Seocho, Seoul Korean BBQ group dinner with cold noodles: Gyodaepae

Have you ever tried fresh (non-frozen) thin-sliced pork belly? Well, I have now. I already love daepae samgyeopsal (thin-sliced pork belly), but when I heard there was a place near Gyodae Station selling it chilled instead of frozen, I had to go check it out immediately!

Chilled meat made into thin-sliced pork instead of the usual frozen daepae — I went in with high expectations. This is Gyodaepae, super close to Gyodae Station!

What kind of Korean BBQ restaurant is Gyodaepae near Gyodae Station?

Gyodaepae is a Korean BBQ restaurant on Seochodae-ro 48-gil, an easy walk from Gyodae Station. The neighborhood is packed with good restaurants, and even in the early evening the place was already buzzing with after-work crowds — a promising sign.

Isn't the name 'Gyodae + daepae' just too cute? This area is packed with offices, so it's famous as a go-to spot for company dinners. Just look for the cute blue sign. There are outdoor tables too, so you can enjoy the yajang (outdoor drinking) vibe.

We came for chilled fresh Korean pork daepae~~ so excited! The staff were super friendly, which made sitting down even nicer.

What comes in the 43,000-won Gyodaepae set (500g)?

Gyodaepae's set menu isn't a small 500g portion — and it's currently discounted too. It's made up of chilled fresh pork belly, chilled fresh pork neck, and frozen pork belly. A very reasonable ₩43,000. We ordered one set along with fried rice, a bowl of rice, and naengmyeon (cold noodles)!

They set the table quickly and efficiently.

The bean sprouts and scallion salad were seasoned so well that grilling them alongside the meat was a perfect match.

They also gave us fresh lettuce wraps, kimchi, and spicy radish salad! Grilled kimchi was genuinely delicious too...

There's a self-serve corner too, so you can help yourself to as many sides and wraps as you want. Kimchi lovers, gather here!!

Chilled fresh Korean pork daepae vs frozen: what is the difference?

Our Gyodaepae set arrived! We sat where we could see the kitchen, and they weighed the meat precisely on a scale before bringing it out. On a wooden cutting board came the chilled fresh pork belly and pork neck, and in a separate bowl, the frozen pork belly.

At 500g per set, plus the side dishes, it was plenty for two. How on earth do they slice chilled Korean pork this thin? The owner clearly knows their stuff — the meat quality looked excellent, and my excitement grew.

We first greased the pan with the fat they gave us, then laid down the pork neck. Being chilled and thin-sliced, it cooked incredibly fast! Daepae samgyeopsal was the perfect choice for a hungry evening.

While the meat grilled, the ugeoji-guk (napa cabbage soup) arrived too. It's part of the standard setting, and it was seriously good! A sip between bites of meat really helps everything go down.

Every table had ground pepper on hand, so we sprinkled it generously as we grilled. Pepper and daepae are just meant to be. Grilled well-done, it's crisp and savory; grilled just right, it's soft and tender — delicious either way.

Gyodaepae's house dipping sauce with thin-sliced pork

And this sauce!! Dipping the daepae into this house special sauce is unreal... Not too spicy, sweet and savory at once, and it went so well with the meat!!!! Amazing!

They also gently laid down more pork belly, and I was amazed at how thinly it was sliced even though it wasn't frozen — what skill! The world really has come a long way. Sprinkled with pepper again, it cooked so fast it went straight from the grill to my mouth.

Wrapping the tender meat with the side dishes in a lettuce leaf was next-level. Couldn't hold back and ordered a bowl of rice.

How does bibim naengmyeon go with the grilled daepae?

We also ordered bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) at Gyodaepae, and I loved that the icy broth came on the side. The noodle portion was generous too!!

The seasoning was spicy and sweet — genuinely delicious bibim naengmyeon. Wrapping the well-cooked, chewy noodles with a slice of pork belly and taking a bite felt like something I could eat endlessly. Highly recommend this Gyodae Station Korean BBQ spot.

Last up, we grilled the frozen pork belly, which had its own charm distinct from the fresh version — familiar, with no off-smell, just tasty! Grilled with pepper and paired with bean sprouts and scallion kimchi cooked in the meat fat, it was heavenly. Right as we finished grilling all the meat, the fried rice arrived at perfect timing.

How big is the 3,000-won fried rice at Gyodaepae?

Gyodaepae's dessert fried rice is only ₩3,000, but the portion was so huge I kept double-checking the price!!!! At a Korean BBQ place, you absolutely have to finish with fried rice, right? Happiness for ₩3,000.

It comes out almost fully cooked from the kitchen, so all you need to do is briefly heat it on the pan coated in meat fat. The key move: pressing it down to get a slightly crispy nurungji (scorched rice) texture. The soft-boiled egg on top is so pretty too. Soft-boiled egg plus kimchi in Korean BBQ fried rice — is there a Korean alive who doesn't love this?

We'd saved a few pieces of meat for exactly this moment and topped the fried rice with them for a satisfying finish. Somehow eating daepae samgyeopsal feels like it won't make you gain weight ~ hahahaha. Being genuinely chilled, non-frozen daepae, it really did feel free of any gaminess and more savory and tender.

Is Gyodaepae good for a group dinner, and what to order next time?

Even while we were eating, Gyodaepae stayed loud and lively with groups of coworkers out for dinner. It really lived up to its reputation as a go-to Gyodae daepae samgyeopsal spot for both company dinners and casual meals out. We got up feeling very satisfied.

Only as we stood up did I notice the old-style yukhoe (raw beef tartare) on the menu... only ₩10,000 for yukhoe. We're idiots for not ordering it....ㅜ Now I have a reason to come back to Gyodaepae. Next time, definitely ordering the Gyodaepae set plus ₩10,000 yukhoe!

• Great meat quality, and a rare chance to try genuinely chilled, non-frozen daepae
• The staff are incredibly friendly
• Generous side dishes plus a self-serve refill corner
• Above all, it just tastes great

This is the place I'll think of without fail whenever I'm craving daepae~~