Barbecue holds a significant role in Korean culinary tradition and has been deeply ingrained within it. There are plenty of Korean barbecue restaurants in Seoul. However, amidst this abundance, one can still encounter subpar barbecue options, so you have to know where to head to.
Ggupdang (also known as Kkubdang in Korea) is one of the most popular Korean BBQ restaurants in Seoul at the moment and it specialises in pork cured for 15 days before being grilled over Binchotan charcoal.
The original outlet is located near Sinsa Station, and they have a second outlet in Seongsu-dong which is often touted as the Brooklyn of Seoul. You can have a fantastic Korean BBQ meal at Kkubdang without breaking the bank.
There is only pork on the menu and they are affordably priced below 20,000 won per portion.
Ggupdang is best known for its signature Pork Shoulder Blades and it is soft, tender, juicy and super flavourful.
They also serve other parts including Grilled Pork Belly, Grilled Skirt Meat, Pork Cheek Meat, Back Ribs (limited to 2 servings per table) and Pork Neck.
Also not to be missed are their Doenjang-jjigae (Bean Paste Stew) and their modern take on the Korean Jjajangmyeon with cheese and truffle oil.
Doenjang-jjigae (Bean Paste Stew) is one of the most popular Korean stew dishes made with Korean soybean paste (doenjang) which is a type of fermented bean paste made of soybean and brine. Ggupdang’s rendition (W9,000) is excellent; hearty and packed with flavours.
The purists will not appreciate their Jjajangmyeon (W6,000) as it comes with lots of cheese and truffle oil. But we absolutely loved their modern take on the traditional Korean Jjajangmyeon.
The waiting time at Kkubdang can be as long as 1-2 hours during dinner. Fortunately, there’s a quicker way to get a table without queuing if you are okay with eating Korean BBQ in the middle of the afternoon. The trick is to go there when they open. Ggupdang’s original outlet at Sinsa opens at 3pm while the Seongsu outlet opens at 4pm. We reached at about 3.50pm and got a table immediately when they opened at 4pm.
Ggupdang (Kkubdang)
615 Gangnam-daero, Jamwon-dong
Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2-545-9600
Building, 10, Gyeonggi Association
Room 104, 20-gil Seongsui-ro, Seongdong-gu
Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 50-71358-6564