Icheon Korean restaurant lunch with mom: soy crab and jeyuk at Neul

I went to Icheon with my mom and stopped by Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch (늘고기집 이천본점) for lunch. It's mainly known as a Korean BBQ restaurant, but during lunchtime they also offer a variety of hearty lunch specials. Here's my detailed review of the lunch special at Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch :)

Parking at this Icheon restaurant

Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch is an Icheon Korean BBQ spot where you can enjoy everything from grilled meat menus to lunch specials. The lunch special is available until 2:30pm, and besides the soy crab and jeyuk ssambap I had, there's also the Neul ssambap set, traditional galbitang, master's soy crab set, and more to choose from.

There's a large parking area right in front of the restaurant, which made visiting by car really convenient. When traveling around Icheon you often end up driving, so a restaurant with plenty of parking puts my mind at ease even before I walk in.

Spacious, clean interior

Walking inside, the restaurant is fairly spacious, which makes it a good spot for family meals. With about 120 seats and private rooms available, it also seems like a great choice for family gatherings or group meals.

The tables aren't cramped and everything felt clean overall, so it was comfortable eating here with my mom. Even though it was just the two of us this time, I thought it would be nice to come back with the whole family for a BBQ dinner sometime.

Menu and prices at this Icheon Korean BBQ restaurant

I was even more excited to learn this restaurant was selected as a 2026 Blue Ribbon Korean food master. They serve grilled options like marinated beef short ribs, pork rib-neck meat, beef short ribs, and pork belly, as well as raw beef tartare (yukhoe), soy crab, and galbitang (short rib soup). Since I visited at lunchtime, I ordered the soy crab and jeyuk ssambap lunch special, which lets you enjoy both soy crab and jeyuk (spicy pork stir-fry) at once. It's 24,900 won per person.

All-you-can-eat lettuce wraps at the self-serve bar

What I especially liked was that you can freely grab as many lettuce wraps as you want from the self-serve bar. If you love wrapping your jeyuk in lettuce, the first serving might not be enough, so being able to grab more was great.

Besides the lettuce wraps, kimchi, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), chili peppers, and garlic are all available at the self-serve bar too.

A hearty Korean spread for the lunch special

After a short wait, the table filled up completely with a generous spread of food.

The mains — soy crab and jeyuk — came out along with various side dishes, lettuce wraps, and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). And instead of plain rice, each person got their own individual pot rice.

Looking at the photos again, it's hard to find any empty space on the table, right? My mom and I came just for a lunch, but with so many side dishes to go with the meal, it felt like a proper feast.

Doenjang stew with beef tendon

The doenjang jjigae wasn't just a light side dish added to the lunch special — it had meat and beef tendon in it, giving the broth real depth. One warm spoonful had a savory, deep flavor that paired well with the pot rice.

Was the soy crab fishy?

I started with the soy crab I'd been looking forward to. Even a good soy crab can be hard to eat a lot of if the seasoning is too salty or if it tastes fishy. But the soy crab at Neul Gogi Jip wasn't fishy at all, and it wasn't too salty either — it was really delicious. What I liked most was that the meat packed inside the shell was so full.

Scooping the meat out of the shell and eating it with rice, the rice just disappeared — I didn't even need any other side dishes. Since the soy sauce seasoning wasn't too salty, I could really taste the crab itself, and the seasoning level was just right with rice.

Smoky jeyuk — how spicy is it?

Next up was the jeyuk (spicy pork stir-fry). If the soy crab makes you eat more rice, the jeyuk is the kind of dish that makes you keep wrapping it in lettuce. From the first bite, I loved the subtle smoky flavor, and the meat was really tender. It wasn't too spicy, so even people who can't handle spicy food much could eat it comfortably — it seems like a good choice for a family meal with parents or kids.

Individual pot rice for each person

The rice came as individual pot rice for each person. Rice really matters when you're eating soy crab, right? Piling the fresh, warm pot rice with soy crab meat made for a really great combination. It also went well with the jeyuk and was great for topping with the various side dishes too.

A bite of soy crab, then a bite of rice — with so many dishes on the table, there was nothing left to skip. My mom said it was really delicious and was completely satisfied.

Added cheese egg custard and the after-meal lounge

I also added an egg custard (gyeranjjim) as a side dish, and it came puffed up like a mountain with cheese on top — so good!

After finishing the meal, you can enjoy free coffee and ice cream in the lounge right next door, which was a nice way to spend some time after eating.

If you're looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant in Icheon, or a place where you can have a filling lunch of soy crab and jeyuk together, be sure to check out Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch :)