Yangju Korean BBQ for a sister's birthday: smoky pork belly, Manpo

We had a family meal at Manpo Garden (만포가든), a big-name restaurant in Yangju. It's a room-style restaurant selling hanwoo beef, pork belly, galbi and plenty of other pork and beef cuts, and it's very spacious, so it's great for group gatherings and family meals. Good with a baby too. It's also the kind of place that gives you yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), yukjeon (battered beef pan-fry), cold noodles and puffed-rice ice cream, all for free.

Where is Manpo Garden in Yangju, and what about parking and hours?

Manpo Garden is at 28-37 Godeok-ro 355beon-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi, on the 1st floor, and there's a large private parking lot right in front where you can park for free.

It's open every day from 11:00 to 22:00.

How many people fit in the rooms, and is it OK with a baby?

The rooms hold 8 to 32 people, and there are baby high chairs too. It's not a 100% private-room restaurant, though, so for an important occasion or a big group I'd recommend booking ahead.

The interior is upscale and stylish, clean, and hugely spacious with plenty of seating, so it's great for a group meal on a special day. It's also one of the best picks for a family meal with a baby. As a private room restaurant, I think it would suit a parent's birthday or a meeting between two families before a wedding too.

You can reserve through Naver Place, and for same-day reservations just call :)

Manpo Garden menu overview

Manpo Garden sells both hanwoo charcoal-grilled beef and hanjeon (Korean pork) charcoal-grilled meat, and with any meat order you get one cold noodle bowl per person for free.

• Hanwoo charcoal grill: hanwoo direct-fire bulgogi, hanwoo sirloin++, tenderloin, chuck flap
• Hanjeon charcoal grill: handmade pork galbi, pork belly, neck, gabrisal (pork rib-finger meat), hangjeongsal (pork jowl)
• Sides: yukhoe, doenjang sulbap (doenjang rice stew), doenjang jjigae, pudding steamed egg, yukjeon
• Meals: galbitang (short rib soup), bone stew, yukhoe bibimbap, cold noodles
• Gift packaging: handmade seasoned or LA galbi, galbitang
• Lunch special: galbi set
• ※ One cold noodle bowl per person free with a meat order

What comes in the basic table setting at Manpo Garden?

Manpo Garden has no table setting fee, and it even sets out yukhoe and yukjeon as free banchan (side dishes). The quality of both is good.

You get a salad with black sesame dressing, mashed potato macaroni, seasoned radish strips, white kimchi, lettuce with chili, garlic and samppuri (mountain-ginseng-like root) salad, pickled garlic stems and radish, yukhoe and yukjeon. If you need more banchan, ssamjang (dipping paste), sauces or tableware, use the self-serve station.

Manpo Garden pork belly, 200g for ₩18,000: how does it taste?

The pork belly at Manpo Garden is ₩18,000 for 200g, and the charcoal smoke gives it great flavor and plenty of juice, so it was incredibly tender. First up, the charcoal that will give the meat that smoky scent.

I like that Manpo Garden in Yangju sells such a variety of hanjeon pork and hanwoo beef dishes. We were there for my younger sister's birthday, so we ordered her favorite, pork belly. Eat it however you like with all the banchan they set out.

How were the brisket doenjang sulbap, bone stew and pudding steamed egg?

At Manpo Garden, the brisket doenjang sulbap is ₩8,000, the pudding steamed egg ₩3,000 and the bone stew (ppyae-gaejang) ₩11,000. All three went well with the meat, and the doenjang sulbap in particular was filling enough to be a whole meal.

The doenjang sulbap had a slightly spicy, savory depth and a wonderfully nutty flavor, and it was packed with rice, tofu, brisket and all sorts of ingredients, so it solved dinner in one hearty bowl. Nobody should have a problem with it.

The bone stew had lots of big bones with plenty of meat still on them, and the broth was deeply savory. It's a rice thief (so good you keep eating rice)! And then there's the soft, great-value pudding steamed egg :)

Manpo Garden's free cold noodles and puffed-rice ice cream

When you order meat at Manpo Garden, you get one bowl per person of mul naengmyeon (cold broth noodles) or bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles) for free, and dessert of puffed rice cake and ice cream (nicknamed "ppeongseukrim", puffed-rice ice cream) is free too. Cold noodles go well with pork belly and other meat, so I recommend ordering them from the start.

When the noodles arrive, loosen them right away so they don't clump. The freshly fried crunchy puffed rice and soft ice cream set up by the entrance are the best way to finish a meal.

Is Manpo Garden good for a big family meal in Yangju?

The freebies at Manpo Garden, like yukhoe, yukjeon, cold noodles and puffed-rice ice cream, are incredibly generous. If you're near Yangju looking for a large room-style restaurant for a group family meal with parents and a baby, I recommend Manpo Garden, which has everything from hanjeon pork belly to hanwoo beef and galbi ♡