Euljiro 3-ga Korean restaurant: spicy grilled bones

This time, my husband and I went to Eulji Baektan Ppyeogui for dinner in Euljiro. I’d wanted to try it because it was always packed whenever I passed by. We couldn’t get in right away that day either, but got seated after a short wait.

How to get to Eulji Baektan Ppyeogui from Euljiro 3-ga Station

Eulji Baektan Ppyeogui is right in front of Exit 11 of Euljiro 3-ga Station. You spot it as soon as you come out of the station, and the sign is large, so it wasn’t hard to find.

A 6:30 p.m. wait and Catchtable

We arrived around 6:30 p.m. and waited about 20 minutes before getting in. But after 7 p.m., the wait had stretched to more than an hour. If you’re going for dinner, I think it’s best to arrive a little early or use Catchtable’s remote waitlist.

Also, when using Catchtable, your place in line is cancelled if you don’t confirm your arrival within two minutes of receiving the entry notice. My husband and I were chatting and missed the notification, so ours got cancelled not once but twice, haha. When the alert comes, hit the arrival confirmation first, okay? Hehe...

The full-house atmosphere inside

Once inside, it was larger than I expected, but every seat was taken at dinner time. There were tables as well as seats facing the kitchen, and the overall atmosphere was quite lively. Plenty of diners were there as couples, but many larger groups were also having drinks with their meal.

Ordering a small Baektan Ppyeogui and kimchi-mari guksu

The signature Baektan Ppyeogui, or grilled bones, came in small, medium, and large sizes. We ordered a small Baektan Ppyeogui and kimchi-mari guksu (chilled noodles in kimchi broth) to have alongside it.

You can choose from spice levels 1 through 4 for the grilled bones. We ordered level 2.

Spicy grilled bones and the basic sides

The basic sides were kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), cabbage salad, and baek kimchi (mild white kimchi). Since the grilled bones were spicy, they were nice to eat in between bites.

Lemon beer for a refreshing pairing

You can’t pass up a cold beer with spicy grilled bones, right? I spotted lemon beer on the menu and ordered one out of curiosity. It was more citrusy than regular beer, which made it a good drink with the spicy grilled bones.

Small Baektan Ppyeogui with meat that came right off the bone

Our small Baektan Ppyeogui arrived after about five minutes. Even the small portion had several large bones, with whole grilled scallions piled alongside them.

After cutting it into bite-size pieces with scissors, I pulled the meat from the bones. I thought the meat attached to the bone might be tough, but it was so tender that it came off easily with the slightest touch of my chopsticks. There was more meat on the bones than I expected, and it was fun picking it off one by one.

The menu described the level 2 we ordered as about as spicy as Shin Ramyun, but it tasted slightly hotter than Shin Ramyun to me. It was fine at first, but the heat gradually started building as I ate.

So I tried the grilled scallions that came with it too, and their gentle sweetness seemed to take the edge off the heat a little. At first I wondered why there were so many scallions, but once I ate them with the meat, I understood why they serve them together, haha.

Kimchi-mari guksu, perfect between spicy bites

The kimchi-mari guksu we ordered with the grilled bones arrived too. It was topped with shredded egg, young radish greens, seaweed, and a boiled egg. After mixing everything together, the broth was cool and less intense than I expected.

It wasn’t overly sweet or sour, so it was great for taking a bite between the spicy grilled bones. Level 2 was a little spicy for me after all, so I kept reaching for it throughout the meal.

After visiting Eulji Baektan Ppyeogui

It was my first time ever trying grilled bones at Eulji Baektan Ppyeogui, and the meat was much more tender than I expected, which really stayed with me. Even level 2 became a little spicy for me as I ate, but it was still a deliciously manageable level of heat.

That said, the evening wait grew long very quickly. It was about 20 minutes when we arrived at 6:30 p.m., but it became more than an hour after 7 p.m., so I recommend arriving early if possible or joining the Catchtable waitlist in advance. If you want spicy grilled bones and a cold beer in Euljiro, this could be a nice place to try :)