Beef BBQ in Giheung, Yongin: 500g marinated short rib dinner, Sowon.1

A Giheung favorite that used to be a company dinner spot: tasting review of Sowon.1 Main Branch beef restaurant

Where is Sowon.1 Main Branch, and is parking easy?

Sowon.1 Main Branch is a beef barbecue restaurant in the Singal restaurant town area of Giheung, Yongin, and you can use the big parking lot in front for free. It's one of my husband's old regular spots among Giheung's well-known restaurants. When he worked in Giheung he came here a lot for evening company dinners and also for daytime lunches with clients, so every time we come back he's happy to see it.

Out of all the places he used to go for company dinners, we picked Sowon.1 because we wanted beef. The parking lot in front is huge, so you can park easily anywhere, and since there's no parking fee either, it's a place you can drop by anytime.

Sowon.1 Main Branch is pretty big, and it's famous as a barbecue restaurant that sells beef at the low price of ₩63,000 per 1kg.

As you'd expect from a big barbecue place, the entrance is flashy, and there's a waiting area before you go in, so waiting looks comfortable.

Is Sowon.1 Main Branch good for company dinners and family gatherings?

Sowon.1 Main Branch has a wide hall and lots of rooms that can be enlarged by opening up the partitions, so the layout suits company dinners, groups and family gatherings. My husband and I came around 5 p.m., when there weren't many customers yet, but by the time we left after 6, lots of group reservations were coming in.

The hall is quite large, so even two people like us can sit down and eat comfortably, and for company dinners or family gatherings there are plenty of rooms where you can eat in private.

The rooms can be made even bigger by removing the partitions, so they looked great for a large group eating together. My husband said that his company dinners were small, so they never used the hall.

Many barbecue restaurants these days don't have a big playroom, but Sowon.1 Main Branch does, so it looked like a good place to let the kids play during family gatherings.

Butcher counter and self-serve bar at Sowon.1

As a beef specialist, it has a butcher counter in front of the hall where you can watch fresh meat being trimmed. The self-serve bar also has lettuce, onion, kimchi, cabbage and other side dishes that go well with meat, so it was easy to help yourself.

What's on the menu at Sowon.1 Main Branch?

The menu at Sowon.1 Main Branch is broad, covering beef sets, à la carte meats and lunch specials. There are quite a lot of set menus, from the special beef assortment with wagyu, jinkkot and premium short rib, to the premium set and the wagyu short rib set, so you can try various cuts and pick good value.

On top of that, there are lots of meats you can order à la carte, such as Korean beef small intestine, marinated short rib and pork belly, so it's fine to order here when a set feels like too much.

It's a big barbecue restaurant, so the menu was really varied, from the types of meat to the lunch specials.

What comes with 500g of marinated short rib for ₩45,000?

When we ordered 500g of marinated beef short rib meat (₩45,000) at Sowon.1 Main Branch, they set up a simple table for us right away.

Besides side dishes that go well with meat, there was even nicely seasoned yangnyeom gejang (spicy marinated crab), so the spread was pretty good.

The japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) in particular could be grabbed easily from the self-serve bar, and it was seasoned just right, so it was nice to have before the meal.

Is 500g of marinated short rib enough for two?

For a married couple, 500g of marinated short rib at Sowon.1 Main Branch was more food than I expected. Last time we didn't know better and ordered 1kg for two and couldn't finish it, so this time we ordered 500g. I liked that the marinade wasn't too heavy but nice and light.

A grill plate that doesn't stick

They put the meat on a high-heat grill and kept stirring it as they cooked, and the grill is made of thin thread-like strands, so the meat doesn't stick and cooks evenly, which made grilling easy.

A sweet, nutty aroma rose up while it cooked, and if you cut it into bite-size pieces and set them on the side, they stay warm without burning.

How does the marinated short rib at Sowon.1 taste?

The beef was juicy and tender, and I loved it. Honestly, when you eat marinated short rib there are usually some tough bits, but Sowon.1 Main Branch seems to trim the sinew well, so it was soft and easy to eat.

Wrapping it in lettuce with onion, bean sprouts and so on was really delicious. You can easily bring over lettuce and side dishes yourself, so I loved that I could customize my own wraps ^^

Who should try Sowon.1 Main Branch in Giheung?

The amount of meat, the flavor and the atmosphere were all satisfying, enough that I understood why this place is still famous as a Giheung favorite. My husband said that's why he held so many company dinners here, and after eating, I could see why~

It's great for a date like ours, but if you're looking for a roomy, good-value place for company dinners, group gatherings, family gatherings or any time several people get together, I recommend Sowon.1 Main Branch in Giheung.

• Hours: daily 10:30 - 23:00
• Parking available (free lot in front of the restaurant)