Myeongdong black pork BBQ at 4:30pm, house perilla: Yuktongnyeong

I was hanging around Myeongdong and started getting hungry, so I went looking for somewhere to eat meat and ended up at Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch!! I found it while searching for Myeongdong restaurants — apparently it was featured on tvN's Wednesday Food Talk as one of Seoul's top 3 samgyeopsal spots, so I was curious.

Yuktongnyeong operates in the same building as Eunseong Yangopchang, using all three floors. We went a bit early, around 4:30pm, so it was mostly filled on the 1st floor, but as we kept eating it got busier and busier haha.

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch in three lines

• Yuktongnyeong, a Myeongdong restaurant, stood out for its charcoal-grilled black pork paired with house-made sides and sauces.
• As one of Seoul's top 3 samgyeopsal spots on TV, the meat itself was great, but the perilla leaves and omija sauce were a quietly memorable point.
• Having staff grill the meat for us made things easy, and it's a place I'd think of when I want proper pork belly or pork neck in Myeongdong.

How to find Yuktongnyeong and how busy it is at 4:30pm

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch is reached by walking from Myeongdong Station Exit 5 toward Shinsegae Department Store, then turning into the alley between CU and Ediya. Since it's a Myeongdong restaurant, I expected lots of foreign customers, but since I went at a relatively early time it was fairly relaxed. Around 5pm, though, the crowd kept growing.

I expected it to be packed given the 'Seoul's top 3 samgyeopsal' title, but going early meant I could eat more comfortably than expected. This place runs together with Eunseong Yangopchang in the same building, using all 3 floors.

Ordering and the side dishes that come with the black pork

Ordering at Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch is done by tablet table order!!!

Basic side dishes of salad, perilla leaves, scallion salad, and various sauces all came out together.

The staff member grilling our meat told us the perilla leaves (kkaennip) were house-made, and that they're delicious eaten with the meat — and they really were, haha. The perilla scent wasn't too strong and had a nice saltiness that went well with the black pork.

What does the omija sauce taste like?

What was a bit unusual was the omija (schisandra berry) sauce. It had a tangy, slightly sweet flavor that oddly worked well with the meat. Among Myeongdong restaurants, it had been a while since a sauce combination stuck with me like this.

Omija-aged premium yukgyeopsal, 150g for 20,000 won

The omija-aged premium yukgyeopsal we ordered was 150g for ₩20,000. Grilled over charcoal, it came out nicely browned outside and moist inside.

Having the staff grill it for us meant I didn't have to worry about timing, which was convenient too. The reason it's introduced as one of Seoul's top 3 samgyeopsal spots probably comes down to the meat quality, and I especially liked how the fatty parts weren't too greasy and had a nutty flavor. It went even better with the scallion salad or perilla leaves. At first I thought it'd taste the same as the cheaper option... but the pricier one really is tastier haha.

Gwanggaeto black pork neck, 17,000 won: how it compares to the yukgyeopsal

The Gwanggaeto black pork neck was ₩17,000. The neck meat was leaner and easier to eat than the yukgyeopsal. If you like fattier cuts, go for the yukgyeopsal; if you want something lighter, the neck fits better. I usually prefer leaner neck meat over fatty cuts, but here the yukgyeopsal was more to my taste~!!!!

If two people are eating at a Myeongdong restaurant, I'd recommend mixing bites of both menus together. The different textures kept things from getting repetitive as we alternated.

I'm the type who feels something's missing without rice when eating meat, so we ordered a bowl of rice too — putting black pork and perilla leaf on top with rice was just right haha. Overall the side dishes weren't too heavily seasoned, so they were easy to eat alongside everything.

The 'Seoul's top 3 samgyeopsal' title comes from a TV feature, but eating here, it felt like real care went into not just the meat but the side dishes and sauces too. The mushrooms were also grilled really well.

The bibim noodles were genuinely delicious too haha.

Is Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch worth it?

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch is a charcoal-grilled black pork specialist I visited while searching for Myeongdong restaurants, and having staff grill the meat for us made it easy to enjoy.

True to its reputation as one of Seoul's top 3 samgyeopsal spots, both the yukgyeopsal and the neck meat were delicious, and I especially remember the combination of house-made perilla leaves and omija sauce. Among Myeongdong restaurants, if you want proper meat, especially black pork with a charcoal aroma, Yuktongnyeong will come to mind.