Korean Food Guide
Korean BBQ (고기구이)
Grill-it-yourself feast of beef, pork, and side dishes — Korea's most social meal.
Grilled meat (main)KRW 15,000-30,000/person (pork BBQ), KRW 40,000-80,000/person (hanwoo beef)Heat: —
Korean BBQ is the umbrella term for grilling meat at the table — usually beef (galbi, hanwoo, chadolbaegi) or pork (samgyeopsal, moksal). Comes with 8-15 free side dishes (banchan), lettuce wraps (ssam), garlic, kimchi, and ssamjang dip.
Ingredients
- • Beef short ribs (galbi)
- • Pork belly (samgyeopsal)
- • Lettuce
- • Perilla leaves
- • Garlic
- • Ssamjang (dipping paste)
- • Kimchi
Origin
Joseon Dynasty noble feasts. Tabletop charcoal grilling became standard in the 1960s.
Best paired with
Soju, beer, or makgeolli. Cold naengmyeon after the meat.
Where to try Korean BBQ
- 1.Maple Tree House (Seoul, Itaewon) — premium hanwoo
- 2.Saemaeul Sikdang (chain nationwide) — cheap pork BBQ
- 3.Geumdwaeji Sikdang (Seoul, Sinsa) — famous samgyeopsal queue
Tips
- •Don't flip meat too often — let it sear once, flip once.
- •Wrap meat in lettuce + perilla leaf + garlic + ssamjang for traditional ssam bite.
- •Cold noodles or kimchi stew after the meat is the proper finish.
- •Tip is NEVER expected in Korean restaurants — including BBQ.
Frequently asked
Do I cook the meat myself?
Yes — that's the fun. Staff will help start it, but you control the grill.
Galbi vs samgyeopsal?
Galbi = marinated beef short rib (sweet/savory). Samgyeopsal = unseasoned pork belly.
Is Korean BBQ expensive?
Pork BBQ is KRW 15-25k/person. Premium hanwoo beef can hit KRW 100k/person.