Korean Barbecue in Seoul: How the Table Works

Sit down and the table fills before you have ordered: banchan — kimchi, pickled radish, bean sprouts, a raw onion salad, sometimes a steamed egg — plus lettuce, perilla leaves, sliced garlic, green chilli and a dish of ssamjang, the thick bean-and-chilli paste. None of this is charged for and all of it is refillable.

Order the meat by portion. It arrives raw on a plate; the staff will often start it for you, cutting it with scissors on the grill once it has coloured. If nobody comes, cut it yourself with the scissors provided — this is normal and not a failure of service.

When a piece is done, put it on a lettuce leaf, add garlic, a smear of ssamjang, maybe a slice of chilli or a piece of kimchi from the grill, wrap it, and eat it in one. That last part is the actual rule: a ssam is made to be eaten whole rather than bitten.

At the end, order a portion of cold noodles or a bowl of stew to finish, which is what Koreans do and what the menu expects.

The best barbecue in Seoul is not a restaurant, it is a category, and it is available in every district at a different price.

Hongdae and the university areas are the cheapest, with portions from ₩15,000 and a young crowd; the trade-off is noise and a queue after eight. Jongno's back streets — particularly around Euljiro and Jongno 3-ga — do the older version: tables outside, extractor pipes overhead, and a clientele that has been coming for twenty years. Gangnam charges half again for the same cuts in a quieter room.

For a specific experience rather than a meal, the Hanwoo beef restaurants price by grade and turn dinner into an event; expect ₩40,000 a portion upwards. A guided food tour will usually include a grilled course, and a cooking class teaches the marinades rather than the grilling.

The one district to avoid for barbecue is the main lane of Myeongdong, where prices are set for visitors. A hundred metres into the side streets they are not.

Ordering one portion for two people. Portions are priced individually and sized for sharing, so a table of two orders two — the staff will usually tell you, but not always.

Eating the meat on its own. The point of the meal is the wrap: leaf, meat, garlic, paste, one bite. Eating the meat plain is not wrong, it is simply half the dish.

Being shy about the side dishes. Banchan are free and refills are expected; the kimchi in particular is meant to be grilled alongside the meat and eaten hot.

Expecting to grill in peace. Staff will lean in, cut, turn and rearrange, and at busier places they will do most of the cooking. This is service, not criticism.

And finally, planning it as a late meal. Barbecue restaurants fill from 18:30 to 20:30 and many stop seating around 22:00 — for later than that you want a stew place or fried chicken, which is what the city eats after eleven.