Yangju Korean BBQ restaurant for pork ribs: Manpo Galbi

Manpo Galbi in Yangju was busy even at lunch

Nokdu and I came out for meat for the first time in a while. We arrived at lunchtime, and even the large parking lot was nearly full. Such a popular place, and I only just came now—what a shame, haha.

This is Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch. With a first and second floor, it is perfect for gatherings in Yangju, too.

Since it is so popular, we reserved on Naver beforehand, but the second floor was almost full too. There is also a group room upstairs, so it would be great for a family meal. The first floor was so packed that I could not even take photosㅠ

Kiosk ordering and the self-service bar

Every table has a menu and kiosk. Just choose what you want and order. We had already ordered two servings of fresh Korean pork ribs, one serving of handmade ribs, and the free Hamheung naengmyeon (cold noodles).

The country-of-origin information is clearly posted, and aprons are available too. You can pick one up yourself.

Once seated, there is a whole spread of basic sides: scallion salad, bellflower root salad (I think?), and potato salad. The scallion salad goes so well with the meat, so definitely wrap some up together. The potato salad is perfect as a palate cleanser, too!

There were crunchy seasoned peppers, pickled garlic scapes, and shredded radish as well. The garlic scapes were seriously delicious, haha.

You can comfortably help yourself to the basic sides at the self-service bar. We separately brought back peppers, ssam (wrap) vegetables, and ssamjang dipping paste.

A table that starts with yukhoe and yukjeon

A special plus at Manpo Galbi is that yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), yukjeon (pan-fried battered beef), and salad are included. I do not think these are refillable, but with all the meat too, it was an enormous amount of food, haha. Nokdu happily ate the yukhoe, saying it had been a long time since having it.

After trying a little of everything, the meat and grill arrived right away. Time to start grilling!!

We started with the fresh ribs. Nokdu was in charge of grilling, haha.

Nokdu also filmed a little video when he started grilling. Everything was perfect, from the regular sides to the complimentary side dishes. I recommend definitely trying the salad before the main meal, haha.

Free Hamheung mul-naengmyeon and fresh ribs

The tasting portion of naengmyeon we ordered in advance came out too. It is a huge serving for free noodles!! I had wanted to try the doenjang sulbap (soybean-paste rice soup), but I was too full, so I could notㅠㅠ

The Hamheung mul-naengmyeon that Dubu chose had very thin noodles, so it was easy to eat and delicious. The broth was really good too, haha.

Fresh Korean pork ribs grilled beautifully by Nokdu. I had a bite with pickled onions, and they were tender, moist, and so good.

For pork, you really cannot beat scallion salad, ssamjang, and ssam vegetables. Wrapped in lettuce, it is the best. The meat was high quality and delicious without even a hint of odor.

Mul-naengmyeon with grilled meat is the best..ㅠ Even as I write this post, it was so delicious that I keep thinking about it.

Wrap the seasoned ribs in naengmyeon

After happily eating the fresh ribs, we began grilling the second round: seasoned ribs. The seasoned ribs even had two rib bones, haha.

Nokdu happily gnawed on the fresh-rib bones. He ate them all in no time because they were that good, lol.

What if you wrap those deliciously grilled seasoned ribs in naengmyeon? Mmm... so deliciousㅠㅠㅠ If you are looking for a great restaurant in Yangju, I totally, absolutely recommend it!!! The marinade was a little sweet and salty, and so tasty! The meat was tender and genuinely amazing too. Dubu preferred the seasoned ribs, while Nokdu said the fresh ribs were better, haha.

Coffee and bbeong ice cream for dessert

After eating until we were stuffed, we went down to the first floor to pay. There was dental floss, toothpicks, and more in front of the counter, so I took a photo. It was my first time seeing dental floss at a restaurant.. Nokdu spotted it and used some right away, lol.

Another reason Manpo Galbi in Yangju is great for a meal: they even have ice cups, and you can take iced coffee to go. You can fill one with instant coffee too, so make whatever you prefer! We were way too full, so we passed on coffee, haha.

You cannot resist bbeong ice cream;; This is another free dessert! Just take a piece of bbeongtwigi (puffed rice snack), add ice cream, and eat it.

Nokdu was setting up the bbeong ice cream. You can pile on as much ice cream as you want, haha. Following Dubu's order, Nokdu piled it high with ice cream.

Some people eat only the bbeongtwigi, while others sandwich the ice cream between two pieces. We were so full that we shared one bbeong ice cream. Truly the best dessert..

It had been a while since we went out for meat, and we visited Manpo Galbi, a great restaurant in Yangju. The prices were affordable, and the basic sides were plentiful. Best of all, the naengmyeon was free and even dessert was perfect. We kept saying we should come back with our parents next time while eating. There were quite a few families dining there too, so I really recommend it!!