Jamsilsaenae Korean BBQ buffet for groups, clean self-bar: Muhan Paldo

Why I keep coming back to Muhan Paldo Daepae for group dinners in Jamsilsaenae

Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch (무한팔도대패 잠실새내점) is an all-you-can-eat meat restaurant in Jamsilsaenae where ₩18,900 per person gets you 2 hours to pick from many kinds of meat. Wrap vegetables, a self-bar and Han River ramyeon (한강라면, instant noodles you cook yourself) are all free to help yourself to, which makes it easy when a big group gets together.

When I need to eat meat with a bunch of people in Jamsilsaenae, this is one of my regular spots. I didn't just discover it this time. I've paid my own way here many times over the years for group get-togethers. With all-you-can-eat places, the self-bar and general cleanliness can be a worry, but Muhan Paldo Daepae has been fairly clean every time I've gone, which is one of the reasons I keep returning. The Handon shaved pork and the thin-sliced beef brisket were the best!

How do you get the meat?

At Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch you don't order meat from the staff. You go and bring back as much as you need yourself. There are far more than one or two kinds, so everyone can grab their favorite cuts and grill them.

Since you fetch the meat yourself instead of asking staff for refills again and again, it's comfortable for groups, with no awkwardness about ordering more. Because it's all-you-can-eat, though, I'd suggest bringing a little at a time rather than piling up your plate at the start, and going back when you want more.

What's the best meat at Muhan Paldo Daepae? Handon shaved pork and beef brisket

What I eat the most every time at Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch is the Handon shaved pork (한돈대패, domestic Korean pork cut into thin shavings) and the thin-sliced beef brisket (우삼겹). There are lots of kinds of meat, but I almost never skip these two.

The beef brisket in particular is thin, so it cooks quickly on the grill and has a rich, nutty flavor that keeps me reaching for more. The Handon shaved pork is another favorite of mine.

Even with a crowd, I think the flower pork belly (꽃삼겹) and the beef brisket are safe bets that people will enjoy, so if it's your first visit, I'd recommend trying them first.

The downside: frozen pork belly varies from day to day

On the other hand, the frozen pork belly (냉동삼겹) was a little inconsistent from visit to visit. Some days it was fine, but other days it felt a bit tough. Rather than saying every cut is great, I'd say that, to my taste after many visits, the Handon shaved pork and the beef brisket satisfied me the most.

How are the self-bar vegetables and the cleanliness?

At the self-bar of Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch you can help yourself to bracken fern (고사리), bean sprouts, minari (미나리, water dropwort) and wrap vegetables like lettuce and perilla leaves. The self-bar is a part I like as much as the meat, and the vegetables were quite fresh.

The bracken and bean sprouts are tasty grilled right next to the meat, soaking up the fat, and when I've been eating meat for a while, adding minari or wrap vegetables feels like it resets my palate. You can take as many vegetables as you like, so it's good for people who eat lots of veggies too.

And there's one more reason I pick Muhan Paldo Daepae among the all-you-can-eat BBQ places in Jamsilsaenae: the state of the restaurant. At busy buffet places, tables and self-bars can get messy fast, but when I visited, Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch was relatively clean and the self-bar was easy to use, which I liked.

Finishing the meal with Han River ramyeon and fried rice

Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch has a Han River ramyeon machine, so after you've eaten a good amount of meat you can grab your own ramyeon and cook it easily at the table. Han River ramyeon is something I hate to skip. There's also steamed rice and fried rice, so if you don't want to stop at just meat, you can have a proper meal too.

Even at one table, someone can have ramyeon while someone else has fried rice, each choosing what they want, which was another convenient thing about coming as a group.

A surprise favorite: the slushies

Surprisingly, the slushies at Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch are good. There's a nostalgic blue slushie and one that tastes like Fanta, and after a big meat feast, a cold cup at the end goes together surprisingly well.

Honestly, I never thought I'd be talking about slushies in a BBQ restaurant review, haha. But it sticks in my memory every time I go. Sweet and cold, it was a great palate cleanser after the meat.

Overall verdict after several visits to Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch

Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch isn't a place I visited once and liked. I've been several times before for group get-togethers, paying for myself, so I think I can see its pros and cons more clearly. The meats I recommend most are the flower pork belly and the beef brisket. The frozen pork belly was a bit inconsistent and felt slightly tough depending on the day.

Still, I was satisfied that ₩18,900 per person lets you eat as much of many kinds of meat as you want, along with fresh wrap vegetables plus bracken, bean sprouts and minari. Finishing with Han River ramyeon and rice and then having a slushie too was a surprisingly generous setup. Above all, the fact that the restaurant stays fairly tidy even though it's an all-you-can-eat place used by lots of people weighed quite heavily in my decision to keep returning.

If you're looking for a BBQ place for a group in Jamsilsaenae, or a Jamsilsaenae restaurant where you can eat your fill without a big bill, give Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch a look. Next time I go, I'll probably start with the flower pork belly and the beef brisket again.

Visitor information for Muhan Paldo Daepae Jamsilsaenae Branch

• Hours: daily 11:00-24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Groups welcome, high chairs, separate men's/women's restrooms
• Wi-Fi, easy payment apps, parking