Myeongdong Korean BBQ weekend dinner, bibim naengmyeon: Yuktongnyeong

A Blue Ribbon Myeongdong restaurant, a Myeongdong BBQ spot, a Myeongdong favorite.

I had somewhere to be in Myeongdong recently and was looking for a dinner spot, so I ended up at this Blue Ribbon favorite, Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch — here's my review!

Where is Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch, and what are the hours?

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch is at 37-2 Myeongdong8na-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, about 217m from Exit 5 of Myeongdong Station. It's open daily from 11:30 to 23:00, with last order at 22:15. Naver reservations are available, it's group-friendly, takeout is possible, and the restrooms are separated by gender.

It's about 3 minutes from Exit 5 of Myeongdong Station, right on the main Myeongdong street. The big Yuktongnyeong sign made it easy to spot! The wood-and-tile-roof style gave it an old-building look that stood out at a glance.

Yuktongnyeong, a Blue Ribbon Korean BBQ restaurant in Myeongdong

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch has steadily earned Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon awards since 2021, and it turned out to be a fairly well-known Myeongdong BBQ restaurant. Seeing the Blue Ribbon plaques posted by year out front, I figured it had to be at least solidly good.

Is there a wait on a weekend evening?

The interior has a 1st and 2nd floor, and it was pretty busy, probably because it was a weekend evening. We were seated on the 2nd floor without a wait, but by the time we left, a decent line had formed.

Yuktongnyeong's menu and what to order together

Yuktongnyeong's signature dish is the omija-aged pork yukgyeopsal. Beyond that, there's a wide range of pork and beef options — pork belly, pork neck, beef short ribs, seasoned beef ribs, and more. There were also meal dishes that pair well with the meat, so there's plenty to order to your taste. Since it was our first visit, we ordered the signature yukgyeopsal, and after finishing the meat, we topped things off with bibim naengmyeon.

Omija-aged pork yukgyeopsal, grilled for you by the staff

The moment the meat arrived, the thick cut stood out — the lean meat and fat layers were nicely balanced, and it looked like good quality pork just from the look of it!!

A staff member grilled the meat for us. Thick cuts like this can be tricky to cook right, but they cut it into bite-sized pieces and cooked it just right, so all we had to do was eat.

The mushrooms were also grilled golden brown over the charcoal, and the faint charcoal aroma made every bite good right to the end. :)

The meat had a nice springy texture that filled the mouth with each bite, and the fatty parts were soft without being too greasy 🤍

Side dishes and the scallion salad at Yuktongnyeong

The side dishes to go with the meat came out looking clean and well put together — a lineup that went well with the meat, good for picking at between bites.

One of my favorite combos when eating meat is scallion salad. The seasoning was well soaked into the scallions, and eating it with a piece of the yukgyeopsal... 👍

Finishing with bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles)

Once we'd eaten a good amount of meat, we ordered the bibim naengmyeon too! It had an appealing sesame oil aroma.

Naengmyeon really is an essential pairing with grilled meat! We saved a bit of the yukgyeopsal to eat alongside the noodles, and the thick, savory meat went really well with the cool bibim naengmyeon haha.

Is Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong worth a weekend dinner?

True to a Myeongdong BBQ restaurant that's kept its Blue Ribbon status for years, everything from the meat to the side dishes was consistently delicious. Since it's in Myeongdong, there are lots of foreign tourists and evenings can bring a wait, so I'd suggest going with some extra time to spare. It's close to Myeongdong Station too, so it's easy to get to — Yuktongnyeong, a Myeongdong Station BBQ spot I'd recommend for any day you're craving good grilled meat.