Myeongdong Korean BBQ, samgyeopsal then ogyeopsal: Yuktongnyeong

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch: how long was the wait?

I went out to Seoul for the first time in a while and visited Yuktongnyeong, a Myeongdong restaurant everyone raves about. Myeongdong really does have a crowd, and with that comes a whole lot of energy!!! Yuktongnyeong was packed too!!

There was a wait, but we got in quickly. I think we waited less than 10 minutes. It was worth it haha. There's a Uniqlo right in front too, so it was nice to browse a bit while waiting.

The restaurant has 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. We ate on the 3rd floor! We ate and paid right there on the 3rd floor — much more convenient that way!

What we ordered and how much: ogyeopsal for two, samgyeopsal, bibim naengmyeon

They set the grill on the table for us. Meat cooked over charcoal — you know how good that tastes~

• Ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly) 17,000 won — 2 servings
• Samgyeopsal (pork belly) 16,000 won — 1 serving
• Bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) 8,000 won

Six dipping sauces — omija was especially surprising

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch really had so many kinds of dipping sauces. Salt, wasabi, salted shrimp, omija (schisandra berry), anchovy sauce, ssamjang — I'd never seen such a variety!! It was surprising to see omija on the table; it seemed to add a bit of extra texture, and it tasted great.

Seoul really is different, a proper Myeongdong must-eat spot. Way too delicious.

Ogyeopsal for two — thick even before grilling

We'd originally ordered two servings of ogyeopsal, and it arrived first. It's so thick you can already tell it'll be delicious, right? The meat clearly looked fresh, and I could sense how good it would be even before it hit the grill.

Staff-grilled meat — why it's great even in summer

The staff grilled the meat for us too, which made things so easy. Best perk. I heard Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch is one of the top three samgyeopsal spots in Seoul, and honestly their grilling skills are a work of art... seriously, seriously well grilled and delicious.

They even cut everything into pieces for us, so all I had to do was eat. So easy — no frantic scrambling required!! Normally grilling meat yourself is so hectic, ugh. But eating comfortably at a place where they grill it for you, even a hot day of BBQ turned out to be totally fine.

And once it's all grilled, they set the meat aside like this so we could eat it right away, no waiting. Such a thoughtful touch for a Myeongdong must-eat spot!!!

Bibim naengmyeon 8,000 won — not too salty, easy to slurp down

Of course you have to have naengmyeon (cold noodles) with your BBQ, right? We ordered a bowl of bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles), the perfect match with grilled meat.

We mixed the seasoning through thoroughly and it wasn't too salty at all — genuinely a noodle dish you could slurp right down. Paired so well with the meat. Definitely recommend the bibim (mixed) version. They also give you a bit of broth on the side, and it was tasty too, so I think the water naengmyeon (broth version) would probably be perfect as well.

And so more of our meat kept grilling away. What can I even say — this Myeongdong must-eat spot passes with flying colors. So delicious. Honestly the best ogyeopsal I've had recently. The juices practically burst out of the meat — total bliss.

White kimchi and mushrooms — the side dishes were excellent too

It's good with wasabi, good wrapped in perilla leaf, and they also serve white kimchi (baek-kimchi) here — which is genuinely delicious. Delicious enough that I wanted to take some home!!! With side dishes this good, it has to be an old-school must-eat spot!!!

They grill the mushrooms beautifully too. On top of that, the staff here are all clearly skilled at grilling meat... the meat itself is already good quality, but with it grilled this well, it's bound to taste even more amazing.

Adding samgyeopsal — eat it before the ogyeopsal, not after

So we added samgyeopsal (pork belly) to our order. It was quite delicious too, but if you're having both samgyeopsal and ogyeopsal, I think the order samgyeopsal → ogyeopsal works better!!! The feeling is definitely different that way!!! Though I'd still pick ogyeopsal as my favorite!!! But the samgyeopsal was delicious too!! Ogyeopsal is just more my style haha.

And with that, we wrapped up a satisfying dinner. One thing I love about Myeongdong is that you can walk a bit afterward and stroll along Cheonggyecheon Stream to help with digestion — that part was really nice too.

It had been a while since I'd come out to Seoul for a dinner, and this Myeongdong must-eat spot did not disappoint!! Everyone, go to Yuktongnyeong and enjoy some good meat too.