Gwanghwamun pork grill with ₩16,000 charcoal bulgogi set: Eom Yongbaek

Charcoal bulgogi at 'Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill' Gwanghwamun branch

After my once-a-year health checkup, my husband and I started hunting for a good restaurant nearby. I'm someone who always eats breakfast, so fasting for the checkup left my hands shaking a bit haha 😇 You've got to treat yourself to something good after a checkup, right? So I searched extra carefully for this one!

Where is Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun, and what are its hours?

Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch is located at 51 Yulgok-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, right behind Jogyesa temple's back gate. Hours are 11:00–22:00, with a break time from 14:30 to 16:30.

• 🏠 51 Yulgok-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (behind Jogyesa temple)
• 🕰️ 11:00–22:00 (break time 14:30–16:30)
• 🚗 No parking
• Group bookings available, reservations, separate restrooms, high chairs

Just hearing the name 'Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill' gives off a proud, confident vibe — doesn't it already feel like a solid restaurant?

It's famous for pork grill, but at lunchtime they also offer lunch special menus, so it's a good option even if you're just there for lunch, not necessarily to grill meat.

How long is the lunch wait, and what is the restaurant like inside?

At Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch, the menu board is right at the entrance so it's easy to check, and you can also join the waitlist through Catch Table. It's especially popular with office workers, so there can be a wait during lunch hours.

Overall the place is clean but still has that unmistakable barbecue-restaurant feel, so it had a surprisingly good atmosphere even at lunch. Nice and tidy, well kept 👍 It tends to get busy at lunchtime, so it's better to visit with some time to spare.

Near the entrance, most of the origin labels showed domestic Korean ingredients. Group reservations are also possible. Once you go further inside, there's spacious seating up to the second floor — it was a bigger restaurant than I expected.

Lunch special menu and prices at Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill

The lunch special at Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch comes in two options — charcoal bulgogi set and squid charcoal bulgogi set — both priced the same at ₩16,000. Normally we'd have ordered one of each to try both, but since we'd just had a health checkup, my husband and I avoided anything too spicy or heavy.

After ordering, it wasn't long before the food arrived, filling the whole table.

With charcoal bulgogi as the centerpiece, it came with rice, soup, and a variety of side dishes — more filling than I expected! A satisfying spread for a single lunch meal.

How does the charcoal bulgogi taste with maeljeot anchovy sauce?

Today's main dish: charcoal bulgogi. Maybe because it's grilled over charcoal, there was a subtle smoky aroma that I really liked. The seasoning wasn't overly sweet — just sweet enough to go well with rice. Above all, that hint of charcoal smoke gave it a different charm from regular bulgogi.

Maeljeot, known as a total rice-thief. It was salty with an explosive savoriness, and the big anchovies inside gave it a nice bite. It was right up my husband's alley 👍 Wrapping the meat in lettuce or perilla leaves with a little dab of maeljeot was also delicious.

Dried radish green soup and thick doenjang stew

The dried radish green soup wasn't too strongly seasoned, which I liked — its mild flavor was nice. Taking a spoonful now and then helped refresh my palate between bites.

The doenjang stew was genuinely delicious. It came out bubbling in a stone pot, packed with tofu and vegetables that added a nice bite, while still tasting clean and light. It wasn't too salty, which personally made it my favorite.

Is Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill worth it for lunch in Gwanghwamun?

I only went in expecting the charcoal bulgogi, but with maeljeot, doenjang stew, and dried radish green soup all included, it ended up being a much more substantial lunch than I imagined. The side dishes were tasty too, and there was plenty of lettuce and perilla leaf so you could wrap the meat however you liked ☺️ If you're looking for a place to eat lunch in Gwanghwamun and want something a bit different from the usual Korean set meal or stew, this could be a good spot to try.