Mapo Korean BBQ with minari and fernbrake sides: Mapo Gui Madang

A Seoul meat spot, a Mapo Station favorite, a pork belly place right by Mapo Station — Mapo Gui Madang Yonggang Direct Branch. Great for a meal near Mapo Station or a company dinner spot.

Where is Mapo Gui Madang Yonggang, and what are its hours?

• 📍 284-1 Tojeong-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ Daily 16:00–22:30 (last order 22:00)
• ✔️ Group-friendly, reservations, parking

Today I'm introducing a meat restaurant near Mapo Station — Mapo Gui Madang Yonggang Direct Branch. We went for a run along the Han River, haha, took some photos, and then headed straight to the BBQ place! After exercising you gotta refill on protein, right?! Haha

Located near Exit 1 of Mapo Station, close to the Han River: Mapo Gui Madang Yonggang Direct Branch :) I'd been here before for a work dinner and ate so well that this time I brought my husband along, haha. Being part of a chain restaurant, the meat's juiciness was still insane 😆

Parking was available too. 🚗

Inside Mapo Gui Madang Yonggang: reservations and group tables

Here's the inside of Mapo Gui Madang Yonggang Direct Branch — round tables giving off that old-school BBQ joint vibe, haha. Since it was just the two of us, we didn't bother reserving ahead.

Menu and what two people ordered

Here's a closer look at the menu — frozen pork belly seemed to be the signature, most popular item at Mapo Gui Madang Yonggang Direct Branch. Lots of tables around us were ordering it, haha.

We thought about the frozen pork belly for a bit, but ~

• Whole pork belly, 2 servings
• Fernbrake, minari
• Bibim naengmyeon
• Doenjang jjigae
• Beer

That's what we ended up ordering, haha.

The vegetables that came out first

The fernbrake and minari we ordered separately, haha! Grilled together they're the ultimate pairing with pork belly, haha. You do pay extra, but it's really affordable...

Whole pork belly 200g, pre-charred over oak charcoal

Two servings of whole pork belly (200g). They source charcoal from Chiaksan Mountain to pre-char the pork belly before it comes to the table, so you do have to wait a liiittle bit after ordering! The charcoal pre-searing removes gamey smell and maximizes the meat's flavor, apparently, haha.

Cook up already!! The meat's juiciness was truly insane, ㅠㅠ

As the meat goes on, they add the kimchi, green onion kimchi, fernbrake, and minari, haha

The pork belly is delicious on its own, but eating it together with the fernbrake, minari, grilled kimchi, and green onion kimchi was truly an incredible combination 🤍 You really, really need to add on the minari and fernbrake! The fernbrake is chewy and nutty, and the minari's fragrance cuts right through the pork belly's richness! Add the tangy grilled kimchi and the green onion kimchi on top and it's a total flavor explosion in your mouth, haha. Wrap it all in lettuce and that's the finishing touch!

Green onion kimchi, refilled on request

The green onion kimchi went so well with the meat!! We loved it so much they gave us a refill, yay ❤️

Turns out it's known as one of the country's three best green onion kimchi spots, haha, makes sense 🥸 They said everything, including the green onion kimchi, is made in-house! Jeolla-do style green onion kimchi for the win!

To finish: bibim naengmyeon and doenjang jjigae

This time we also wanted dessert-round food, so we ordered bibim naengmyeon and a stew as well. The bibim naengmyeon portion was huge. For the stew we went with doenjang jjigae — it was packed with extra ingredients and paired really well with the meat.

A meat restaurant near the Han River, Mapo Station, and Gongdeok — Mapo Gui Madang Yonggang Direct Branch. Plenty of tables, spacious, and a great value pick too. Give it a visit!