Seoul’s popular Korean beef specialty store – the marbling melts in your mouth, incredibly tender!

Text and photos by /Little Paine

This Korean barbecue restaurant, Korea House, located in Hongdae, is already a fairly well-known spot, hailed as a must-visit pilgrimage site for VIPs, because BB has eaten here (been spotted here). However, Korea House was my second Korean beef experience during that trip. I had arranged to meet my friend from Hong Kong, Alice. My first Korean beef experience with my Hong Kong friend Alice was in Busan, which was a bit of a letdown. This time, we met up again in Seoul and went to another Korean beef place. The first one we chose was in a high-end area (Yeouido), where we paid NT$1,500 per person for Korean beef, but I wasn’t too satisfied. The next day, I recommended this Korea House Korean beef restaurant to Alice. He said he had been there before but that it was really good, so he decided to accompany me there one more time before our flight. So off we went to another Korean beef place!

This time, I was finally satisfied~ Compared to the previous 700 Restaurant, honestly the beef tasted quite similar to me, but Alice said that when he went to 700 Restaurant, the Korean beef he got wasn’t as good. So, you might want to consider that. Because when I looked at online reviews of 700 Restaurant, it did seem a bit different?

The shop door is huge, super easy to find.

The menu at the entrance is available in both English and Japanese — you can tell right away it’s a place tourists visit.

The Korean beef sign is hung up high, and they use 1++ grade beef here.

The first thing you do upon entering is look for autographs — autographs?!

The boss basically uses BB as their signboard lol ~ such a big head!

Back to the main topic, the tables here are shaped like oil drums — this trend has also caught on in Taiwan.

Let’s look at the prices. The Korean beef here isn’t cheap, everything is priced per 100g, starting at 22,000 KRW, and the most expensive is 38,000 KRW (but still cheaper than what I paid in Yeouido). However, compared to 700 Restaurant, it’s pricier — at 700 Restaurant, 150g costs 25,000 KRW (mixed Korean beef).
Read more:[Seoul] 239 Hongdae's '700 Restaurant Korean Beef Speciality & Whelk Stir-fry ~ Highest A-grade 1++ Taebaek Mountain Korean Beef Unforgettable

Don’t look at the wall writing — the auntie will still bring the menu over.

The grill net is this elastic type, I’ve encountered something similar at another place before.

The auntie adds charcoal while serving all the side dishes.

There’s always lettuce, slightly sour and spicy to whet the appetite.

Onions are also one of the appetizers — Korean beef tastes great with just salt, so only salt is provided.

Pure charcoal fire.

We ordered two types of meat for two people — one was "la wu lai" and the other was "lei da ma." I did a lot of research, and the one with more marbling should be "la wu lai," the darker colored one on the left is "lei da ma." Since the price also matches, the more expensive one should have more marbling? But the auntie seemed to have it backwards, because we were wondering why the one with more marbling, which the auntie said was "lei da ma," was actually cheaper at 28,000 KRW, while the darker "la wu lai" was more expensive at 33,000 KRW. The auntie might’ve gotten it backwards.

I still don’t get it — did the auntie really get it backwards? So, if anyone out there has a definitive, absolutely sure answer, please let me know (thank you)!

This part of the meat has lots of juice and a nice chew, getting tastier the more you bite. If you’re drinking, this cut is more suitable.

I was just waiting for this marbled cut — but since it has more fat, it shrinks quite a bit after grilling (lol). But the flavor is truly amazing — the marbling melts instantly in your mouth, the tenderness of the beef plus the aroma of the fat. That said, some might find it too fatty and prefer the other cut. Different cuts, different pleasures. Still recommend choosing your favorite cut. I start drooling every time I see the photos (a bit self-torturing, lol).

We added a bowl of naengmyeon (cold noodles) to go with it, but the cold noodles here are a bit pricey, and just okay in taste.

If you find it too rich, pairing it with cold noodles is perfect!

Finally, the auntie said the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) is free!

Korea House Korean Barbecue, Seo?
FBCheck-in with Korean comment / FBChinese Check-in Spots
Phone: 02-3143-1300
Business Hours: 11:30~03:00
Address: ?聘夜寄萝 谷屿? 圃窜熙?杠 5 （Naver Map／Daum Map）

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