Gangnam Korean BBQ restaurant lunch, staff-grilled pork: Chobeoljip

Today I visited Chobeoljip Apgujeong Rodeo Branch, a staff-grilled meat restaurant just a one-minute walk from Apgujeong Rodeo Station~ It was super accessible, and since it’s a place that grills the meat for you with no break time, we were able to eat nice and comfortably.

Chobeoljip location and hours

• Hours: Daily 11:00 AM–3:00 AM the next day (no break time)
• Address: 1F, 4 Apgujeong-ro 54-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul; a one-minute walk from Exit 6
• Parking: Paid, ₩5,000 for the first 120 minutes (₩6,000 per additional 60 minutes; maximum ₩50,000)
• Valet available: ₩5,000, valet-booth parking
• Restroom inside the restaurant: Yes

I visited with a reservation and was seated by the window~ I went at lunchtime on a lovely day, so a gentle breeze kept us cool while we ate, haha. In this pleasantly cool season, you really have to make the most of tables with this outdoor-dining kind of feel!

Ordering bone samgyeopsal and beef brisket doenjang-jjigae

The basic table setting was so neat, and they gave us plenty of generous side dishes too~

• Par-cooked bone samgyeopsal (pork belly with rib bones), 380g (₩48,000)
• Beef brisket doenjang-jjigae (soybean-paste stew) (₩12,000)
• Steamed rice for two (₩2,000)
• Cola (₩3,000)

These were the dishes we ordered and their prices~

Bone samgyeopsal, 400g (₩48,000). I saw on another blog before visiting that a robot does the initial grilling, apparently? Then a staff member grills the par-cooked meat once more at the table. Grilled mushrooms and shishito peppers are such a treat, haha.

They grilled the kimchi that came as a side dish along with it too, haha. Since they did the grilling themselves, I could relax and chat with my friend while we waited~

Such a drool-worthy sight, haha. When you grill meat yourself, the smell clings to you and it can be such a bother, but Chobeoljip par-cooks everything perfectly in the kitchen, so at the table it only needs a light finish before you can eat it right away. I loved that!!

Quick-cooking, chewy bone samgyeopsal

Once it was done, they served us a piece at a time. Exactly how I like it cooked! They got it beautifully golden, right?! Even though it was pork belly, it had the chewy texture of the skin on ogyeopsal, or five-layer pork belly, and so much savory flavor!!

Maybe because it had been par-cooked, it was definitely grilled in the blink of an eye~ At places where the grilling takes ages, waiting can get quietly boring and make conversation awkward, so I really loved how quickly it was ready, haha.

They put a piece on each of our plates before leaving, so my friend and I could finally settle into a proper, comfortable chat, haha.

I loved that they gave us plenty of perilla leaves, ssam vegetables for wrapping, and bean sprouts too, haha. The angelica leaves and pickled chili peppers weren’t sweet and were delicious as well. Both the Cheongyang chili peppers and pickled chilies had a wonderfully spicy kick!!

The beef brisket doenjang-jjigae (₩12,000) joined us too—complete! The stew was delicious; I should have ordered it sooner~

They have lots of stew options too, including jjageuli, doenjang-jjigae, and sundubu-jjigae~ There are both meat-filled and seafood-filled stews, so meat lovers and seafood lovers alike could order to their tastes, haha. We debated between seafood and beef brisket, then went with the beef brisket~!

The owner wrapped the back rib in foil for us to eat. Thanks to that, we could eat it neatly without getting grease on our hands. Such great attention to detail from the owner~!~ The gentle aroma from the par-cooking had soaked in, making it much juicier and softer, so we enjoyed every last bite without getting tired of it.

Why it was great for a lunch date with a friend

The friend I visited with has been my friend since elementary school, so we talked about how, when we went to meat restaurants as kids, we only looked for things we could hold by the bone and eat, while enthusiastically picking at the ribs, haha. It had been a while since I’d eaten while holding a bone. Picking meat off the bone really is the highlight~~~

When I eat pork belly, I’m not really a fan of soft, floppy fat, but Chobeoljip’s meat was springy and chewy like pork skin, with seasoning already worked in, so I enjoyed it so much, haha.

This time I visited at lunch, and nearby office workers came in for lunch or to eat alone. Next time I’m in Apgujeong, I think it would be so nice to have somaek—soju and beer mixed together—with friends or on a date in the evening, since the outdoor-style seating is inside the restaurant. For two women, the bone samgyeopsal, beef brisket doenjang-jjigae, and rice were just the right amount. Chobeoljip is a real meat spot!! It’s right in front of Apgujeong Rodeo Station, so it’s easy to find, and I liked it even more because it’s in such a perfect location for meeting up with someone 👍