Seoul ssambap restaurant by Jogyesa: Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill
In short
Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch is a charcoal-grilled bulgogi and ssambap (rice and meat wrapped in leafy greens) restaurant in Jongno, Seoul, right beside Jogyesa Temple. On a weekday visit at 12:40pm the lunch special charcoal bulgogi set cost 16,000 won per person in the soy sauce version, and the table filled up with bean sprouts, young cabbage, young radish greens and braised perilla leaves, plus braised anchovies and squash wraps with tofu ssamjang. Even with two floors of seating the restaurant was full, so expect a wait — but the meal at Eom Yongbaek leaves you full of vegetables rather than heavy with meat.
Good to know
- Address
- 51 Yulgok-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (near Jogyesa Temple)
- Hours
- 11:00–22:30
- Break time
- 14:30–16:30
- Parking
- Not available
- Lunch special charcoal bulgogi set
- 16,000 won per person (choice of soy sauce or squid)
- Size
- 1st and 2nd floors
- Price reference
- ₩16,000 ≈ $12 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 14, 2026
Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch
I was looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Gwanghwamun and found Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch! Around Gwanghwamun, decent restaurants get packed the moment office workers' lunch hour starts, so I usually decide where to go beforehand — this time the charcoal bulgogi set looked good, so I picked this place.
The lunch special at Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill felt less like a meat-only place and more like a full ssambap (wrapped rice) spread with all kinds of vegetables and wrapping ingredients, which I liked.
Where is Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun, and what are the hours?
- 📍 Address: 51 Yulgok-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (near Jogyesa)
- ⏰ Hours: 11:00–22:30
- ⏰ Break time: 14:30–16:30
- 🚗 Parking: Not available
- 💰 Lunch special charcoal bulgogi set: ₩16,000
Is there a wait for lunch at 12:40pm in Gwanghwamun?
We visited Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch around 12:40pm that day. It was easy to find, right next to Jogyesa Temple.
I figured this time slot would be busy since it's right in the middle of the lunch peak, but it really was packed... Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch is a fairly large place with two floors, so it's not a small space, and yet it was still full. It really hit me how popular this restaurant is!!
⭐️ If you're visiting at lunchtime, it's best to go a little early or come prepared to wait!
What comes with the 16,000 won lunch charcoal bulgogi set
What we ordered 👉 the lunch special charcoal bulgogi set. It's ₩16,000 per person, and you can choose soy sauce or squid.
But the basic table setting was insanely generous!! I thought we'd just get the charcoal bulgogi with a few side dishes, but as dishes kept landing on the table one by one, the big table quickly filled up.
Doenjang soup, bean sprouts, young cabbage, radish greens, braised perilla leaves, lettuce, perilla leaves, gim (dried seaweed), chili peppers, garlic — really a wide variety of ingredients for wrapping. On top of that, salted anchovy sauce, squash wrap, and tofu doenjang stew...
The ingredients are so varied that you're not just wrapping a piece of meat in lettuce — you can mix and match whatever combination fits your mood that day!!!
Braised anchovies and squash wraps with tofu ssamjang
The salted anchovy sauce and the squash wrap tofu doenjang stew each came out on a big plate, and these weren't just side-dish-level extras!
The doenjang stew was packed with squash leaves, tofu, and soybean paste — great mixed into rice with side dishes like radish greens or bean sprouts, and also great with a little of it added to a wrap with rice and meat.
The salted anchovy sauce also went well with rice. It came for two people, but the portion was really generous.
Soy sauce charcoal bulgogi: portion size and smoky flavor
And then the main dish: charcoal bulgogi. The portion was quite large. I expected less meat since it was a lunch special, but I was surprised by how generous it was!
The meat was seasoned just right, and being grilled over charcoal gave it a subtle smoky aroma.
Lay down a lettuce leaf, add a little rice, top with charcoal bulgogi, a bit of doenjang stew, bean sprouts, young cabbage, salted anchovy sauce, squash wrap, and tofu!
The wraps were so stuffed with fillings they almost burst haha 🤤
Eating it with vegetables like bean sprouts, radish greens, and perilla leaves made it feel lighter even when eating a lot.
By the end I was really full, but it wasn't that greasy, about-to-burst feeling you get from meat — it was the kind of full you get from Korean food loaded with wrapped vegetables, you know what I mean!! Not an unpleasant fullness at all, more of a satisfied, healthy fullness haha.
Final verdict on Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun
- 👉 Highly recommended if you want a hearty Korean lunch in Gwanghwamun
- 👉 Lunch special charcoal bulgogi set is ₩16,000
- 👉 Generous portion of charcoal bulgogi
- 👉 Subtle smoky aroma, well-seasoned
- 👉 Wide variety of banchan (side dishes) — bean sprouts, young cabbage, radish greens, braised perilla leaves
- 👉 Great for wraps with lettuce, perilla leaves, gim, chili, garlic
- 👉 Recommend the salted anchovy sauce + squash wrap tofu doenjang stew combo
- 👉 Fairly large store spread over two floors
- 👉 Still popular enough to have a wait around 12:40pm lunchtime
- 👉 Recommended for Gwanghwamun office workers' lunch / a solid Korean food option
The charcoal bulgogi itself was delicious, but what I liked most was the whole package — generous banchan, wraps, and the doenjang stew all together.
Next time I'd like to try the squid bulgogi instead of the charcoal bulgogi!
Where it is
51 Yulgok-ro 4-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (near Jogyesa)서울특별시 종로구 율곡로4길 51
