Korean BBQ after a soccer match in Yeonsinnae: Sambaek Hanu Daecheop

After watching a soccer match live at Sangam World Cup Stadium, it felt like a waste to just head home, so we moved to Yeonsinnae for round two.

Location and hours of Sambaek Hanu Daecheop

It's located at 14-14 Yeonseo-ro 29-gil, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, South Korea — a 2-minute walk from Exit 7 of Yeonsinnae Station.

Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday 16:30–24:00, and Friday, Saturday 16:30–01:00. Closed on Mondays.

No parking available. Corkage is allowed (for a fee).

A Hanwoo place that caught our eye on the Yeonsinnae Rodeo street

We were wandering the streets of Yeonsinnae debating what to eat when...

Sambaek Hanu Daecheop, a well-known spot on the Yeonsinnae Rodeo street, caught our eye. It's only 2 minutes from Yeonsinnae Station, so we headed straight over.

Real Hanwoo (Korean beef), grade 1 or above rather than grade 2, at a reasonable price? It said so right there at the entrance — how could you not trust that? We just walked straight in.

I thought we'd arrived a bit late for dinner, but two or three other groups came in right after us. And apparently a large group had already cleaned the place out before we got there. This must really be a Yeonsinnae favorite.

Sambaek Hanu Daecheop used to be Kkuseokji Dolpan Hanu, but after a renewal, the owner now ages and prepares the meat himself. So apparently it's now even tastier and cheaper than before!

Priced in the ₩10,000s per 100g, first order from 300g

Turns out the first order starts at 300g, priced around ₩10,000-something per 100g. And additional orders come at an even more discounted price. Honestly, that's barely different from pork prices these days. If it's the same price, would you eat pork or beef? Great for coming with a group and eating a lot without worrying about the bill. You could even make this your first stop of the night...!

Basic side dishes and the complimentary Hanwoo doenjang stew

The basic side dishes were kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi), pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi), baek-kimchi (white kimchi), pickled onions, pa-muchim (seasoned green onions), peppers, and garlic. The pa-kimchi was good, but for eating with beef I preferred the clean flavor of the baek-kimchi.

And when you order 300g of meat for the first time, you get a free Hanwoo doenjang stew (soybean paste stew).

The doenjang stew had chunky cubes of tofu and Hanwoo beef in it, making the broth even richer and more savory. A hot, spicy doenjang stew with a shot of soju — perfect.

The brisket and short rib platter

We ordered the sambaek platter, made up of aged beef short rib and Hanwoo brisket. There were king oyster mushrooms too. Bright red color, great marbling — doesn't it look good?

We started with the Hanwoo brisket, since it cooks fast.

From the very first bite it was tender and delicious. Great savory meat aroma too — very satisfying.

Was the aged short rib tough?

Next we grilled the aged beef short rib. I remember short rib being chewy at other places, but here — maybe because it's well-aged — it was more fatty and tender than expected. This place is genuinely great for short rib.

You can pile on this much wasabi and it's fine. The savory beef fat meeting the wasabi maximizes the umami.

Sizzling in the meat fat, the garlic turned golden brown too... Being a stone griddle, it's great for grilling meat, and convenient for garlic too since nothing slips off.

Mul-naengmyeon (cold noodle soup)

When we were about done with the meat, we ordered mul-naengmyeon. And it turns out the naengmyeon here is genuinely excellent too. Chewy arrowroot noodles, broth seasoned just right. So refreshing and clean for cleansing the palate — you could start eating meat all over again... I was so full I almost skipped it, but I would have regretted not ordering it.

By the way, if you take part in the Naver review event, you can choose between mul-naengmyeon or Hanwoo brisket ramyeon. You should definitely do this.

Ah, I really only meant to drink a little... Even though we came for round two already full on beer, the meat quality and side dishes were all so good that the soju kept flowing. If you want to eat delicious Hanwoo at a reasonable price, I fully recommend Sambaek Hanu Daecheop, the great-value short rib spot in Yeonsinnae.