Gangnam Korean BBQ for pork ribs: Gukbo Garden

I tried both signature dishes at Gukbo Garden (국보가든), a Samsung-dong Korean BBQ spot: Bakpo ribs and Seolhwa ribs! Both the fresh and marinated ribs were delicious, and the atmosphere was so nice that we decided we had to come back next time!

A huge plus is that corkage is free, so you can comfortably enjoy wine too!

Right by Samseong Jungang Station, with parking

Gukbo Garden is right in front of Exit 3 of Samseong Jungang Station! Haha.

I mean, it really is right there. It’s super convenient to get to by subway too.

There’s a large parking lot out front. There’s a valet attendant, and it’s ₩5,000 for two hours. After eating, I had some time to spare, so I took a little walk nearby to digest before picking up the keys haha.

What is Gukbo Garden like inside?

As soon as you walk inside Gukbo Garden, a pine tree right in the center welcomes you! Haha. I think it really adds to the upscale mood.

The high-backed seats made each table feel separated, so it was comfortable for dining. The tables are nicely spacious too.

There’s yogurt ice cream and coffee by the entrance too, which makes for a nice dessert!

Events, menu, and prices

They’re running a review event where you get Korean beef yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) for writing a receipt review! Not even a drink, but Korean beef yukhoe...!! Haha.

There are also good-value lunch options that you can enjoy regardless of whether it’s a weekday or weekend.

Swipe through the slides to see the full menu! The meat is either Korean pork or Prime Angus.

There’s a wide range of meal dishes too, from doenjang-jjigae to naengmyeon (cold noodles).

• Gukbo Bakpo fresh ribs ₩31,000
• Gukbo Seolhwa marinated ribs ₩29,000 × 2
• Crab seafood doenjang-jjigae ₩12,000
• Steamed rice ₩2,000
• Total ₩103,000

Top-quality ingredients and meat aged for 168 hours—I was already excited before the meat even arrived..

My husband reached for the side dishes the second they were set down hahaha. Every one was tasty, and they were perfect for snacking on while the meat cooked haha.

You can conveniently order extra side dishes from the tablet at each table!

The marinated raw crab was seriously so good...! It’s the only side dish that costs extra when you request a refill.

My take on Bakpo fresh ribs and Seolhwa marinated ribs

The Gukbo Seolhwa marinated ribs are said to be 0.3% premium YBD Korean pork, low-temperature aged for 168 hours. The Seolhwa ribs are nicely thick! The Gukbo Bakpo fresh ribs are also 0.3% premium YBD Korean pork, ribs spread out in the Bakpo style. Bakpo ribs are thinner than Seolhwa ribs, but you can really feel that chewy texture!

The crab seafood doenjang-jjigae comes with one bowl of steamed rice included!

We ordered the meat and stew together and ate them side by side. The crab made the doenjang-jjigae much more refreshing!

At Gukbo Garden, the staff grill all the meat for you, so you can just relax and eat! Haha. They grilled the fresh ribs first. The Bakpo ribs are characteristically this thin. They cut them into easy-to-eat pieces, and all the staff were so kind—it made the meal even nicer haha.

They place the fully grilled meat up top,

For the first bite, start with Maldon salt! The meat already has a light sprinkle of salt, so just a tiny bit is enough. Wasabi and garlic are great with it too!

Once you’ve had the fresh meat, they change the grill and immediately cook the marinated ribs!

I love wrapping marinated ribs in lettuce, and the screen for ordering extra sides includes lettuce and perilla leaves, so order some if you need them! Marinated ribs can burn so easily and aren’t simple to grill, but the staff cooked them deliciously, which was so nice haha.

Such satisfying marinated ribs..! Hahaha. My husband said he preferred the marinated ribs, but I liked the thin Bakpo fresh ribs more? Haha. But both were delicious, so I’ll order both again next time..!!! Haha.

Seriously, how badly did he want it that he got himself ice cream as soon as we started eating meat.. hahahahaha. Eating ice cream with the marinated crab right in front of him hahaha. I only took a tiny bit on my way out, but there were Fruit Rings too, so I piled them on haha. At this point, it looks like I got ice cream just to eat the Fruit Rings? Haha.

With its upscale restaurant atmosphere, kind staff, and high-quality meat, Gukbo Garden was satisfying overall!