Magok Korean BBQ: thick brisket, white kimchi refills, Chadol Grill

What is Chadol Grill Magok?

Chadol Grill Magok is a charcoal BBQ restaurant in Magok-dong known for its chadolbaegi (thinly sliced beef brisket), grilled right over a real charcoal brazier. It has over a thousand visitor reviews and a 4.86 rating, so I heard it's one of the top spots around Magok Station.

I was curious how it gets its flavor without any fire show, and the signature aged brisket samhap comes with brisket and scallop together, which made me even more excited. Lots of people say it's good for evening get-togethers and Magok team dinners, and it's open at lunchtime too, so people call it a fine Magok lunch spot. BBQ places usually feel loud and cramped, but many reviews said this one feels different from the usual Magok BBQ joint, which made me trust it more.

Getting to Chadol Grill Magok from Magok Station, and parking

From Exit 3 of Magok Station, it's about a 4-minute walk, 276 meters, along Magok-georI. The building is GMG Tower, which also houses a Starbucks and an Outback Steakhouse, so it wasn't hard to find.

The restaurant is on the first floor on the park side, so just go in on the left and you'll see it. The front isn't a big road, so there was no exhaust fumes to worry about, which was nice. Parking is available, so people coming by car should be fine, and it's close to the station too, so public transport looked easy.

It looked great for a casual Magok lunch meetup, and the location is easy for anyone looking for a Magok BBQ spot for dinner.

Atmosphere: a spacious, well-ventilated park-view BBQ restaurant

The hall is quite large and well ventilated, so it felt pleasant even for a BBQ place. Some seats look out on the park, so the view opened up the moment I sat down.

There are folding doors, and on nice days they can be opened for a half-outdoor vibe, I was told.

Overall it was clean and tidy, which made me trust it right away. Maybe because it's a word-of-mouth favorite near Magok Station, the place filled up with people quickly.

The tables are laid out generously, so a big group for a Magok team dinner would fit comfortably. I saw guests dropping by for a light Magok lunch, and plenty of people grilling meat in the evening.

Chadol Grill Magok menu and prices

The first thing that caught my eye on the menu was the 1++ hanwoo brisket yukhoe ssam (seasoned raw beef wraps) at ₩39,000. The aged brisket samhap is ₩18,000 and the 1++ hanwoo aged brisket samhap is ₩26,000, so the samhap comes in several tiers.

• 1++ hanwoo brisket yukhoe ssam: ₩39,000
• Aged brisket samhap ₩18,000 / 1++ hanwoo aged brisket samhap ₩26,000
• Premium raw short rib and premium seasoned short rib: ₩58,000 each, 500 g
• Charcoal-grilled frozen pork belly: ₩16,000
• Seasoned brisket ribs ₩19,000 / aged brisket ₩19,000 / avocado yukhoe (truffle) ₩19,000
• Brisket gochujang stew, doenjang stew, sulbap (rice dish): ₩7,000 range each
• Yeolmu makguksu (young radish cold noodles): ₩8,000

For a Magok lunch, I thought the prices were on the hearty side. You can also add meal dishes like stews and sulbap, and the yeolmu makguksu looked like a good palate cleanser. It's easy to share several dishes, so the lineup especially suits a Magok team dinner.

Aged brisket samhap: how does thick brisket from a charcoal brazier taste?

I ordered the signature aged brisket samhap (₩18,000) to try the aged brisket and scallop together. If you can't decide what to order at a Magok BBQ place, this seems like the dish to start with.

Soon a specially made charcoal brazier was brought to the table, and thickly cut aged brisket went on top. Even without a fire show, just watching the charcoal sizzle in the brazier made my mouth water.

I was surprised that the aged brisket here isn't the usual thin cut but sliced quite thick. Thick brisket gets tough if it's grilled wrong, but I'd heard this place is different, so I was looking forward to it.

I quietly watched the edges of the brisket turn golden on the brazier. As the surface browned, I could hear the fat glistening and sizzling.

I picked up a piece and was surprised: crisp on the outside and full of juice inside. Even though it's thick brisket, it wasn't tough at all, and the chewy bite was great. The nutty fat flavor came through without being greasy, and it went down clean.

The samhap combo: scallop wrapped in myeongi namul and mustard leaf kimchi

The aged brisket samhap comes with myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic-chive leaves) and gat kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi), so I put a piece of brisket on top and ate it like a wrap.

True to the name samhap (a combination of three), brisket, scallop and wrapping greens all hit in one bite, so the flavors came in layers. The scallop was grilled separately on the brazier, slightly springy outside and tender inside. Eating it wrapped with the brisket, I found the difference in textures fun.

The point of this dish seems to be the crunch of the brisket and the softness of the scallop chewed together in one wrap.

White kimchi refills and portion size

Baek-kimchi (white kimchi) also came along. It had a clean taste that was good between bites of meat, and it kept getting refilled. The aged brisket samhap is quite a lot for one person, so I thought it would be great shared among several people, like at a Magok team dinner.

Would I go back to Chadol Grill Magok?

I could see why Chadol Grill Magok has a reputation as a top Magok Station restaurant. Among Magok BBQ places, the taste was memorable. I only had the aged brisket and scallop, but it was enough to tell what the atmosphere and flavor are like.

The hall is large and well ventilated, so I could eat comfortably without worrying about that typical BBQ smell, and sitting at a seat with a park view outside the window made the meal even more relaxed. Personally, I really like the way they slice the brisket thick.

It looked good for a casual Magok lunch date, and I think it would work for a big Magok team dinner without any shortcomings. Next time I'd like to order the distinctive rice dishes too, like the wasabi rice or doenjang rice. After visiting, I understand why Chadol Grill Magok is consistently named a top Magok Station restaurant.