Giheung birthday Korean BBQ with extra hanwoo chuck flap: Dongbaek

We were on a family trip to Yongin, the four of us, and it happened to fall right on my birthday : ) Honestly, part of the plan was to time the trip so I could spend my birthday traveling hahaha ^^~

When I was trying to figure out what to eat for my birthday, I thought — birthday means beef, no question! So we headed to Dongbaek Hanokjip Charcoal Grill Butcher Restaurant!

What are the seats and atmosphere like at Dongbaek Hanokjip?

The seating at Dongbaek Hanokjip is neatly divided into sections. There happened to be a famous cake shop nearby, so my plan was to eat here first and then pick up a cake to take home~ The way the seats are cleanly separated makes the interior pretty too, and the window seats looked like a great spot for a couple to sit and grill beef together over quiet conversation haha.

Charcoal grilling — so nice to see. With kids around it can be tricky since it's hot and they can't eat much of it, but it's my birthday!! ^^~ so I just had to accept that and dig in.

The table setting came out nicely too haha, and the various salads and namul side dishes were really good.

Hanwoo chuck flap: why we added a whole extra pack

The star of my birthday table at Dongbaek Hanokjip was the hanwoo chuck flap. Ah,,,, we started with the hanwoo chuck flap brought over from the meat counter, grilled it up, and wow it looked gorgeous : )

Blood sugar spike prevention hahaha, so I made sure to eat the salad first ^^

The scallions they serve alongside are so sweet once grilled — you know that flavor, right

It just melts in your mouth,,, between wrangling the kids and everything else it's a bit chaotic, but I could still tell how good the meat tasted~

The bean sprout namul was crunchy, and the tangy seasoning paired really well with the meat.

The chuck flap was so good we added a whole extra pack!!!! People of the garlic nation hahaha — there's even a separate little dish just for grilling garlic, so you can grill it up comfortably~

One more bite with a dab of wasabi on top! I popped it into my husband's mouth~ Gotta love a husband who spends the birthday with you~~

How the butcher restaurant works: picking your own meat

Eating great meat with family during our trip made this a perfect spot for a birthday dinner. What made it feel extra special compared to a regular BBQ place was that Dongbaek Hanokjip runs on the butcher-restaurant format — there's real fun in picking exactly the cut you want yourself.

The biggest draw of this place is that you can look straight at the meat displayed in the fridge and choose the cut you want. Being able to see the meat with your own eyes and pick what you're in the mood for that day is fun in itself, and above all, the meat was very fresh, which I really liked.

That day our family also had hanwoo brisket (chadolbaegi).

This was genuinely delicious. Thrown on the charcoal and grilled quickly, the nutty flavor really came alive and I kept reaching for more. Seriously ㅠㅠㅠ the hanwoo brisket was so good. The peppers grilled alongside it were a real treat too.

Eating meat nonstop can get a little heavy after a while, but grilling kkwari gochu (shishito-style peppers) on the charcoal alongside it made for a really good combination~

Next time I grill at home, I'm definitely throwing kkwari gochu on too!

Self-serve bar and baby chairs: is Dongbaek Hanokjip good with kids?

Dongbaek Hanokjip has a self-serve bar, so if you're short on a side dish or need something, you can just go grab it yourself. It was nice being able to get what our family needed for the meal without feeling like we were bothering anyone! This salad was so good I went back for more : )

The reliable young guy working there was really friendly too, which made the whole meal a pleasant experience. And since we came with the kids, I was glad to see baby chairs available~ Though funnily enough, our older kid sat in it haha, while our younger one ended up sitting in an adult chair instead — the irony,,,^^;;;;

For families looking for a BBQ place to visit with kids, these little details matter more than you'd think! So I'd recommend this as a kid-friendly BBQ spot in Dongbaek, Giheung~ The baby chair here is sturdy too, just like in the photo haha.

Parking at Dongbaek Hanokjip for a family dinner in Giheung

Dongbaek Hanokjip also has its own separate parking lot, which made it easy to visit by car. A family of four with a young child pretty much needs a car ㅠㅠㅠ and when you're moving around Yongin as a family while traveling, parking can be a surprisingly big stressor — so it was great to visit without worrying about it.

Above all, this was my birthday, and spending the time with the four of us gathered around the charcoal grill, chatting and eating, was just really nice. Being a butcher restaurant where you can pick exactly the meat you want and grill it fresh over charcoal seems to be this place's charm. The hanwoo brisket in particular was so good that I want to come back again next time we're in Yongin! There's also a passage that connects straight to the parking lot, so keep that in mind~

On my birthday, I ate delicious beef with my family and came home properly recharged and happy :)