Not sure about the barbecue but as a H-town native, the Vatos Tacos in Seoul literally brought me back to the tex-mex cantina by my high school that never carded for margs and had half off nachos. There’s one in Itaewon but I prefer the one located in COEX Starfield Mall! Yummy place to eat and get tipsy to ease the pain from the money spent at the mall lmao

Bbq? In Korea? Never heard of it. .

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I'm from Texas!! Cent Grill is by far the best I have ever tried in Seoul! It's worth the price and the wait!

Lived in Austin, TX for 7 years. The brisket at Austin BBQ here isn’t bad but Hill House is my current go-to for bbq:

[Naver Map] Hill House 경기 고양시 덕양구 동헌로 385-18 힐하우스 https://naver.me/G5QAZ7cC

Coffee is great too!

This place in Itaewon is really good: https://naver.me/GkKJEcVj, highly recommend.

Haven't been to the others but don't bother with JPs or Victor's. You'll be very orry you made the trip. Likewise, manimal in itaewon is very popular but very meh and overpriced.

Yes, Pyeongtaek and Osan are pretty far away but we have a big American community. You should come spend some time here! I'd appreciate your reviews of all these places to decide how authentic it is.

Yes this one! I'm not sure if they do reservations or if you can call ahead, when I went last time my BF and I had to wait like 30ish minutes? But I literally teared up when I tasted the food. Made me feel like I was back in Waller County, Texas!

There's a place in Itaewon and about 3 to 5 places in Pyeongtaek. You have to go where the Americans typically hang out, spend money, and start businesses.

[Naver Map] Yujei Smoke House Pyeongtaek Branch 경기 평택시 팽성읍 안정순환로 121 https://naver.me/5eTczkL7

[Naver Map] Smoke Town 경기 평택시 팽성읍 신흥북로49번길 28-3 https://naver.me/xZObASWM

Use Waze to drive to JP’s BBQ Songtan: https://waze.com/ul/hwyd6gnkjd

Use Waze to drive to JP’s American BBQ: https://waze.com/ul/hwyd6708he

Use Waze to drive to La Salud Burger & BBQ House: https://waze.com/ul/hwyd66btrb

hongdae has good options for small BBQ places. I wouldn't worry about taking up a table. just do you.

You should definitely check out 돈나라돈통령 near 용두역. They've got small tables and are not crowded usually. Their pork belly is soooo delicious. You're welcome.

I wouldn’t worry about taking up the space. Most places have a minimum order though, usually you have to order at least three servings

서래 갈매기살. If you have never had galmaegisal, oh my god (pork, but tastes more like beef). It's so delicious, and this place has the best marinade I have ever tasted. 마포갈매기 is okay also, but not as good imo. They are both chains located all over Seoul.

Don't eat in Myeongdong, everything there is overpriced. You're better off going to nearly any neighborhood for BBQ and can find plenty of great restaraunts all over.

Pig Restaurant 2 in Itaewon

[네이버 지도] 박순례 손말이고기 산정집 광화문점 서울 종로구 새문안로5가길 3-10 https://naver.me/I5caN0cu

The best bbq I've had is 상수김치 삼겹살 right next to 상수역.

It's halfway in the basement, looks a bit dingy, but is ALWAYS popular and busy. Super super good pork belly and brisket, delicious kimchi, and good service. You don't normally see many foreigners there, so it's really a hidden gem.

[Naver Map] Sangsu Kimchi Grilled Pork Belly 서울 마포구 독막로 76 https://naver.me/FuEr88w2

If you go a bit north there's a place called Gowoondon and is pretty good. It's close to a rooftop bar (literally 10 seconds away) called "Saeseoul". Worth venturing out for both. Only downside is that they only serve in sets of 2+ people, if you're going alone.

Do you know what they call Korean BBQ in Korea?

BBQ.

Pick a neighborhood. Very few BBQ places are worth traveling hours across town for. There'll be decent ones everywhere.

Most of the reviews on google are from locals.  

In... Seoul? It would be difficult to find inauthentic Korean bbq, I would think. Just go to the place that is the most crowded.

Just go anywhere really. It's all good, it's all nice to experience. They all have the meat you're asking for and it's pretty clear which are cheap or aren't

This website lists a lot of them

I went to Mongtan yesterday and for two people it was 164k won. Just order the ribs (2-3 orders per person is plenty). It's 1000% worth going!

https://goo.gl/maps/VZ9ZM2eLNGmiQfST9 Majang Meat Market if it's not showing up properly for you

Have you thought about visiting here or is it too informal?

I heard you can contact Born and Bred through Instagram to make a reservation.

For reservations you can either try calling yourself or ask the concierge at the hotel/the host of your Airbnb if they could call/make a reservation for you.

Those places you listed you can just walk in. I've always recommended 2237, it's a good place. They age their beef.

I wouldn't go to Samwon, it's on the higher side.

If you have a choice just go to Born and Bred, the non speakeasy of course. Casual dining there isn't expensive. 300,000W for 2 is good enough.

I think foreigners need to look up the actual names of meals. “Korean BBQ” is used abroad for a very wide range of foods which could be anything. Many times, y’all mean “samgyeopsal” 삼겹살 which is the most common type. But there’s also ogyeopsal, kalmegisal, etc. These are collectively known as 고기집 (literally “meat house”) but almost always its beef and pork.
For an alternative, I suggest you look into dalk galbi 닭 갈비 which is a chicken dish. Also 찜닭 is another awesome chicken dish. I wouldn’t call them “bbq” but have seen plenty of visitors call them this due to how it’s prepared in a central pot.

If you want chicken bbq (as opposed to stew, soup, fried chicken, etc.), then you wanna try dalkgalbi / 닭갈비. It has nothing to do with ribs. Some places do it on a pan, allowing you to get a fried rice after on the same pan. Other places do it on a grill, giving you a different expereince. One of my fav foods in the country. Very widely served, though not as much as fried chicken or bbq pork.

Look for 꼬치 restaurants. They're skewers cooked on a rotating grill. A lot of them are named something 양꼬치 (lamb) but you can often find places that also serve 닭 (chicken) and/or 새우 (shrimp).

There are also a few eel bbq places.

은화계 in Sinsa is actual grilled chicken like most meat places have pork belly

For seafood there are 2 that I recommend, one would be jogabi, and the other would be near Euljiro 1/3 or Myeongdong.

https://map.naver.com/v5/entry/place/1050978967?c=14136469.1044379,4518310.1373903,19,0,0,0,dh

Seoul house is great!

If you like Korean food in general may I suggest Han River in Lower Hutt. I have Korean friends who also love this place.

I used to go there a few times a year when my kids were little.

The pork + glass noodles combo was my #1 choice.

I walk past here all the time and never knew the food looked that good!

No problem 😁 thanks to Reddit I also discovered this establishment

The capital of South Korea is called Seoul btw

This looks amazing! What sauces do they serve it with? Also, how much does this set you back in Souele 😊?

Shut up and take my money. Do they dash?

I thought souele was the name of the fancy restaurant