Yangyang BBQ over raw fish: kaipira lettuce pork wraps at Yeoyejeong

Is Yeoyejeong in Yangyang worth a special trip?

Yeoyejeong (여여정) is an aged-meat BBQ restaurant in Seomyeon, Yangyang. The parking lot is big and there is group seating, so it was great for a family gathering. It uses coffee-wood binchotan charcoal, which made it different from the BBQ places I have usually tried, and the side dishes come with kaipira lettuce, a lovely accompaniment for the meat.

• An aged-meat BBQ place with a large parking lot and group seating, great for a family gathering
• Coffee-wood binchotan charcoal, so it felt different from the BBQ places I have usually tried
• Side dishes that include kaipira lettuce, a great match for the meat

Yeoyejeong hours and visitor info

Yeoyejeong is at 49 Ssangsolbaegi-gil, Seomyeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon, South Korea. It is open 11:30-21:00 with a break from 15:00 to 17:00, and closed on Tuesdays. Takeout, reservations, baby chairs, parking, group seating, Wi-Fi and private rooms are all available.

Is Yeoyejeong easy to find, and is parking easy?

It had been a while since I last visited Yangyang. Whenever I go, I mostly eat mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) or raw fish, but this time I wanted something different, so I went to Yeoyejeong for meat.

Yeoyejeong has a large private parking lot, so parking was relaxed and easy. When you travel, plenty of restaurants have surprisingly little parking, you know? It turns out this is a local favorite.

Inside Yeoyejeong: good for kids and family gatherings?

Inside Yeoyejeong, many people were already eating, and I saw lots of families. The seating is spacious, so it seems good for a company dinner too, and with baby chairs and baby tableware, it also seems good for going with a baby.

Yeoyejeong also runs a lucky draw event, so be sure to join in on your way out.

Yeoyejeong menu and what I ordered

At Yeoyejeong you can have pork and beef, and for lunch specials there is pot rice, kimchi stew, galbitang (short rib soup) and cold noodles. I ordered pork jowl, pork belly and kimchi stew.

Yeoyejeong side dishes and kaipira lettuce

The side dishes came out first at Yeoyejeong. The meat matters, of course, but you know the side dishes that arrive first really matter too, right? These were side dishes that go well with meat.

At BBQ places you normally get plain lettuce, but Yeoyejeong serves kaipira lettuce, which surprised me. It was fresh and delicious, and so good for wrapping up the meat.

How does whole pork jowl grilled over coffee-wood charcoal taste?

The pork jowl and pork belly I ordered arrived. What is special about Yeoyejeong is that it uses coffee-wood binchotan charcoal, which they say has little smell of its own and fewer sparks. It costs more than ordinary charcoal, but it felt so reassuring when eating with a child, and it felt like they put a lot of care into every detail.

Maybe because it was whole pork jowl, it looked fresh the moment I saw it. Sure enough, when I ate it there was no gamey smell at all, and although pork jowl has a lot of fat, it was not greasy, which I liked. The more you chew, the nuttier it gets!

Yeoyejeong aged pork belly and grilled mushrooms

Can you see the quality of the pork belly at Yeoyejeong too? The ratio of fat to lean meat is perfect, so crispy outside and juicy inside, wow. The pork jowl is delicious, but the pork belly was really delicious too. Being aged meat, it tasted even better.

Even the chewy mushrooms grilled with the meat were so much my taste that if Yeoyejeong were near my home, I would honestly go all the time.

Yeoyejeong kimchi stew: worth ordering as a side?

I wavered over whether to order the kimchi stew as a side at Yeoyejeong, and once I tasted it I wondered why I had hesitated. It is spicy, perfect with the meat, so nice to have between bites. It is also packed with tofu and other ingredients, so with rice you finish a bowl in no time.

I think this might be the best BBQ place I have eaten at lately. You can feel that the owner puts care into all sorts of things. Thanks for the great meal!

Verdict: why Yeoyejeong is often called a Yangyang local favorite

Now I understand why Yeoyejeong is so often mentioned as a Yangyang local favorite. The aged meat is fresh, the side dishes are delicious, and the parking lot is large too, so it was a wonderful place for a family gathering.