Ikseon-dong Korean BBQ set for two with no weekday wait: Meongseokjip

The weather's getting cooler, isn't it! Fall has snuck up on us again. I feel like I barely did anything and suddenly it's autumn, but now that it's here, might as well enjoy it, right?!!!

Personally, fall means I start waiting for yajang (outdoor grill dining) season. I feel like it's a kind of content you can only really enjoy once the weather turns cool. And when it comes to yajang, Jongno 3-ga is the spot! Especially Ikseon-dong, a classic date-course neighborhood — I found a Korean BBQ place there with great yajang vibes! Well, "found" might be an overstatement since it's already pretty famous, but it was my first time going, and the meat was so good and the atmosphere was great too. Let me introduce Meongseokjip!

Where Meongseokjip is in Ikseon-dong: hours and parking

Meongseokjip is a Korean BBQ restaurant at 7 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in the Ikseon-dong alleys, about a 5-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station! It's open daily from 12:00 to 23:55.

• Parking: not available (public transit recommended)
• Restroom: located indoors!!!
• Weekend waits are a must!!

Inside Meongseokjip: the open-air yajang atmosphere

If you found this alley and spotted this sign, you're in the right place! It's not far from the station, so it's easy to find. Meongseokjip keeps its front door wide open, so even the indoor seating feels like yajang, and the outdoor tables have even more of that atmosphere...

There were quite a lot of tables inside! We went at an off-peak time on a weekday and got seated right away, but apparently on weekends there's always a wait even with a space this big... Catch Table doesn't seem to work here, so I'd definitely recommend going early and registering for in-person waiting.

There were a few big air conditioners running, so it wasn't hot even with the door open~~!

The meongseok set for two and fish sauce green onion kimchi

Meongseokjip's menu was pretty simple! Since there were two of us, we ordered one meongseok set. It was enough to fill two people up!!! (for an average appetite)

These are the default side dishes! But seriously, the green onion kimchi here... it was so, so good. It's a kimchi with a fish sauce flavor, which is exactly my type — I hadn't had truly delicious green onion kimchi in ages and just kept munching away. Perfect pairing with the meat too.

If you want more, you can grab extras from the self-serve bar!! You also make your own salt and oil dipping sauce.

Thick-cut pork that doesn't shrink on the grill

The meat's here!!! It's so thick, right! My partner is basically a meat expert and said the cut looked really good too. Something about miChuri or whatever it's called •••

Grilling is always my partner's job. Because the cuts are so thick, even after fully cooking they didn't shrink, so there was still a nice chew to them, and the meat itself was just so delicious ㅠㅠ I instantly understood why this place is called a top Jongno 3-ga BBQ spot, an Ikseon-dong favorite...

I want more of that green onion kimchi already... We were planning to grab something else after eating, so we skipped sides like fried rice or steamed egg, but next time we come back for a proper full meal, I'm definitely ordering those!!! Didn't try them, but they seem like they'd definitely be good.

It was also really nice that the restroom is located inside 🫶🏻

Is Meongseokjip a good Ikseon-dong date spot?

It felt so good to eat delicious meat to my heart's content in a place with such a nice atmosphere like Meongseokjip! Ikseon-dong is actually visited more by foreign tourists than Koreans these days, right? And Korean BBQ has become a must-do course when foreigners travel here. So it's really great that there's such a delicious BBQ spot right in the middle of this tourist area! Korea's reputation going up up haha 🥓🥓

But if you're on a date in Jongno 3-ga or Ikseon-dong and meat is calling, Meongseokjip is a place I'd recommend without hesitation.