Songpa Korean BBQ date with highballs: Sutbul Seonghwa

I finally made a trip to Seoul again after quite a while! It had been three months since my surgery, so I went to the hospital to check on my recovery and get some more medication. Since I was out in Seoul for the first time in ages and wanted a date-night mood too, we had dinner at Sutbul Seonghwa, a lovely meat restaurant near Seokchon Station!! After visiting, I thought the beef quality and atmosphere were both great—such a nice spot for a blind date, a pre-wedding family meeting, or a date, haha.

Sutbul Seonghwa location and visitor information near Seokchon Station

It is open Monday through Sunday from 11:00 to 01:00, with a weekday break from 15:00 to 17:00. There is no break on weekends, and last orders are at 00:00. For parking, use the free, un-gated lot beside the building in the alley between Sutbul Seonghwa and Danmak; if it is full, use a nearby paid lot. Group visits, reservations, Wi-Fi, separate men’s and women’s restrooms, high chairs, wheelchair-accessible seating, and parking are available.

Sutbul Seonghwa, a popular meat restaurant near Seokchon Station, is about a 5–7 minute walk from Exit 1. Even the exterior looked neat and atmospheric.

Outside, there was a board listing the lunch menu as well as a menu display. The lunch options looked good for a simple meal too, so it seemed like a perfectly decent place to come for lunch.

A spacious dining room, private rooms, and plenty of drinks

As soon as we entered, the clean, spacious dining room caught my eye. The interior was nicely done too, so the atmosphere looked great. We were told the window seats were reserved, so we were shown to a table in the middle! There were several private rooms as well, which seemed ideal for gatherings. Even on the day we visited, quite a few people were dining in the rooms.

The meat storage room had full glass windows so you could see the condition of the meat yourself. It looked as though they carefully trim those large cuts before serving them. One side of the restaurant also had a drinks area, stocked with a truly wide selection. People who enjoy drinking would really love it here. Sutbul Seonghwa sells the basics—soju and beer—as well as whisky, wine, and champagne.

There was even a clothes rack for hanging coats, so it would be comfortable to visit even when the weather calls for outerwear.

Ordering the Seonghwa platter and sides

Here is the menu! Their review event was generous too: one person gets one highball, two people get two highballs, and three people get yukhoe (Korean beef tartare)! Check in advance to see whether there are any coupons you can use before visiting~

We ordered the Seonghwa platter, 100% buckwheat bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles), Premium Joseon Fragrant Rice, a Suntory Highball, and Coca-Cola Zero. The Seonghwa platter consists of 240 g of Seonghwa sirloin plus 160 g of wine-marinated rib finger meat. There were seriously so many drinks that I spent ages looking through them, hahaha. Soju, beer, whisky, wine, champagne—there were so many different kinds. Drink lovers, this is the place for enjoying alcohol with meat: come to Sutbul Seonghwa!

Besides table ordering, each table had its own printed menu. If you prefer seeing everything comfortably at once, this menu would be useful. Every table had a grill like this for cooking the meat. Rather than an extractor hanging from the ceiling, it looked cleaner and easier to use.

These were the complimentary side dishes! Every one went well with the meat. Salt, wasabi, and more were served too, so it was nice to eat according to your taste. The onions were delicious in that familiar, universally loved way, and the seasoned radish was good too, but I personally like beef best with onions, salt, or scallion salad. The scallion salad here in particular was sooo good. It also came with lettuce, and the sauce was seriously tasty. All the side dishes can be refilled, so if you need more, find the staff-request option in the table-order system and ask separately! I ran out of onions, so I requested more.

The Seonghwa platter enhanced by charcoal aroma

The meat arrived soon after we ordered!! The look of it was seriously no joke, right..? Such a glorious color even before grilling.

My partner ordered the Suntory Highball~ They like Suntory whisky and had heard that the highballs here are mixed well. I stole a sip too, and it was delicious, haha.

A staff member grilled the first batch, and we grilled the rest ourselves. Once the first meat was done, they placed the first piece on a plate and moved the rest to the side so it would not burn. They said the restaurant uses charcoal made in the traditional way from high-quality oak from Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do, and my partner said it looked like really good charcoal.

The grilled meat they handed us~ The first bite simply has to be with salt alone. The moment I took a bite, I could immediately tell the beef was high quality. It was so tender it almost melted in my mouth—so good. The charcoal aroma had seeped into the meat too, making it even more delicious.

The meat was cut into fairly large pieces. I prefer smaller bites, so I cut mine once more before eating. A small pat of butter was placed inside the button mushrooms, which made their flavor really come alive. I already love mushrooms, but they were even more delicious this way. I was so sad to see the meal disappearing. I was too busy eating the meat to photograph the marinated cut, but its seasoning was not too strong; it was a savory, umami-rich meat. The chewy rib finger meat, with garlic and sauce working beautifully together, was delicious!

Buckwheat bibim naengmyeon and rice you must order

The buckwheat naengmyeon we ordered arrived with the meat, so we ate it alongside. Since it was buckwheat noodles, I expected a slightly crumbly texture, but the noodles were springy and just right to eat. The seasoning also paired well with the meat, making it a great side to share with it. As someone who hates cucumber, I could select “no cucumber” when ordering, so of course I chose it right away,, The egg did not come as a boiled egg—it came like that, haha. No matter how it arrives, egg is always right! The cold broth even had tiny ice crystals, making the noodles even more refreshing. If you love naengmyeon, I recommend bibim naengmyeon as a dish to enjoy alongside the meat~!

By the way, I could not take a photo, but... rice is something you simply cannot leave out when eating meat, right? We ordered the Premium Joseon Fragrant Rice, and honestly, the aroma of the rice when it arrived was incredible. A nutty, earthy fragrance just swept over us—it smelled as though the rice alone would be delicious. That rich aroma came through properly when eating it too, making it even tastier. Its match with the meat goes without saying. Everyone, please do order rice... please. It is a truly essential order.

To finish, we could order complimentary Excellent ice cream for dessert, and it tasted even better since it had been such a long time since I last had it, haha. Do not forget to order and enjoy the dessert ice cream, everyone~~

When we paid and headed out, they gave us Halls candies too, which made for a fresh, neat ending.

Sutbul Seonghwa has even been visited by celebrities! It was a great place to eat high-quality meat in a nice atmosphere for a blind date, a pre-wedding family meeting, or a date. Along with soju and beer, it also sells whisky, wine, and champagne, so I especially recommend it to anyone wanting to enjoy drinks with meat, haha.