Yeongdeungpo Korean BBQ with staff-grilled pork belly: Smile Samgyeop

Smile Samgyeop Main Branch, a Yeouido team-dinner spot

For those of you with plans near Yeouido or who work there, haven’t you often wondered on the way home, “What should I eat for dinner today?” or “Where would be good for the next team dinner?” I was looking for somewhere to dig into meat with friends and found this place—and to give you the conclusion first, it was a total success.

Yeouido has so many buildings and complicated streets that it can be awkward to find a place once you make plans, right? But Smile Samgyeop Main Branch (스마일삼겹 본점) in Yeouido was really easy to get to. It was in just the right spot for gathering colleagues after work or meeting up with a group.

Once inside, it had the lively atmosphere you expect from a Korean barbecue restaurant, but the tables were spaced nicely so it never felt cramped. There were really lots of office workers having team dinners, which instantly made me think, “Ah, this is a true Yeouido restaurant and team-dinner hotspot!”

The menu and staff grilling service

The menu!

Not long after we ordered, the grill heated up and the side dishes were set out. And here is one truly amazing point about Smile Samgyeop Main Branch: the staff cook all the meat from beginning to end! 👏👏👏

You all relate, right? At a team dinner or get-together, one person is always stuck holding the tongs and grilling, so they don’t get to eat properly and the flow of conversation keeps getting interrupted. At Smile Samgyeop Main Branch, you can simply sit and chat while skilled hands grill the meat to a juicy, golden-brown, perfect finish. For this alone, I wanted to give it 200 points out of 100 as a team-dinner venue!

Review-event grilled scallops and samhap

While we were eating, I noticed a review-event notice on the table and joined right away. They gave us grilled scallops as a free service! Even though they were complimentary, the quality was absolutely not lacking.

We lightly grilled the scallops, then ate them with well-cooked pork belly plus minari or grilled kimchi, and it made a perfect samhap—a three-way combination. The tender, chewy scallops elevated the flavor of the meat even more, so I truly would have regretted not joining the event. If you visit, don’t forget the review event and enjoy it like a grilled-scallop set!

Pork belly with minari and grilled kimchi

Finally, thick slices of pork belly went onto the grill, and just as the meat was cooking nicely… the owner piled plenty of fresh green minari (water parsley) onto the grill!

The combination of minari browned in the pork fat and golden pork belly—it looked incredible from the start… 🤤 Wrap a piece of pork belly around slightly wilted minari and dip it in myeolchi jeot, fermented anchovy sauce, or salt? The savory juices burst across your mouth while minari’s fragrant freshness cuts right through the richness of the pork belly. Wow… the admiration just came out on its own!

And another incredible secret weapon I really want to mention! When you order meat, they grill kimchi alongside it too, and this grilled kimchi is seriously unreal.

The sweet, spicy, fully fermented kimchi absorbs the pork fat and browns on the grill—it is a true rice thief. Put pork belly on the grilled kimchi, add minari, and make a samhap wrap… it is the kind of flavor that sends endorphins soaring. I think I’d come back again just for this kimchi!

Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) also comes as a basic side, and since this is clearly a kimchi-loving place, there was just no way it could be bad,,

Crispy, juicy pork jowl and a bibim naengmyeon finish

After warming up with pork belly, the next course was pork jowl! As its characteristic pink marbling cooked, the fat rendered beautifully. It was grilled crisp on the outside and moist inside, and that distinctively crunchy, springy texture when you bite into it was truly a work of art.

Pork jowl can get rich if you eat a lot of it, but with the grilled kimchi I mentioned earlier, I could keep eating it endlessly. If you love pork jowl, be sure to add it when you come to Smile Samgyeop!

After filling up on meat, you can’t skip the ultimate K-dessert: naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), right? After debating mul naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon, we ordered the spicy-tangy bibim naengmyeon.

The noodles were thoroughly coated in red sauce, with a little semi-frozen broth pooled on top. We mixed it up, put a saved piece of pork jowl on top, and ate it almost like a wrap. It cleared away the richness in our mouths and made for a perfect finish. The sauce was not too spicy, with just the right sweet-and-sour balance—the best partner for the meat.

The food was excellent, but being able to enjoy the meat comfortably without lifting a finger made it hard to imagine a better place for a team dinner or gathering. After visiting, I understood 200% why it is known as a leading Yeouido restaurant for team dinners.

On a day when you are craving delicious grilled kimchi, fragrant minari pork belly, and tasty meat cooked by someone else, be sure to visit Smile Samgyeop Main Branch in Yeouido! You absolutely will not regret going after reading my blog!