Seoul Korean BBQ near Gyodae Station with scorched rice: Sodangkkae

Where is Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip Gyodae Main Branch, and is there parking?

Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip Gyodae Main Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Gyodae Station on the 2nd floor of 84-3 Seochodae-ro 50-gil (Seocho-dong 1565-6), Seocho-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 11am to 11pm, last order at 10pm, with a break time from 3pm to 5pm.

• ✔️Address: 84-3 Seochodae-ro 50-gil / Seocho-dong 1565-6, 2nd floor, Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ✔️Hours: Daily 11am–11pm, last order 10pm
• ✔️Break time: 3pm–5pm
• 💡Parking: Free parking available. 2 spots in front of the building, 3 in the back, first come first served! If full, nearby public/private lots are recommended (I'd suggest calling ahead to check before parking)

Third visit: why 6pm beats 7pm at Sodangkkae

Hi, it's Jjeongi! This is already my third visit to this repeat-repeat-favorite spot — Gyodae Station Korean BBQ restaurant Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip Gyodae Main Branch, and I'm back with a review of the combo set haha. I basically show up right at 6pm — but head over around 7 and the tables at this Gyodae Station BBQ spot are already packed.

• ✔️Paid corkage available
• ✔️Private restaurant hire available (minimum 8, maximum 74 people, please inquire separately for private events)

The free scorched rice coupon for Naver reservations

If you make a Naver reservation, you get a scorched rice coupon via the Naver Map coupon. I went for a family dinner and had reserved ahead on Naver, and the table was all set up like this when I arrived!! Saves waiting time and you get the scorched rice coupon too — highly recommend booking ahead~~~~

Check out how to write a #Naver receipt review, and if you also tap notifications-on after your receipt review and show it to a staff member, you get a free drink or seasoned honeycomb tripe!! Personally, I'm way more tempted by the seasoned honeycomb tripe than the drink hahahaha.

What's in the Sodangkkae combo set for two?

This is the Sodangkkae combo set for two! It's a generous set that also includes a stew and yukhoe (beef tartare) worth about ₩8,000 on top of the meat haha. The side dishes are wrapping greens, macaroni salad, scallion kimchi and scallion jaerali, and if you ask via the tablet they'll bring you wasabi separately too!! hahaha

Quick menu recommendation: if you just want meat, order it à la carte; if you want a generous set to try everything Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip has to offer, I recommend the Sodangkkae combo set 😆🥳🩵💡😇

Staff grill the pork for you, and the smoke doesn't cling

Just so you know, the staff grill all the meat for you, and I personally loved that they wear gloves and keep things clean and hygienic while grilling! And even after coming from a BBQ restaurant, you don't end up smelling like grilled meat smoke??? I think it's because the hood is right above the grill, and the staff kept moving the smoke toward the hood while cooking hahaha 👍 ✔️Ventilation system: passed

And they also grill the meat really well~~~ They put on all the vegetables too — kimchi, bean sprouts, mushrooms, bracken fern, minari — and finished it off before leaving (note: adding extra vegetables costs extra)

Pork belly, neck and jowl: chilled Duroc is the signature

The combination of pork belly, pork neck, and pork jowl..🩷🤍 The pork belly especially is the signature menu — not frozen but chilled, domestic Duroc!! Apparently the Duroc pigs are raised and processed domestically after being brought into Korea, and Duroc is said to be one of the world's three major pork breeds (the others being Spain's Iberico and Hungary's Mangalica).

Which stew to pick: blue crab doenjang or Handon kimchi

For the set menu stew, you can choose either crab doenjang (soybean paste) stew or Handon pork kimchi stew.

Yukhoe and the 4,000-won scorched rice finish

And the set also includes yukhoe (beef tartare)! Unlike the sweet, salty, punchy style you get at a bar, this one seems more focused on the texture of the beef itself than on bold flavor hahaha. But it's not chewy, which I liked!!! For a side dish, I just added the scorched rice soup (nurungji, ₩4,000) and had it nice and warm hahahaha.

Final verdict on Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip near Gyodae Station

Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip Gyodae Main Branch, run by an owner who's thought about nothing but meat for 23 years, near Gyodae Station. The interior is clean, corkage is free, and there's even homemade scallion kimchi — why wouldn't you go????!!!!! 🫪 (⭐️Highly recommend pairing the side-menu jjapaguri with the complimentary scallion kimchi!!)