Charcoal bulgogi with parents by Mulwang Lake, Siheung: Bulhyangjip

Bulhyangjip Mulwang Lake Main Branch

📍 Hours Daily 11:00–20:30 Closed every Monday *If Monday is a holiday, open Monday and closed Tuesday instead 📍 Parking Free, large lot in front of the restaurant

As the weather gets cooler, it's such a great time for an outing to Mulwang Reservoir haha. This weekend I walked around Mulwang Lake with my mom and dad, then we went for lunch at Bulhyangjip Mulwang Lake Main Branch! Last time I was in the area for lunch, I saw a pretty long wait outside this place, so I was curious just how good it had to be to draw that many people — that's what brought me back to check it out.

To cut to the conclusion!! If you love that deep, smoky flavor unique to charcoal-grilled bulgogi, this is a Mulwang Reservoir restaurant worth visiting at least once. The bulgogi and bibim noodles (spicy mixed noodles) combo especially was so good that I think I'll come back for exactly this combo the next time I'm at Mulwang Lake 👏😎👍

Where is it in Mulwang Reservoir, and is parking easy?

Bulhyangjip sits in the folk food village of Mulwang Reservoir, on the side closer to the mountain. It's a great spot to head to for lunch or dinner after walking around the lake, and that's exactly what my parents and I did before dropping in.

We arrived around 1:30pm on a Sunday, and luckily there was no wait at that time, so we got seated right away! If there is a wait, you register by entering your phone number at the kiosk near the entrance and wait for your turn.

And since Mulwang Reservoir is a spot a lot of people drive to, we came by car too — and there's a large dedicated parking lot, so parking was easy.

Atmosphere — a mountain-view window wall and pre-grilling at the center

What I liked most about Bulhyangjip was this exact view. The restaurant sits in a wide-open space with tall mountains, trees and grass fully visible around it, and the surroundings being so open really set a nice mood.

One whole wall of the restaurant is basically a floor-to-ceiling window, so as you eat you're looking outside — it didn't feel like eating at a regular Korean BBQ place, more like dining at an open-air spot in the mountains. The weather was clear that day too, so with the green view outside, it felt less like we just came out for a meal with my parents and more like a proper outing~!

And at the center of the restaurant, staff were pre-grilling the meat themselves, which was fun to watch as the flames flared up. Usually at a Korean BBQ place you have to flip the meat yourself, which can make it hard to focus on the conversation — but here the meat comes already cooked, which was really convenient!! Not having meat grilled right in front of your clothes or face during the meal was also something I really appreciated dining out with my parents.

And the self-serve bar had a generous spread of homemade side dishes! In particular, you could grab as much lettuce, perilla leaves and other wrap vegetables as you wanted!!

The vegetables were so fresh that we ended up piling our plates, and honestly, with vegetable prices being so high these days I almost felt guilty haha. But truly, we could keep going back for more and no one batted an eye 🤣

Bulhyangjip menu and prices

Bulhyangjip's signature dish is, true to its name, charcoal-grilled bulgogi. The charcoal scallion bulgogi, charcoal gochujang bulgogi, and charcoal-grilled pork belly are the main menu items.

• Smoky charcoal scallion bulgogi, 200g ₩15,900
• Smoky charcoal gochujang bulgogi, 200g ₩15,900
• Charcoal-grilled pork belly, 180g ₩16,900
• Bulhyangjip bibim noodles ₩9,000
• Country-style doenjang stew ₩5,000
• Mom's-hand steamed egg ₩7,000
• Cold water naengmyeon ₩8,000
• Spicy bibim naengmyeon ₩8,000
• Rice ₩1,000

On weekdays there's the Bulhyangjip lunch set for ₩41,800, made up of two servings of bulgogi, bibim noodles, doenjang stew and rice — looked like a solid option if you're visiting on a weekday lunch.

I can barely handle spicy food and usually prefer sweet-and-salty soy sauce bulgogi over gochujang-based versions, so I ordered the charcoal scallion bulgogi. There were three of us, so we got three servings — since the meat was sliced thin, I first worried it might not be enough. That worry turned out to be completely unnecessary haha.

Trying three servings of charcoal scallion bulgogi and bibim noodles

The charcoal scallion bulgogi arrived in a huge metal bowl piled high with meat and shredded scallions. I figured the thin slices would disappear fast, but even with my parents and me eating until full, we still had leftovers — it was much more filling than expected.

And the smoky flavor is legendary!!! Since it's pre-grilled over charcoal at the center table, the meat carried that deep, unmistakable charcoal smokiness. The sauce is sweet with plenty of shredded scallions mixed in, so it never felt greasy or overwhelming! I once drove all the way down to Daegu just to eat charcoal bulgogi with noodles together. But after eating here at Bulhyangjip, I felt satisfied enough to think I don't need to go all the way to Daegu anymore!!

The dish I'd especially recommend is the bibim noodles. I originally ordered it thinking it'd just be a side to go with the meat, but it ended up being the most memorable dish of the whole meal. Tangy and sweet with just the right amount of spice, and at the end a burst of nutty sesame oil aroma hits.

Rolling a piece of charcoal bulgogi with shredded scallions and bibim noodles together — pure bliss. The sweet, smoky meat balanced perfectly with the tangy noodles. I usually put my chopsticks down as soon as I'm full, but that day, even feeling like I might burst, I kept telling myself 'one more bite' and just kept going.

Wrapping the bulgogi in lettuce or perilla leaves with various side dishes from the bar was also delicious. Even though it's the same meat, it felt different wrapped in perilla leaves, mixed with scallions, or paired with the bibim noodles, so it never got old, even by the last bite.

Recommended as an outing stop by Mulwang Lake

Walking around Mulwang Lake with my parents and then eating with that wide-open mountain view — it left a stronger impression as a full outing than as just another restaurant with good meat. This is a Mulwang Lake restaurant I'd recommend stopping by for lunch or dinner, especially now that the weather is so nice for a walk around the reservoir~!