Suwon Korean BBQ with sweet-savory beef ribs

The day I went looking for straw-fire-seared premium beef ribs in Ingye-dong

It had been ages since I’d had premium beef ribs, so I visited Golden Cheese Lotte Department Store Myeongdong Branch (짚불태백 수원인계점), a popular spot on Na Hye-seok Street in Ingye-dong. I wanted somewhere for premium beef ribs—a special change from my usual pork belly or pork neck—and although it was a little far from home, this was just perfect: the ribs are pre-seared over straw fire, so they even carry a gentle straw-fire aroma.

Golden Cheese Lotte Department Store Myeongdong Branch is a popular restaurant on Na Hye-seok Street in Ingye-dong. It opens from an early lunch hour for a barbecue place and also sells a straw-fire bulgogi set lunch.

Out front, the restaurant is decorated with live fish and charcoal in a handcart. Inside is a spacious space that can also be privately rented for groups of 50 or more.

A tray full of banchan and the premium beef rib menu

As soon as we sat down, banchan (Korean side dishes) arrived on a homey tray, and it looked so gorgeous that my mouth started watering. There was seasoned lettuce, potato salad, green-onion kimchi, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), shredded radish salad, and more—such good combinations with meat ♡ My partner is especially crazy about japchae, so they were very happy 🙂

The signature dishes are fresh premium beef ribs at ₩35,000 and marinated premium beef ribs at ₩32,000. This Na Hye-seok Street restaurant also sells plenty of other meats, including straw-fire pork belly, pork neck, whole pork jowl, hanger steak, and pork skin.

Golden Cheese Lotte Department Store Myeongdong Branch also has a generous receipt-review event: you can choose guacamole tortillas, matcha affogato, or Hallabong sherbet, each worth about ₩9,000.

We ordered two servings of marinated premium beef ribs

We ordered two servings of marinated premium beef ribs. Those thick ribs over the straw fire looked delicious even before eating! Two servings come to 600g and cost ₩64,000, and premium beef ribs can only be ordered from two servings onward. You can’t order one serving each of fresh and marinated ribs.

At this Na Hye-seok Street favorite, the staff grill the meat beautifully for you. Grilling meat can be such a chore, but these ribs arrive pre-seared over straw fire, then cook over the grill as the marinade lightly caramelizes... 🤤

The premium beef ribs here are said to be flower rib meat from ribs six through eight, considered the tastiest parts of beef ribs. The fresh premium ribs are even limited quantity and use only the seventh-rib flower rib meat!

The seed soy sauce and Neungi mushroom sauce combination

For the first bite, I had the premium beef rib plain to taste the meat itself. After that, as recommended, I dipped it in seed soy sauce, angelica sauce, or Neungi mushroom sauce... Seed soy sauce + Neungi mushroom sauce was ridiculously good!! It tasted like truffle 😇

Once cooked, the meat was placed over bracken fern. Oh, and they grilled the kimchi, bracken fern, and mushrooms alongside it too, so I enjoyed those as well. I thought I might be a little disappointed that it wasn’t the limited fresh premium ribs, but the meat was sweet and salty, and my satisfaction was 200%.

The premium beef ribs were thick and tender. After we finished, they even cut off and grilled all the meat clinging to the bones. They said it might be a little chewy, but it had a nice bite and made for a delicious finish. I polished off a bowl of rice! If you like gently sweet marinated meat, I think the marinated premium beef ribs are a good choice too, hehe.

Hallabong sherbet and a parking tip

Through the Naver review service, I received Hallabong sherbet for a refreshing palate cleanser. I usually prefer sweet things like chocolate over tangy flavors, so I wasn’t expecting much, but the portion was generous, it was sweet and tart, and the quality was really good! It felt like something a bar might sell for ₩6,000–7,000... 🍊 I recommend it.

Parking is available but paid, so I recommend the roadside public parking lot by Hyowon Park next door. Parking in Ingye-dong is difficult and spaces are often full, but there are so many spots along the road that openings come up often.