Yangyang barbecue restaurant for pork ribs and beef: Yeoyejeong

On the way back from Sokcho with my family, we went to Yeoyejeong (여여정) in Yangyang for dinner. I wanted pork ribs, while my mother, who does not like pork, needed somewhere she could have beef.

How far outside Yangyang is it, and is parking easy?

Yeoyejeong is in Seo-myeon, a little outside central Yangyang. We had to drive farther in from town, and Yangyang IC felt closer instead.

As we followed country roads, there were no restaurants in sight and the mountain road continued, so I wondered whether there could really be a barbecue restaurant here. After the final bend, a restaurant in a wide open space appeared.

The surroundings felt rural, and the restaurant had the feel of an outdoor garden. The parking lot was spacious, so parking was easy.

What was the wait like without a reservation?

When we went inside, it was already full. Even the empty tables were reserved, so we entered our phone number into a tablet-like device at the entrance and waited outside. They contacted us when it was our turn.

Fortunately, we were first in line, so we did not wait long. Since it can fill up as it did during my visit, I would recommend calling ahead to reserve a table.

During my visit, there was also a lucky-draw event for guests who left a review. The prizes included gift certificates, menu items, drinks, and displayed toys, and they said there were no losing tickets. I thought it would be a small bit of fun for families visiting with children.

Can you order pork and beef together?

The menu had both pork and beef. We ordered pork ribs and salchisal for my mother. There was a notice that they sold house-made baekkimchi (white kimchi) separately, and the dessert menu also included baekkimchi noodles.

By the time we were seated after waiting, the table was already set. There were not many side dishes, but we enjoyed the salad, kimchi, seasoned eggplant, and seasoned cucumber.

Charcoal was brought out next. It looked dense and burned hot, so the meat began cooking quickly.

The salchisal was U.S. beef prepared through salt aging, in which salt is sprinkled on the meat for aging. It had distinct marbling and a bright red color. The pork ribs were Korean pork.

How did the salchisal and pork ribs taste?

We put a piece of salchisal and the pork ribs on the grill together. The pork ribs were sliced thinly from bone-in ribs. The heat was strong, so we turned them over as they cooked.

While waiting for the pork ribs to cook, we ate the salchisal first. It had a rich meaty aroma and the savory flavor of fat, with a tender texture as well.

The fully cooked pork ribs were not overly sweet and were lightly savory. The tender meat had a subtle sweetness, so I did not tire of eating it. I especially liked that the seasoning did not feel overpowering.

As we ate, I also noticed notes left on the wall by other guests praising the meat. I had been concerned while driving out of town to find it, but I was satisfied with both the salchisal and pork ribs.

I liked that family members with different preferences for pork and beef could eat together at one table. For this visit, I received a partial discount on the meal cost as part of a review program.