Heading east from Jamsil Station in Seoul, you’ll discover Bangi-dong Food Alley. Situated east of Seokchon Lake, this street offers a variety of restaurants, with a particular abundance of excellent barbecue places. On a day when a satisfying lunch for a group of around 20 people was in order near Jamsil Station, exploring Bangi-dong Food Alley led us to a promising restaurant named ‘Yookhwa Sikdang.’
“Seoul Jamsil, Bangi-dong Food Alley Grilled Meat Restaurant, Yookhwa Sikdang”
Yookhwa Sikdang is a restaurant specializing in selling grilled pork belly, and it appeared to be quite spacious with reasonable prices. Since we needed a restaurant capable of accommodating around 20 people for a group meal that day, Yookhwa Sikdang seemed fitting. The meat options were priced at 16,000 won per serving, and they included the following signature items:
- Pork Belly: 16,000 won
- Pork Neck: 16,000 won
- Pork Collar: 16,000 won
- Hanwoo (Korean Beef) Top Sirloin: 24,000 won
- Hanwoo Top Blade: 24,000 won
- Hanwoo Yukhoe (Korean Beef Tartare): 26,000 won
As we visited as a group, we ordered pork belly servings according to the number of people and added Kimchi Stew to our order. Of course, with a group meal, you inevitably find yourself ordering more meat as you go…
“Pork Belly, Myeongi Namul (Perilla Leaf Salad), and Kimchi Stew”
One reason for choosing Yookhwa Sikdang was the inclusion of ‘Myeongi Namul’ (perilla leaf salad) as a side dish. Personally, I enjoy wrapping meat with Myeongi Namul, and it’s relatively rare to find restaurants where this is served as a basic side dish. In my experience, restaurants that serve Myeongi Namul as a side dish often excel not only in this aspect but also in the overall quality of their food and side dishes. Therefore, when a restaurant serves Myeongi Namul, I tend to trust it for a satisfying dining experience.
The Kimchi Stew we ordered complemented the pork belly exceptionally well. When the pork belly starts feeling a bit heavy, having Kimchi Stew or Myeongi Namul helps balance out the richness.
“A Grilled Meat Restaurant Where Staff Grill the Meat for You”
Another excellent aspect of Yookhwa Sikdang is that the staff grill the meat for you. After placing your order as a guest, you don’t need to worry about grilling the meat yourself. The skilled staff take care of the grilling, ensuring that the meat is cooked to perfection. This is especially advantageous for large groups, as was the case when I visited with students from Hong Kong’s HKCT University. With a large foreign group, if the staff hadn’t been there to grill the meat, it might have been challenging for the students to cook it themselves.
While I haven’t extensively explored grilled meat restaurants in the Jamsil area, it felt like a satisfying day, and Yookhwa Sikdang was a pleasant discovery. Particularly, the accompanying instructor from HKCT University expressed a desire to revisit this restaurant when returning to Korea, showcasing how much they enjoyed the experience.
“Seoul Jamsil, Yookhwa Sikdang Grilled Meat Restaurant”
- Address: 29, Olympic-ro 32-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul
- Phone: 02-424-6882
- Operating Hours: (Mon-Fri) 4:00 PM – 12:30 AM, (Sat-Sun, Holidays) 12:00 PM – 10:30 PM
- Website: https://meatflower.modoo.at