Blue Ribbon Myeongdong pork belly, soybean paste stew: Yuktongnyeong

There are so many good restaurants in Myeongdong! Among them, I found a meat spot where friendly staff grill everything for you from start to finish — you don't have to lift a finger. That's Yuktongnyeong!! This place has swept Blue Ribbon awards for N years straight and is known as one of Seoul's top 3 pork belly restaurants, so I always recommend it to people around me°°° Here's my honest review!!

Where is Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch, and what are its hours?

• Location: 37-2 Myeongdong 8na-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: 11:30 ~ 23:00
• Last order: 22:15

I visited during dinner time and it was definitely popular — lots of people! Still, since it's a standalone three-story building, I was seated right away ><

The Blue Ribbon awards lining the wall at Yuktongnyeong 💙

The Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon stickers 🎀 plastered all over the storefront door — they didn't get that many for nothing...

Since the restaurant spans three floors, there was plenty of seating.

Celebrity autographs all over the walls

Good restaurants really are different... countless celebrities had signed a whole wall over the years.

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong menu and prices

Everything from pork to beef ribs is on offer. The pork is especially known for being omija (schisandra berry)-aged!!!

The banchan (side dish) spread

A variety of banchan (side dishes) came out first. The myeong-i namul (mountain garlic leaves) was especially delicious.

Shredded scallions and a salad! Eating vegetables before the main meal helps prevent a blood sugar spike haha. The salad was also really fresh and sweet, pairing perfectly with the meat.

What we ordered at Yuktongnyeong and what it cost

• Omija-aged black pork premium yukgyeopsal, 2 servings: ₩40,000
• Toenjang stew: ₩8,000
• Rice: ₩1,000

We ordered Yuktongnyeong's signature omija-aged black pork premium yukgyeopsal! Omija-aged and six layers of meat°°° I couldn't even imagine how good it would be°°°

Staff grill the pork belly from start to finish ❤️

Since they grill everything, all you have to do is put it in your mouth!

That said, the staff didn't hover awkwardly at our table the whole time — they came by exactly when needed to check on the meat and left again, so we could watch it cook in a relaxed atmosphere.

They grilled so carefully°°° watching them cut it into bite-sized pieces for a table with a kid, I could really tell they paid attention to each customer's needs while grilling.

Once the meat was fully cooked, they placed it on a bowl like this so it wouldn't burn. The residual heat also keeps it from cooling down, which is nice haha.

The look of the yukgyeopsal.... you can see the six layers, right? Can you see it? The inside is soft and melts in your mouth, while the skin side is chewy and crispy... the texture is insane.

Best bite: pork belly with myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic leaves)

It went well with every combination°°° myeong-i namul, perilla leaves, shredded scallion, wasabi — any combo worked well. My favorite combo was definitely myeong-i namul!!

Before I knew it, there was a whole heap of meat piled up haha. Looking back at it now, I'm happy all over again...???

The grilled mushrooms were unreal

And finally, the mushrooms!! They cut those into bite-sized pieces for easy eating too.

Why the toenjang stew is worth ordering

The toenjang stew was also delicious, loaded with meat and tofu. It had that homestyle, countryside-stew feel haha. The meat's fat melts right into it — so good.

Verdict: a Myeongdong pork belly restaurant made for group dinners

If you're looking for a place that really does pork belly right in Myeongdong, I'd highly recommend Yuktongnyeong. The omija-aged yukgyeopsal I had was on a whole different level of chewiness compared to any pork belly I'd had before! The toenjang stew we ordered alongside it had that deep flavor like a stew simmered by grandma back in the countryside with her homemade doenjang (soybean paste) haha. It was the kind of taste that makes you polish off a whole bowl of rice 🤤

Since they grill all the meat for you, this place seems perfect for gatherings or company dinners too. There were actually a few teams having company dinners there, and since nobody has to worry about grilling, everyone can just relax and enjoy eating the meat haha. I'd especially recommend it to the newest employees who always get stuck picking the dinner spot ❤️

The restaurant is three floors, so there's no need to worry about seating, and the spacing between tables was comfortable too — it was a day I got to enjoy delicious meat in total comfort 😍 I hope you all get to visit Yuktongnyeong and taste this meat for yourselves°°°°