Bojeong-dong steak restaurant date, free corkage: Rustic Smokehouse

The café street in Bojeong-dong, Yongin always feels like Christmas to me. Let me introduce one restaurant there with a great atmosphere, and really good BBQ, steak and pasta. Good food matters, but when you like the space you eat in too, you enjoy eating out even more, right?

This time I visited a Bojeong-dong steak spot with a strong US West interior and a generous steak platter: Rustic Smokehouse Yongin Bojeong Branch.

Where is Rustic Smokehouse Bojeong Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Rustic Smokehouse Bojeong Branch is at 11-14 Jukjeon-ro 43beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi, 1st floor, near the Bojeong-dong café street. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–21:30, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00, and closed every Monday.

• Parking: in front of the restaurant; double parking is possible if the space is full
• Free corkage
• Zero Pay and local currency accepted

US West-style interior, starting with the neon sign

Rustic Smokehouse Bojeong Branch is on the opposite side of the Bojeong-dong café street. The first thing I noticed on arrival was the retro neon sign! The entrance already has so much personality that I was excited to see what the mood inside would be.

Inside, red lighting and wood tones come together and it felt like a pub in the American West or a Texas restaurant. Cowboy hats and vintage photos decorate the walls, so the mood is clearly different from an ordinary restaurant.

With the soft lighting, it seemed like a great place to visit in the evening too. If you want to eat somewhere with a different vibe, it would work as a date spot in Bojeong-dong.

Self-bar, a no-miss roulette event, and free corkage

There is a self-bar on one side of Rustic Smokehouse Bojeong Branch. You can take as many pickles, jalapeños and onions as you like, which goes nicely with the meat.

In front of the counter there was also a fun roulette event. It is a nostalgic spinning wheel with no blanks, so it is easy to join in lightly before or after the meal. Prizes included house wine and discount coupons.

And my personal favorite: free corkage! You can bring a wine you love and enjoy it with your steak, which is welcome news for wine lovers. Next time I want to bring a bottle of wine and enjoy the meal a bit more leisurely.

What comes in the BBQ COUPLE SET?

What we ordered was Rustic Smokehouse's BBQ COUPLE SET. From the couple set we chose the steak platter, with Toowoomba pasta, plus a house salad and drinks.

For drinks we picked cold beer and lemonade. Cold beer goes so well with meat, and the lemonade was refreshing and cleaned up my palate.

It was a good setup for two people who want to share several dishes. The first dish out was the garden salad! Balsamic and oriental dressings with handmade grated cheese made it fresh and nutty at once. The dressing was not too strong, so it was nice as a light start to the meal.

Normally I would have started with the salad, but I wanted to eat it together with the golden grilled meat, so I waited a little until the steak came out. My anticipation kept rising before the mains arrived.

Bojeong-dong steak spot: how were the steak platter's taste and doneness?

Rustic Smokehouse's steak platter came on an iron plate generously loaded with chuck flap steak (salchisal), beef sirloin and pork neck. With big pieces of meat gathered together, it looked appetizing right away.

The meat was cooked reasonably well overall and the juices were nicely retained. But to my personal taste, it came a little more done than I expected. Doneness depends on taste, so next time I plan to ask for rare.

The steak also came with plump grilled shrimp and grilled vegetables, so it was more varied than eating only meat. Alternating between the salad and grilled vegetables meant I never got tired of it until the end. If you like a hearty meat dish, it is worth trying when you look for a steak spot in Bojeong-dong.

Spicy, creamy Toowoomba pasta in Bojeong-dong

What we had with the steak was Rustic Smokehouse's Toowoomba pasta (a creamy, spicy pasta).

It was a rich, nutty cream sauce with a subtle spiciness. It keeps the smooth taste typical of cream pasta, and the slight heat that comes up at the end means the creaminess does not linger.

Especially when I took a bite of pasta between bites of steak, the taste in my mouth switched naturally! Alternating meat and pasta, the two dishes went together quite well.

If ordering only steak feels like a pity, or you want pasta too, a set menu like this is good value. If you are looking for pasta in Bojeong-dong, I think you could enjoy the pasta alone just fine.

Staff service and atmosphere: good for a company dinner too?

Another thing I remembered from eating at Rustic Smokehouse Bojeong Branch was the staff's kind service. One female staff member in particular was so warm that I felt comfortable throughout the meal.

There were groups dining inside, but perhaps because the space is laid out comfortably, it did not feel as noisy as I expected. There are seats good for couples as well as spaces where many people can eat together.

So it seemed to suit not only dates but also meals with coworkers. When looking for a company dinner spot in Bojeong-dong, Yongin, the varied menu and the platters that are easy to share make it worth considering.

My honest wrap-up after visiting

Rustic Smokehouse Bojeong Branch is a restaurant where you can enjoy steak and pasta together in a retro US West atmosphere. The generous BBQ couple set comes with salad and drinks, so it was great for two people to taste several dishes.

Personally, I liked the combination of the juicy steak and the subtly spicy Toowoomba pasta. Doneness depends on personal taste, though, so it is best to tell the staff your preference when ordering.

If you like both steak and pasta, enjoy them generously with the BBQ couple set. Tasty food plus a comfortable mood made it a place I left feeling good. If you want to eat somewhere with a different atmosphere, or you are looking for a date restaurant near the Jukjeon café street in Yongin, I really recommend this Bojeong-dong steak spot, Rustic Smokehouse Bojeong Branch.