Korean BBQ lunch special in Isu, Seoul: 1++ ribeye set at Hwaseol

I went to Hwaseol, a beef restaurant near Isu Station✨ It's famous enough to have been on TV, so my expectations were high — and the hanwoo (Korean beef) melted the moment it hit my mouth🥹 Between the clean, atmospheric interior and the convenience of staff grilling the meat for you, it was a really satisfying meal. Let me start my review of the perfect lunch special at Hwaseol right now.

Where is Hwaseol Isu Branch, and where do you park?

Hwaseol Isu Branch is at 13 Dongjak-daero 25-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st-2nd floor), open 11:30-23:00, with a break time on weekdays from 15:00-17:00. Group visits, Wi-Fi, and reservations are all available.

Hwaseol is conveniently close to the subway station for anyone visiting by public transport.

If you're driving, you can get a 50% discount voucher at the Hollys parking lot. It's ₩2,000 an hour, so parking wasn't much of a burden. It's a tower-type lot though, so large vehicles may have trouble getting in — worth keeping in mind.

Inside Hwaseol Isu Branch: does it work for a group dinner?

Hwaseol Isu Branch runs across the 1st and 2nd floors, but the 2nd floor wasn't open yet at lunchtime, so I ate on the 1st floor. The 1st floor has about 5 tables spaced generously apart, and the 2nd floor is much bigger — it looked perfect for a group dinner near Isu Station.

Hwaseol serves both beef and pork, but it's especially known for its 'snowflake galbi (marbled short rib).' Apparently it was even featured on tvN's <Waiting Line Restaurant 2>, which I only found out about on this visit haha.

Opening the door, the soft lighting gave the place an antique, upscale feel. The restaurant has two floors total, but since it was lunchtime the 2nd floor wasn't open yet, so I used the 1st floor space. The 1st floor had about 5 tables set with generous spacing, so I could eat comfortably without worrying about the next table over. The 2nd floor is much bigger than the 1st, so it looked perfect for group gatherings or a work dinner near Isu Station.

What's on the Hwaseol lunch special menu?

What I ordered was the Hwaseol flower sirloin set🥩 Each portion is 120g, and you can choose naengmyeon (cold noodles) or doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) as your meal side, so the value felt spot on. Getting both meat and a full meal together in one set was a really solid deal.

Dishes with distinctive names like black beef flower cake and black beef croissant roll also caught my eye.

They had both soju and wine available, so it seemed like a great spot to pair the meat with a drink of your choice. Next time I'd love to come with 3-4 people and try Hwaseol's special menu items one by one.

How was the 1++ marbled ribeye set for two?

The Hwaseol flower sirloin set for two starts with side dishes, then 1++ flower sirloin comes out on a charcoal grill, and a staff member grills it for you from start to finish. They start by cutting the sae-usal (shrimp-shaped chuck flap) part first — even dipped in just salt, it was hanwoo with no gamy smell and juices bursting out.

After ordering, they set the side dishes out one by one. All the dishware was matched in clean white, which looked really neat and tidy just to look at.

Soon after, the 1++ flower sirloin appeared on the charcoal grill. Seeing the tightly packed marbling, I couldn't help but gasp....❗️ It was quite thick too, and even I, who doesn't know much about meat, could tell the quality was on another level. This must be why everyone raves about 1++ (tuppeul) grade haha.

Best of all was that the staff grilled the meat to just the right doneness from start to finish❣️ Thanks to that, I could chat comfortably even in front of the grill and focus completely on the meal.

They cut the sae-usal part first, which boasts gorgeous marbling~

The moment I dipped it lightly in salt and put it in my mouth, wow...👏👏👏 I could really taste the true value of hanwoo!

Not even a hint of gamy smell, and the juices burst out as it melted away. It had been a while since I'd had hanwoo this tender and deeply flavorful, so I was genuinely moved🫶

They grilled it to medium-rare, leaving the inside slightly pink, which was exactly my preference. You can ask for it more well-done depending on your taste.

The doenjang stew and cold naengmyeon

While the meat cooked away nicely, the doenjang stew and water naengmyeon came out too. I was surprised by how big the earthenware pot of doenjang stew was — plenty for two people to enjoy comfortably.

The savory broth was generously packed with beef, tofu, zucchini and more — a total rice thief. Taking a bite of meat followed by a spoonful of the spicy, savory doenjang stew broth was an amazing combo👍

After thoroughly enjoying the meat, rice, and doenjang stew, it was finally naengmyeon time😍 The chewy noodles in a cool, ice-dotted broth cleaned up my greasy palate perfectly for a refreshing finish. Hwaseol is now the first place near Isu Station that comes to mind whenever I think of 1++ beef✨ They also have a filling lunch special, so I definitely recommend giving it a try.