Korean BBQ restaurant in Myeongdong, Seoul
Musoe Kimchi Samgyeop — Myeongdong Korean BBQ, grilled with kimchi on cast iron
A short walk from Myeongdong Station Exit 6 · Open daily 12:00-24:00 · Rated 4.7
The original way
Pork belly on an upturned cauldron lid, the original way
Myeongdong Korean BBQ, the way it started in Seomyeon, Busan: samgyeopsal goes around the rim of a domed cast iron lid, and kimchi cooks in the pork fat in the centre. Every bite pairs meat with kimchi straight off the grill.
An upturned cauldron lid
In old Korean country kitchens, people turned the heavy lid of the rice cauldron (gamasot) upside down, grilled pork belly on it and cooked kimchi straight in the rendered pork fat. Musoe Kimchi Samgyeop — Korean Kimchi Pork — keeps that simple method on a cast-iron lid grill.
Kimchi is the star
Kimchi is in our name for a reason. Store-bought kimchi could not give the flavour the brand wanted when grilled with pork, so it is made at the brand's own kimchi kitchen in Gijang, Busan and sent to each restaurant. Laid whole in the hot pork fat, it loses its sharp edge and turns mellow.
Staff help you grill
Staff come to your table to help grill the meat and kimchi, so a first visit is easy. Once the meat is gone, you can finish with fried rice from the add-on menu.
가장 한국적인 것.
“The most Korean thing.”
Musoe Kimchi Samgyeop brand motto
Grilled on a cast iron lid
The grill here is a heavy cast iron lid that domes upward in the middle. Slices of pork belly are laid around the rim so the fat runs down toward the centre, where kimchi and tofu cook in it.
By the time the meat is done the kimchi has soaked up the drippings, and a handful of fresh minari (Korean water parsley) on top adds a bright, crisp note. Reviewers mention grilled meat, samgyeopsal and minari more than anything else.
Everything cooks on the cast iron right in front of you, so you can watch the whole process from your seat.
Signature dishes — kimchi and minari pork belly
Cast Iron Kimchi Pork Belly (150g per serving, ₩16,000) is the dish the restaurant is named after: samgyeopsal and kimchi cooking together on the same iron.
Cast Iron Minari Pork Belly (150g per serving, ₩18,000) adds fresh minari for aroma and crunch. If you prefer pork neck, Cast Iron Kimchi Pork Neck and Cast Iron Kimchi & Minari Pork Neck sit at the same prices.
When the meat is finished, rice can be stirred into the leftover kimchi and minari on the grill to end the meal as fried rice.
Good to know
Everything is grilled right at your table, so the food is served here in the restaurant only — no delivery, no takeout.
Reservations are welcome. Groups, families and children are all comfortable here — there is a kids' menu and a private room — and staff cut the meat on the grill for you, so a first Korean BBQ is easy.
Tables fill up at lunch and at dinner. Call ahead if you are coming with a group and we will keep a table for you.
The room and how to order
The second-floor dining room is wide and lined with wooden tables, each with its own cast iron grill and an ordering tablet.
You order from that tablet at the table. Printed guides in other languages are kept in the room as well, so choosing dishes is straightforward on a first visit.
The atmosphere is casual. Wi-Fi and restrooms are available, and cards and mobile NFC payments are accepted.
Where we are
Leave Myeongdong Station through Exit 6, walk into the alley behind the CGV building, and we are on the 2nd floor of the Ediya building. Check the map below.
2F, 7 Myeongdong 8ga-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea