Yangju galbi restaurant with kids: mild marinated ribs, Manpo Galbi

Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch is a place I stop by often when I'm in Yangju. This time I came back with the kids for galbi again. I've visited a few times already, so the menu feels familiar. Parking is easy and the kids eat the marinated galbi well, so I end up choosing it for family meals whenever we visit Gwangneung Arboretum.

This time we ordered handmade marinated galbi for three plus pudding steamed egg. After finishing the meat, we even had water naengmyeon for dessert.

What side dishes and self-serve bar does Manpo Galbi Yangju have?

As soon as you sit down, basic side dishes come out first — shredded scallion, radish salad, greens, and spicy radish. If you want more, you can grab extra from the self-serve bar.

Along with the marinated galbi, yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and jeon (savory pancakes) came out too. These are perfect for picking at before the meat goes on the grill. Yukhoe especially gets chopsticks reaching first. This time the portion of yukhoe felt bigger than before.

We got to try a good range — sliced onion, various geotjeori (fresh kimchi salads), and potato salad. The potato salad was popular with the kids too, refilled twice.

Handmade marinated galbi: tender and not too salty

Once the charcoal arrived, we laid the three servings of handmade marinated galbi from Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch on the grill. Marinated galbi needs frequent flipping so it doesn't burn.

Once both sides turn golden brown, you cut it into bite-sized pieces and cook it a little more.

Manpo Galbi's marinated galbi isn't seasoned too strongly and the meat is tender. The marinade isn't overly sweet or heavy, so it's easy to keep eating — and best of all, the kids eat the galbi well.

Going to a BBQ place with kids can get awkward if they take a bite or two and then want something else, but there's no such worry here. We had the marinated galbi last time too, and ordered the same galbi dish this time since the kids love it.

Pudding-style steamed egg, the best partner for galbi

Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch's pudding steamed egg looks different from the usual bubbling steamed egg. True to its name, the surface is smooth, and putting a spoon in reveals softness all the way through.

Even a big spoonful scoops up soft and gently, melting smoothly in your mouth. It's fun to blow on it while it's hot, and the kids love it, making it a great thing to order alongside galbi.

Dessert noodles at Manpo Galbi: water naengmyeon

When we'd nearly finished the meat, we ordered dessert naengmyeon. Usually we split water naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon, but this time we both wanted something refreshing, so we went all water naengmyeon.

Clear broth topped with noodles, radish, and cucumber. The broth is cool and savory. We'd also saved a few pieces of galbi in anticipation of the naengmyeon. Eating the cold water naengmyeon with a saved piece of marinated galbi on the side was great — it's hard to skip naengmyeon when eating galbi.

When the side dishes ran low, we could grab as much as we needed from the self-serve bar, so we topped up on shredded scallion and vegetables along the way.

Bbeong ice cream after the meat

After finishing the meal, there's a bbeong-tuigi (Korean puffed rice cracker) ice cream station set up near the register.

You put soft-serve ice cream on top of the puffed rice cracker yourself, and there's no way the kids would pass that up. Holding a cracker and swirling the ice cream on top, a sweet dessert came together in no time.

Crunchy puffed rice cracker and soft, sweet ice cream — even after eating galbi and naengmyeon until full, you still reach for it. There's also a coffee machine on the side, so the adults could finish off with a cup of coffee.

Is Manpo Galbi Yangju a good galbi restaurant with kids?

I've visited a few times already, and I left well-fed again this time too — tender marinated galbi, steamed egg, and water naengmyeon after the meat. If you're looking for somewhere to eat out with kids in Yangju, or a Yangju galbi restaurant where the seasoning isn't too strong, Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch is a solid choice.