Yeouido Korean BBQ with curry-powder lamb ribs: Yuk Lab Yeouido

I went to Yuk Lab Yeouido, a well-known spot near Yeouido Station, for a great-value galbi set. It's a Korean BBQ restaurant on the 2nd floor of Yeouido Jonghap Sangga, right in front of Yeouido Station, so it's super easy to get to by public transit — and since it's an all-private-room restaurant, it's also a solid choice for group dinners or work gatherings.

Yuk Lab Yeouido: location, hours and how to book

• Location: 238, 239 Yeouinaru-ro 42, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Weekdays 16:00–23:00 / Weekends 15:00–23:00 (last order 22:00)
• Reservations: Naver, Catch Table, or phone

Yeouido Jonghap Sangga sits right in front of Exit 5 of Yeouido Station (Lines 5 and 9) — a whole building packed with restaurants.

Head up to the 2nd floor of this building and you'll spot the Yuk Lab Yeouido sign down the hallway.

The exterior greets you with colorful liquor bottles as decoration. Since there's no regular holiday and it's open weekends too, you can drop by anytime without worrying about the day.

A Yeouido Korean BBQ where every seat is a private room, for up to 16

The interior of Yuk Lab Yeouido is all black, giving it a calm mood. The whole place is made up of private rooms and can seat up to 16, so it's great for gatherings or work dinners. I'd booked ahead via Naver and was shown to a room near the front.

What comes in the 64,000 won galbi set for two

I ordered the ₩64,000 galbi set for two using the tablet on the table. It came with jingalbisal 120g, lamb ribs 230g, marinated galbi 120g, grilled cheese 3pcs, and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). There's also a 3-person version of this set, and of course everything can be ordered à la carte too.

The basic setup included whole grain mustard, ssamjang, garlic sauce, wasabi, Maldon salt, curry powder, cumin (jjeoran), and soy sauce — a wide range of sauces and side dishes to pair with the meat.

The jingalbisal, lamb ribs, and marinated galbi set that came out next let me try a bunch of different things at once — great value for the price.

The owner put the meat on the grill for us at the start and walked us through each cut and the best order to eat them in.

The meat was already trimmed nicely, and since it's beef, you only need to grill it lightly.

Alongside the beef, they grill sides too — kkwari peppers, rice cakes, scallions, and cherry tomatoes.

First up: jingalbisal, the thick boneless short rib

Jingalbisal was juicy and had a great chew to it. Eating it with the scallions and kkwari peppers made the flavor even richer. The fire was strong so you got a nice smoky char too — grilling over charcoal really is the way to go.

Second: lamb ribs, cut at the table by the owner

Second, the lamb ribs — since the bone is still attached, they can be tricky to handle yourself, but if you call a staff member over, they'll cut them into easy-to-eat pieces for you.

The owner cut them into perfectly sized pieces, and then it was time to dig in.

The lamb ribs really were the real deal. Honestly might've been even better than the beef, haha. This place is a legit lamb ribs spot. I tried it with wasabi, cumin, and salt, but surprisingly, curry powder was the best of all. Dipping it in curry powder made the flavor amazing — another new combo discovered.

The cheese that came with the meal melted nicely over the potatoes, doubling the savory flavor.

Last: garlic marinated galbi

Last up was the marinated galbi. Since it's seasoned with minced garlic, it can burn quickly, so I grilled it lightly in short bursts.

It wasn't sweet — more savory and salty from the garlic marinade — and because it had been marinating, the texture was tender enough to go down easily without much chewing.

Finishing with doenjang jjigae that smells of cheonggukjang

Just as we were finishing up the meat, a spicy, savory doenjang jjigae with a subtle cheonggukjang (fermented soybean) aroma arrived, letting me wrap up the meal cleanly. The portion size felt just right.

Is Yuk Lab Yeouido worth it? Final verdict on this Yeouido Korean BBQ

I had the galbi set for two at Yuk Lab Yeouido, a popular spot near Yeouido Station, and it was a great-value set menu that let me try beef and lamb ribs all in one sitting. With its convenient location right in front of Yeouido Station and private rooms, it's a solid choice for gatherings or work dinners too.