great meat in a relaxed setting—I think you’ll be very satisfied.

I was looking for a new Korean BBQ restaurant near Gwangmyeong Sageori Station, and I found another good one, haha. Next time, I’ll go back for the whole skirt meat with green onion that was sold out! Sammokjip Gwangmyeong Sageori Station Branch, I’ll be back soon ( ˶’ᵕ‘˶)ෆ