Korean BBQ with a toddler in Seocho, Seoul: Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae

It had been a long time since I properly ate black pork, so I went looking for somewhere to do it right — Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store.

It's a place that keeps popping up when you search for good restaurants near Gyodae, and black pork yukgyeopsal (six-layer pork belly) is supposedly its signature dish, so I went in with expectations. This was a family outing with three adults and a 32-month-old.

The first things that caught my eye walking in were a sign about milling rice fresh daily and a meat-aging room off to the side. You could see the meat aging right there, which gave the impression that nothing — from the rice to the meat — was being cut corners on.

How thick is the yukgyeopsal at Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae?

The most impressive dish at Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store was the signature yukgyeopsal. We started with two servings.

From the photo alone, two pieces might look like a small portion, but in person the meat is really thick. Each piece has real heft, so once it was grilled and cut up, there was actually quite a lot.

Yuk Tongryeong's yukgyeopsal is black pork aged for 15 days with omija (schisandra berry). Staff grill it for you right at the table, and it's so thick that cooking it evenly at home would have been tricky.

Properly grilled, the yukgyeopsal was chewy in the way black pork should be but never tough, and there was zero gamey smell. The bit with a sliver of skin still attached was especially good. Rather than plain samgyeopsal, biting into lean meat, fat, and chewy skin all at once felt like eating pork belly and crispy skin together. Thick, but never dry — the more you chewed, the more savory it got.

Six dipping sauces and the side dishes served with the pork

There are also six different sauces to dip the meat in.

I dipped into all of them without knowing exactly what each was, then looked them up later: wine-fried salt, ssamjang (soybean-chili paste), omija vinegar, wasabi, salted shrimp, and suntae jeot (salted intestine). Salt was best for tasting the meat itself, while omija vinegar or wasabi worked well when I wanted to cut the richness. With wild garlic, pickled perilla leaves, gungchae and other sides on offer too, the thick cuts never got tiresome even after a while.

Ogyeopsal and pork galbi: which cut did the toddler eat?

After the yukgyeopsal, we added one serving each of ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly) and pork galbi.

The ogyeopsal also had that great chewy skin texture, but on this visit the signature yukgyeopsal impressed me a bit more. If it's your first visit, I'd recommend making sure to order the yukgyeopsal.

We ordered the pork galbi for the kid. My child spits out meat the moment it's even slightly tough and only eats well when it's soft — and this pork galbi wasn't overly seasoned or spicy, plus the meat was tender, so she actually ate quite a bit. If you're looking for a Gyodae BBQ spot to bring a kid to, letting the adults eat the black pork while ordering pork galbi for the child seems like a good plan. A baby chair was also available.

Bibim naengmyeon or tojang jjigae: which one to order?

For the meal course, we ordered bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles), tojang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and steamed rice.

The bibim naengmyeon leaned sweeter than spicy. Personally I'd have preferred it slightly less sweet, but it wasn't bad alongside the thick cuts of meat.

What actually surprised me by being genuinely delicious was the tojang jjigae.

Just from the name 'tojang,' I somehow expected it to be saltier than regular doenjang jjigae, haha — but the broth was rich and savory without being overly salty. The potato, zucchini and tofu were cut into almost rustically large pieces, and after tasting the zucchini I understood why it was cut that big. Fully cooked through but not mushy, with real sweetness coming through.

Apparently it's made with traditional doenjang fermented directly in Gangwon-do, and unlike the heavily seasoned broths at most BBQ restaurants, the ingredients' own flavors really came through. The portion was generous too, plenty for three adults to share with rice. If I go back to Yuk Tongryeong, I think I'll order the tojang jjigae again over the naengmyeon for sure.

How much to order for three adults and one child

Three adults and a 32-month-old ordered two servings of yukgyeopsal, one ogyeopsal, one pork galbi, one bibim naengmyeon, one tojang jjigae, and one bowl of rice, and left just full — nothing left over, nothing missing.

Price-wise it's not the cheapest BBQ spot, but considering the thickness and quality of the meat, the tableside grilling service, and the variety of side dishes, it was a satisfying meal.

Most of all, it was great that the black pork I'd been craving turned out exactly as chewy and savory as I'd hoped. If you're looking among Gyodae's good restaurants for properly aged, thick black pork, or a Gyodae Station BBQ spot for a family outing with a kid, Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store is a solid choice. I'd definitely recommend the yukgyeopsal and tojang jjigae combo.

• Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store / 1F Jion Building, 69 Banpo-daero 20-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: daily 11:30–22:30, last order 22:00
• Baby chair available